Income Tax Return AY 2026-27: ITR-2 Filing Utility Now Active On e-Filing Website; Check Who Can File

The Income Tax Department has officially enabled online filing and Excel Utility for ITR-2 for Assessment Year (AY) 2026-27 on the e-Filing portal, giving relief to lakhs of taxpayers waiting to file their income tax returns. The update was announced by the official Income Tax India handle on X on Wednesday.

According to the Income Tax Department, eligible taxpayers can now access the ITR-2 filing facility through the official e-filing portal. The department has already enabled filing utilities for ITR-1 and ITR-4 forms as well.

Who Should File ITR-2?

ITR-2 is meant for individuals and Hindu Undivided Families (HUFs) who do not have income from business or profession but earn income from sources such as salary, pension, multiple house properties, capital gains, foreign assets, or other sources.

Typically, taxpayers who invest in stocks, mutual funds, property sales, cryptocurrency disclosures, or foreign income use ITR-2 while filing their returns.

How To File ITR-2 Online

Taxpayers can now visit the official Income Tax Department portal and complete the filing process online or through the Excel utility. The process includes:

Logging in to the e-Filing portal, selecting Assessment Year 2026-27, Choosing ITR-2 form

One can then file income, deduction and capital gains details. The next step is verifying tax computation and TDS information. Submit the return through Aadhaar OTP, net banking, DSC or other verification methods

The Income Tax Department has also clarified that ITR forms for AY 2026-27 continue to be governed under the Income-tax Act, 1961 despite the transition to the new Income-tax Act, 2025 framework from April 2026.

Due Date For Filing ITR AY 2026-27

As per the Income Tax Department guidelines, the due date for filing income tax returns for most non-audit taxpayers for AY 2026-27 is expected to remain July 31, 2026.

It is advisable taxpayers not to wait until the last minute, especially individuals with capital gains, foreign assets, ESOPs, or multiple income sources, as ITR-2 requires more detailed disclosures compared to ITR-1.