The Income Tax Department has notified the ITR Form-1 (Sahaj) for filing the income tax return for AY 2018-19 with various changes. Here's a look at how to file your I-T return using the new form.

The Income Tax Department has recently opened the e-filing window for income tax returns (ITR) for financial year 2017-18 or assessment year 2018-19 for persons eligible for filing the ITR Form-1 (Sahaj). Resident individuals earning income from salary or from one house property or other sources up to Rs 50 lakh are supposed to file the ITR-1 form.

This time, however, ITR Form-1 (Sahaj) has been notified with various changes. Let’s have a quick look on the changes summarized below:

1. Now ITR-1 is applicable only to Residents.

2. Details of income from salary, i.e. complete breakup, are required.

3. Details of income from house property are to be mentioned

4. Fees u/s 234F shall be payable if the I-T return is filed after the due date.

How to file ITR Form-1?

There are two ways for filing the ITR Form-1:

1. Offline:

In case of offline filing of ITR Form-1, the return shall be furnished in the paper form. Further, “while submitting your physical paper return, the Income Tax Department will issue you an acknowledgment,” says CA Abhishek Soni, Founder, tax2win.in.

But as per the income tax law, only following persons have the option to file the I-T return in paper form:

# Super senior citizens, i.e. 80 years or above

# Individual/ HUF whose return does not have any claim for refund in the return of income and whose income is up to Rs 5,00,000.

2. Online:

If you wish to file your income tax return online, then you have two choices. They are:

# Prepare and submit the return online

# Upload xml by using offline utilities

Let’s understand these two methods step by step:

a. Prepare and submit online (On the Income Tax website):

Step 1 – Log in to incometaxindiaefiling.gov.in with your User ID, Password, Date of Birth and Captcha.