How I got my income-tax refund in 5 hours: Full guide on filing ITR for the first time

Many young people are also trusting online ITR filing websites that charge you to file your ITR, as they’re unsure of what to expect and afraid of what they’ll miss if they file by themselves. That is understandable, but as someone who completed her first ITR last night, I wish to provide you with some insights that can motivate you to file your tax return yourself instead of paying for a service and giving out your financial information.

I finished filing my ITR at 11:55 PM last night, and the entire process took an hour, which included downloading and analysing my annual information statement (AIS) and annual tax statement (Form 26AS), scrolling through the IT department’s website for things to remember while filing and double-checking everything I verified.

Filing ITR for the first time: Key things to remember

• The ITR filing process is entirely automated. This is something most people remain unaware of: All you have to do in your ITR filing is check and verify that everything is correct, and fill in the gaps. I was also unaware of this.

• If you’re a first-time filer and a salaried individual, you’ll most likely just need to verify all the pre-filled details with your Form 16, given by your employer and confirm your personal details. This makes the process very simple for first-time filers.

• Download your AIS and Form 26AS from the e-filing portal beforehand. Analyse it carefully and check if all the transactions are correct. Keep them handy while filing ITR.

• Choose the correct ITR form. Don’t make this decision too complicated. If you only have salary as your income source, as most first-time filers would, and you don’t invest or trade in equity, file ITR-1. Even if you have interest income from an FD or a savings account, ITR-1 is valid. If you invested in mutual funds or stocks and sold any during FY 2024-25, choose ITR-2.

• When you log in to the ITR portal, you’ll need to register your bank account. If you haven’t registered it and you’re a first-time user, you won’t be able to file ITR with your bank’s net banking. Further, registering the bank account is important to receive timely refunds.

• While filing, most options will be pre-selected, like the new tax regime and ‘General’ in the category. Read everything carefully, and in most cases, you will realise that the pre-selected option is the correct one for you. This makes things easier.

• In schedules, verify your information with AIS, Form 26AS, Form 16 and confirm all details. Typically, all pre-filled details are correct. If you need to make any changes, ensure that you are filling in accurately.

• You don’t need to circle out the refund you’re eligible for. The IT department does that for you. You just need to verify details, and the portal will show your tax liability/refund eligibility, which you’ll confirm and submit. Don’t worry about the refund, as you’ll receive it without fail in your registered bank account, even if it's delayed for any reason.

If you get any errors after submitting all schedules, click on each of them and solve. In my case, I got some errors where I had to fill in if I received any profit on salary or any allowance from my employer.

Further, if you choose the new tax regime, you would also not be claiming any deduction or exemption other than the standard deduction, so you would not be required to fill in any details for the same.

Don’t make the process more complicated than it is. If you’re a first-time filer, treat it as a routine check-up of your annual financial transactions. The IT department has made the tax filing fairly straightforward, at least for those with limited income sources. If you have a small refund amount, you will most likely receive it in just a few days.