Documents to keep ready before filing your income-tax return

Start with the portal statements

Before collecting anything else, download the Annual Information Statement and the tax credit statement from the income-tax portal. They show what banks, employers, brokers and others have reported against your PAN.

Compare both with your own records. A mismatch is easier to explain while you are preparing the return than after a query arrives.

Records most people need

• PAN, Aadhaar and the login for the income-tax portal
• Bank statements for every account held during the year, including closed accounts
• Interest certificates for savings accounts and fixed deposits
• TDS certificates from employers, banks and clients
• Payment proof for any advance tax or self-assessment tax

If you have particular kinds of income

Salaried taxpayers need the employer's TDS certificate and any salary slips that explain allowances. Those who changed jobs during the year need records from each employer.

Anyone who sold shares, mutual funds or property needs the broker's capital gains statement, or the sale and purchase deeds with records of the cost. House owners need rent records and housing loan interest certificates.

Proprietors and professionals need the sales and purchase registers, expense records, GST returns and stock details. It helps to reconcile the turnover in the books with the GST returns before filing.

Deductions need proof

Keep the receipts for any deduction you claim, such as insurance premiums, investments, medical insurance and donations. First check which tax regime you will use, because the deductions available differ between the two.

Records to keep after filing

Keep the filed return, its acknowledgement and the papers behind it in one folder. If a notice arrives later, the response starts from this file.

By CA Zubair Sayyed, published 02/11/2026. General information only. It is not professional advice, and the position depends on the facts and the law in force.