Is filing ITR free in India? Yes — and here's the only honest guide
The government's e-filing portal at incometax.gov.in costs zero rupees for any ITR form. Several private services also offer a free tier. This page lays out the actual costs, time, and trade-offs of each option — without affiliate spin — so you pay only when paying genuinely makes sense.
Five ways to file ITR — cost, time, fit
Pricing reflects publicly listed rates as of April 2026. Verify on each provider's pricing page before paying — promotional rates change especially in July.
| Service | Cost | Time | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Govt portal (DIY)incometax.gov.in | FREE | 30–45 min | Salaried-simple cases (one Form 16, small bank interest, no capital gains). First-timers can take longer; second time onwards is fast. |
| Cleartax Basiccleartax.in | FREE | ~20 min | Salaried-simple, hand-held UX. Auto-imports Form 16 PDF and AIS. Good first ITR experience. Some upsell prompts to premium tier. |
| Cleartax PremiumExpert-assisted | ₹500–₹2,000 | ~15 min | Capital gains across MF/equity/property, ESOP, NRI cases, freelance with TDS. Includes CA review. Premium pricing varies by complexity. |
| TaxBuddy / Quicko / Tax2winMid-tier paid platforms | ₹300–₹2,500 | 15–30 min | Similar to Cleartax — interface preferences differ. Quicko has strong intraday/F&O support. TaxBuddy emphasises CA review at lower price points. |
| Hire a CAIndependent or via firm | ₹2,000–₹10,000 | 1+ hour meeting | Tax audit cases, scrutiny notices (143(2) / 148), foreign income / FBAR, complex partnerships, ESOPs from foreign parent, presumptive vs regular dilemma. |
Verify pricing. Cleartax/TaxBuddy/Tax2win prices vary by AY, complexity, and promotional offers. Verify on their official pricing pages before paying. CA fees vary by city — Tier-1 metros run higher than Tier-2/3.
Step-by-step on the government portal
The full guide is at how to file ITR. Here's the condensed version — eight clicks from start to e-verification.
Login at incometax.gov.in
Use PAN/Aadhaar as user ID. Forgot password reset works via Aadhaar OTP.
e-File → Income Tax Returns → File Income Tax Return
Pick AY 2026-27 → Mode of filing: Online → Status: Individual.
Choose ITR form
ITR-1 (Sahaj) for salaried-simple. ITR-2 if you have capital gains or income above ₹50L. ITR-3 for business / profession.
Verify pre-filled data
Portal pulls Form 16, AIS, TIS data automatically. Cross-check every line — especially TDS, interest, mutual fund redemptions.
Add deductions
80C / 80D / 80E / HRA / home loan interest under old regime. New regime allows only standard deduction + employer NPS.
Validate & preview
Portal shows tax liability vs TDS paid → refund or tax payable. Pay any balance via the same screen if owed.
Submit return
Once submitted you get an acknowledgement number (ITR-V).
e-Verify within 30 days
Aadhaar OTP / net banking / DSC / EVC. Without verification, the return is treated as never filed.
Six situations where spending money saves money
Most salaried earners can DIY safely. But certain situations involve enough complexity or risk that an expert is genuinely worth ₹2,000–₹10,000.
- Tax audit cases. Business turnover > ₹1cr (or ₹10cr digital) / profession > ₹50L. Form 3CD must be signed by a CA — no DIY workaround.
- Scrutiny notices u/s 143(2) or 148. Replying via the e-Proceedings tab requires careful drafting. A CA who's seen similar cases is invaluable.
- ESOPs from a foreign parent. Perquisite valuation, FMV calculation, foreign tax credit u/s 90/91, Schedule FA disclosure — easy to mess up DIY.
- NRI / RNOR status determination. Day-count rules, deemed residency, DTAA application, foreign income reporting. High audit risk if done wrong.
- Capital gains across asset classes. If you sold property + listed equity + unlisted shares + crypto in the same year, the holding-period and rate matrix is messy.
- Time vs money. If you bill ₹3,000+/hour for client work, paying ₹1,000 to save 90 minutes of confusion is rational. No shame in that.
Pro tip. Even when paying for filing, do a sanity check yourself with our Income Tax Calculator. The most common error in paid filings is wrong regime selection — the platform defaults to whatever was selected the prior year, which may no longer be optimal.
Three things people keep getting wrong
"Paid services are more accurate"
The math is identical — both DIY and paid follow the same Income Tax Act provisions. Errors come from wrong data entry, not the platform. A paid CA-review tier adds a sanity check, but a careful DIY filer with a final preview screen is just as accurate. Read your 143(1) intimation either way.
"The govt portal rejects DIY filings"
Completely false. CPC processes returns identically regardless of filing channel. There's no preferential lane for paid services. Scrutiny selection is risk-based (parameters in CASS), not source-based.
"A CA is mandatory"
Mandatory only for tax audit cases (turnover thresholds). For salaried, capital gains, freelancers within presumptive limits, and most other taxpayers, you can file yourself. Even ITR-3 (business) doesn't require CA sign-off unless audit is triggered.
"Pre-filled data is reliable"
Mostly yes — Form 16 + AIS auto-import has improved dramatically. But always cross-verify: bank interest in AIS may double-count joint accounts, and mutual fund SWP is sometimes mis-classified. Five extra minutes of verification can save a 143(1) demand notice later.
"Cleartax/Quicko free tiers are genuinely free"
Yes — for ITR-1 (Sahaj), basic salary + interest income only. They monetise via upsell prompts to expert-assisted tiers. Decline politely; the basic flow completes without payment.
"Refunds come faster from paid platforms"
No. Refund timing depends on CPC processing queue, which is identical regardless of filing channel. Average is 7–45 days post e-verification. See our refund status tracker.
Pick your next move
Free tools we built so you can DIY confidently — no signup, no hidden upsell.
Open Tax Calculator →
Compare old vs new regime in 30 seconds. Decide before you start filing.
Step 2ITR filing master guide
Full step-by-step walkthrough with documents checklist and common mistakes to avoid.
HelperForm 16 Decoder
Paste your Form 16 — see what each line means and whether you owe tax or get a refund.
DeadlineITR Last Date Countdown
Live countdown to 31 July 2026 with penalty calculator.
Six honest answers
Is filing ITR free in India?
Yes. The government's e-filing portal at incometax.gov.in is 100% free for all ITR forms. No fee for filing, e-verification, or downloading processed returns. Several private platforms (Cleartax, Quicko, TaxBuddy) also offer free ITR-1 filing, but charge for premium features like CA review or capital gains support.
Is hiring a CA mandatory for filing ITR?
No. A CA is mandatory only for tax audit cases — typically business turnover above ₹1 crore (₹10 crore if 95%+ digital transactions) or professional receipts above ₹50 lakh. For salaried, freelance income within presumptive limits, capital gains, and most other cases, you can file yourself.
Are paid services more accurate than DIY?
Not inherently. The math is the same — both follow the same Income Tax Act rules. Paid services help with UX (better forms, error checks) and CA-review tiers add a sanity check. Errors come from data entry mistakes by the user, not the platform itself.
Which free ITR filing service is best for salaried?
If you're salaried with only Form 16 income and small interest, the government portal directly is fastest (15–30 min) once you've used it before. First-timers may prefer Cleartax Basic free tier or Quicko's free tier — both auto-import from your AIS.
When should I pay for ITR filing instead of DIY?
Pay if: you have business with tax audit, ESOPs from a foreign parent, NRI status, capital gains across multiple asset classes, scrutiny notice u/s 143(2) or 148, or you simply value time over money. For everyone else, free is genuinely fine.
Will the government portal reject a DIY return?
No. The portal accepts all valid returns regardless of who prepared them. CPC processing and scrutiny selection are independent of the filing channel — there's no preferential treatment for returns filed via paid services.