ITR-2 and ITR-3 Excel tools now live: Tax filing for AY 2025-26 officially begins
ITR-2 is for individuals and Hindu Undivided Families (HUFs) earning income from salary, multiple properties, capital gains, foreign assets, or as company directors — but not from business or professional activity.
- Jul 11, 2025,
- Updated Jul 11, 2025 8:16 AM IST
The Income Tax Department has launched the Excel-based offline filing tools for ITR-2 and ITR-3 for the Assessment Year 2025-26, signaling that return filing for the financial year 2024-25 is now fully underway.
The Excel utilities — downloadable tools designed for offline use — allow taxpayers to fill out their income tax returns in Microsoft Excel, validate entries, and generate a .json file for upload to the official e-filing portal.
Who needs to pay attention?
ITR-2 is for individuals and Hindu Undivided Families (HUFs) earning income from salary, multiple properties, capital gains, foreign assets, or as company directors — but not from business or professional activity.
ITR-3 applies to those with business or professional income, including freelancers, sole proprietors, and partners in firms.
This rollout is crucial because it enables taxpayers to begin preparing their returns well ahead of the September 15, 2025 filing deadline. The offline tools are particularly helpful for users who prefer working outside the browser, offering features like auto-validation and saving progress offline.
Updated to reflect the latest tax law changes for the current assessment year, these utilities aim to reduce filing errors and improve compliance.
How to use the utilities:
- Download the Excel utility for your applicable form (ITR-2 or ITR-3) from the official Income Tax e-filing portal.
- Fill in personal, income, deduction, and tax details.
- Use the in-built checks to validate the data.
- Generate the .json file and upload it on the portal to file your return.
- Taxpayers are urged to verify their eligibility carefully and ensure accuracy to avoid last-minute issues.
The Income Tax Department has launched the Excel-based offline filing tools for ITR-2 and ITR-3 for the Assessment Year 2025-26, signaling that return filing for the financial year 2024-25 is now fully underway.
The Excel utilities — downloadable tools designed for offline use — allow taxpayers to fill out their income tax returns in Microsoft Excel, validate entries, and generate a .json file for upload to the official e-filing portal.
Who needs to pay attention?
ITR-2 is for individuals and Hindu Undivided Families (HUFs) earning income from salary, multiple properties, capital gains, foreign assets, or as company directors — but not from business or professional activity.
ITR-3 applies to those with business or professional income, including freelancers, sole proprietors, and partners in firms.
This rollout is crucial because it enables taxpayers to begin preparing their returns well ahead of the September 15, 2025 filing deadline. The offline tools are particularly helpful for users who prefer working outside the browser, offering features like auto-validation and saving progress offline.
Updated to reflect the latest tax law changes for the current assessment year, these utilities aim to reduce filing errors and improve compliance.
How to use the utilities:
- Download the Excel utility for your applicable form (ITR-2 or ITR-3) from the official Income Tax e-filing portal.
- Fill in personal, income, deduction, and tax details.
- Use the in-built checks to validate the data.
- Generate the .json file and upload it on the portal to file your return.
- Taxpayers are urged to verify their eligibility carefully and ensure accuracy to avoid last-minute issues.