Revised Return: When and How Can You Correct Your ITR?

Filing your income tax return can sometimes feel rushed, especially when documents arrive late or figures don’t line up at the last moment. Many taxpayers realise only after submission that something small went wrong. This is where a revised return becomes genuinely useful. It gives you a legal and stress-free way to fix mistakes without inviting trouble.

A revised return refers to submitting a new version of an individual’s previously submitted return. The Income Tax Regulations permit the submission of revised returns under section 139(5) to allow corrections to previously reported income, deductions, any other items erroneously omitted from the initial submission. Tax filing systems are intelligent enough to recognize that honest mistakes occur and are made, even by professionals and well-organized taxpayers.

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Many individuals ask how to file revised returns and whether it looks suspicious. In reality, the revised ITR return process is completely normal and done online through the income tax portal. You select the relevant assessment year, choose the revision option, and link it to the original return’s acknowledgement number. Once submitted, the revised return replaces the original filing.

It's important to pay attention to timing. The time frame for filing a revised return typically ends on December 31st of the assessment year or the date on which the tax department has completed its assessments, whichever is sooner. Failure to meet this deadline means that you will not have the ability to voluntarily fix your errors as they will now require additional follow-up actions from you in the future.

By being aware of the differences between an original return and a revised return, you will have a better understanding of how each works and the different processes involved. The original return is the initial declaration of your income and/or expenses, while the revised return is your corrected version of the original return. The law allows you to file multiple revisions if any other genuine errors are discovered within the time limits allowed by the law.

From a practical point of view, submitting a revised return shows responsibility rather than negligence. It ensures that the records are correct, eliminates discrepancies with Form 26AS or AIS, and minimizes the chance of receiving notices in the future. If applied properly, a revised return is merely a clever method to maintain the accuracy of your tax filings.