Which deductions can I still claim when I file?

Anything you actually paid or invested during FY 2025-26, even if you did not tell your employer. That includes 80C investments, NPS under 80CCD(1B), 80D premiums, home-loan interest under 24(b), education-loan interest under 80E, and 80G donations — provided you have proof.

Which ones needed action before 31 March 2026?

The investment or payment itself. You cannot make a new FY 2025-26 80C or NPS investment now to reduce that year's tax. But if you made it during the year and simply did not declare it, you can still claim it at filing.

Does choosing the regime at filing count as tax saving?

Absolutely — it is the biggest lever and requires no investment. Salaried taxpayers can pick the cheaper of old or new when they file, regardless of what payroll deducted through the year.

What proof do I need?

Keep premium receipts, investment statements, loan interest certificates, rent receipts and donation receipts. You do not upload them with most returns, but you must be able to produce them if asked.

Filing season · AY 2026-27

Tax saving before filing ITR: what still counts

At filing time the question is not what to invest — it is what to claim. Here is exactly which deductions you can still take for FY 2025-26, and which needed action before year-end.

Find my claimable deductions Last-minute tax saving

Claim vs invest — the distinction that matters

Saving tax has two halves. One is making the investment or payment, which for FY 2025-26 had to happen by 31 March 2026. The other is claiming it correctly on your return, which happens now. Many salaried taxpayers do the first and forget the second — they paid the premium or topped up NPS, but never told their employer, so it never made it onto Form 16. That deduction is still yours; you just claim it when you file.

Deductions you can still claim at filing

Section 80C amounts paid during the year but not declared to payroll
NPS under Section 80CCD(1B) — the extra ₹50,000 — if contributed during FY 2025-26
Section 80D health-insurance premiums for self, family and parents
Home-loan interest under Section 24(b), up to ₹2 lakh for a self-occupied home
Education-loan interest under Section 80E
Donations under Section 80G made during the year
The right regime — choose old or new on your actual numbers

Keep the paperwork

You generally do not attach proofs to your return, but you must be able to produce premium receipts, statements, loan certificates and donation receipts if the department asks. Claim only what you can substantiate.

See exactly what you can claim

Upload your Form 16 to DrishtiTax and it surfaces the deductions you have not fully used and whether the old or new regime is cheaper — so you claim everything you are entitled to before you submit.

Frequently asked questions

Educational information

This page is general information for salaried taxpayers in India, not legal, financial or chartered-accountancy advice. Tax outcomes depend on your full, individual circumstances. Figures use FY 2025-26 (AY 2026-27) rules and may change. Verify against official sources or a qualified professional before acting.

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Claim vs invest — the distinction that matters

Deductions you can still claim at filing

See exactly what you can claim

Frequently asked questions

Claim everything you are owed

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