How do you file taxes in India as a newcomer in 2026?

Get a PAN first so payroll TDS and portal login share one identity. Tax residence for individuals generally turns on section 6 day counts: 182 days or more in the previous year, or 60 days or more in the year plus 365 days or more across the four years immediately before, with published exceptions for some Indian citizens and persons of Indian origin. People who meet neither basic test are non-residents for that year.

Salary-only newcomers without business income often land on ITR-2; business or professional income usually needs ITR-3. Download Form 16 from HR, match passport spelling to the portal, and reconcile Form 26AS or AIS before you submit. Keep acknowledgements beside Employment Visa and FRRO papers: Renew a residence permit.

Employment Visa extensions commonly ask for income-tax or TDS proof alongside the company request letter: Get a work permit. An Indian bank account makes refunds and salary credits cleaner: Open a bank account. Tourist stamps with no Indian-source income usually do not create an annual filing habit. Once you take local employment, assume the Income Tax Department is in the picture even if your home country also taxes you.

Budget take-home pay after TDS when you compare metros: How expensive is India and Monthly budget. Dual-tax questions belong with a cross-border adviser; the Indian filing duty still sits on the official portal after residence pathway paperwork is settled.