ITR filing basics
How to download your filed ITR and acknowledgement
After you file and e-verify, keep a copy of the return and its acknowledgement (ITR-V). Here is what each document is, why you need it for loans and visas, and how to get it again if you lose it.
On this page
Once your return is filed and e-verified, you can download two documents: the return itself and the acknowledgement (ITR-V). Download both and store them safely. You will need them for loans, visas and any revised return.
What each document is
Document | What it shows | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
Filed ITR | Every figure you filed: income, deductions, tax, taxes paid | Loan applications, visa files, reference when revising |
Acknowledgement (ITR-V) | A 15-digit acknowledgement number, the filing date and basic return details | Proof that you filed, and needed to revise the return |
The acknowledgement number is 15 digits. When you revise a return, the department asks for the number and date of the original return.
Download only after e-verification
A return is not treated as filed until it is e-verified, and that must be done within 30 days. If you have not e-verified, do that first. See how to e-verify your ITR.
How to download in TaxCare
TaxCare has a Download ITR screen in the Tax Center. It lists every return already filed against your PAN, most recent first, whatever route you used to file it. For each one you can download the ITR and its acknowledgement.
- Open Tax Center and choose Download ITR.
- Pick the family member whose return you want, if you have added any.
- Find the tax year and download the return and the acknowledgement.
How to download from the income tax portal
You can also get your filed returns from the income tax e-filing portal after logging in:
- Go to e-File > Income Tax Returns > View Filed Returns.
- Find the return. You can filter the list by year or by filing type.
- Use the options beside it to download the ITR-V acknowledgement, the complete return as a PDF, the JSON uploaded from the offline utility, and the intimation order once the return is processed.
If you cannot find a return
- Check the tax year. A return for the tax year 2025-26 is filed in 2026, so look under 2025-26 and not under the year you filed in. The department's own screens may label years differently.
- Check that it was e-verified. An unverified return may not appear as filed.
- Check you are logged in with the right PAN. A family member's return is under their own PAN.
- If a return was filed by a Tax Expert on your behalf, the expert order page shows the 15-digit acknowledgement number and the uploaded acknowledgement.
Why you should keep them
- Loans and credit cards: lenders often ask for returns of earlier years. How many depends on the lender.
- Visas: many embassies ask for filed returns.
- Revising or updating: you need the acknowledgement details of the earlier return.
- Notices: if the department raises a query, your filed copy is your record of what you declared.
TaxCare keeps filed returns and tax records for 6 years from filing.
Check the return against the intimation
After processing, the department sends an intimation showing its own computation. Compare it with your downloaded return. If they differ, see our guide on what intimation under section 143(1) means.
How TaxCare helps
TaxCare keeps your filed returns and acknowledgements in one list, so you do not hunt through emails. The list includes returns filed outside TaxCare. If your return was filed through TaxCare, you can also follow it from filed and verified to processed and refund issued. See how to file your return.
This guide gives general information and is not professional tax advice.
Questions on this topic
What is the difference between the ITR and the acknowledgement?
The ITR is the return itself with all the details you filed. The acknowledgement (ITR-V) is the receipt that carries your 15-digit acknowledgement number and the filing date.
Can I download a return I filed in an earlier year?
Yes. The filing list shows every return filed against your PAN, most recent first, and each can be downloaded.
Where do I find my acknowledgement number?
It is a 15-digit number printed on the acknowledgement. You need it to revise a return.
Do I need the acknowledgement for a loan?
Lenders and visa offices usually ask for your filed returns and acknowledgements. Check what your lender asks for.
Ready to file your ITR?
TaxCare fetches your AIS and TDS from the Income Tax portal, checks every figure and files the return that saves you the most. 25% off your first filing.