New Delhi, April 19 -- Lakhs of Indian investors who earned interest from NBFC or HFC fixed deposits and debentures in FY 2025-26 must now declare that income in a specific, newly defined field in their income tax return. Here is everything you need to know before the 31 July 2026 deadline.

The Income Tax Department has revised its return forms for Assessment Year 2026-27, and one change stands out for retail investors. The updated versions of ITR-2, ITR-3, ITR-5 and ITR-7 now explicitly require taxpayers to report interest income earned from Non-Banking Financial Companies, Housing Finance Companies and other corporates under the "Others" column of Schedule OS.

This is a meaningful departure from the ITR forms used for AY 2025-26, wher...