The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has come out with new income tax returns (ITRs), aligning them with the changes made in the Finance Act, 2020. However, the department has not changed ITRs significantly, considering Covid-19 crisis.

Naveen Wadhwa, expert at Taxmann, said one of the amendments carried out in the Finance Act, 2020, allowed to defer the payment of tax on Employees’ Stock Option (ESOPs) allotted by eligible start-ups.


Subsequently, rules were amended to provide that these assesses will not be eligible to furnish their returns of income in ITR-1 and ITR-4. Corresponding changes have been made to these two forms, Wadhwa said.