New Delhi, May 4 (PTI) The Income Tax department today activated the e-filing facility for all categories of Income Tax Returns (ITRs) for the assessment year 2017-18.

The new ITRs have been made available for filing on the e-portal of the department -- https://incometaxindiaefiling.gov.in

"All ITRs are now available for e-filing on the website of the department," a senior I-T officer said.

A taxpayer should keep ready a copy of last year's ITR, bank statements, Tax Deducted at Source (TDS) and savings certificates, Form-60 and other relevant documents on interest paid ready before attempting the e-filing, the officer added.

The e-verification of ITRs can be done through the Aadhaar number which will allow them to complete all the formalities with a click on the computer and the ITR-V (acknowledgment) will not have to be sent by post to the Central Processing Centre (CPC) in Bengaluru.

"Already 2,59,831 ITRs have been e-verified in this fiscal using the Aadhaar," the officer added.

The government, as per the Finance Act 2017, has made it mandatory for taxpayers to quote Aadhaar or enrolment ID of Aadhaar application form for filing of ITRs.

Also, Aadhaar has been made mandatory for applying for permanent account number with effect from July 1, 2017.

The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) had launched all the seven ITRs for AY 2017-18 on March 31 including the one- page simplified ITR-1 (Sahaj) for salaried class and people having income from one house and interest totalling up to ₹ 50 lakh.

ITRs can be filed till July 31.

Income Tax e-filing for AY 2017-18 activated; Aadhaar required for e-verification and quoting on ITRs. The Income Tax department activated e-filing for all ITR categories for AY 2017-18 and released all seven ITR forms, including the simplified ITR-1 (SAHAJ). Electronic verification via Aadhaar is supported so taxpayers need not send ITR V by post; the Finance Act, 2017 mandates quoting Aadhaar or enrolment ID for ITR filing and requires Aadhaar for PAN applications from July 1, 2017. Taxpayers should prepare prior-year ITR, bank statements, TDS and other documents before filing; the filing deadline is July 31.