<h1>Preliminary expenses deduction reporting requires electronic Form 5, with item-wise disclosure, verification, and timely portal filing.</h1> Electronic Form 5 is the prescribed statement for reporting preliminary expenses claimed as a deduction under Section 44 of the Income-tax Act, 2025. It applies to eligible expenditure connected with setting up or extension of a business, including feasibility reports, project reports, market or business surveys, and engineering services related to business, and must be filed for each tax year through the income-tax portal using digital signature or electronic verification. The form requires disclosure of assessee particulars, item-wise expense details, service-provider information, payment particulars, and TDS data where applicable.