The Income Tax Department has introduced a new integrated e-Pay Challan facility on the Income Tax e-Filing Portal, aimed at enhancing taxpayer convenience and streamlining the tax payment process. The upgraded module enables taxpayers to make payments under both the Income-tax Act, 1961 and the Income-tax Act, 2025 through a single, unified interface.
The new system has gone live with effect from April 1, 2026, and reflects the Government’s continued commitment to leveraging technology for improved taxpayer services and ease of compliance. Taxpayers can access the facility by navigating to the e-Filing portal and following the path: e-File → e-Pay Tax → Select “Income Tax Act, 2025” → New Payment → Select the applicable option.
It has been clarified that for tax payments pertaining to the Financial Year 2026–27 (Assessment Year 2027–28) and onwards, the provisions of the Income-tax Act, 2025 will apply. However, for payments related to earlier periods, up to Assessment Year 2026–27, the provisions of the Income-tax Act, 1961 shall continue to be applicable. Both payment options remain available on the portal to ensure a seamless transition.
The Department has also provided detailed user manuals to guide taxpayers through the updated challan forms and payment process. Taxpayers are encouraged to refer to these resources for step-by-step instructions and clarifications.
This initiative is expected to significantly simplify the tax payment experience by consolidating multiple systems into a single platform, thereby reducing complexity and improving efficiency for taxpayers across the country.
Source #Income tax Portal
