ITR Filing Tips: Don’t forget bank interest information while filing income tax return; SBI, HDFC and ICICI customers can download interest certificate sitting at home!

The last date for filing Income Tax Return (ITR Filing 2026) is very near. If you have not filed your tax return yet, do it as soon as possible to avoid last-minute technical glitches and rush. Tax experts believe that while filing ITR, taxpayers often make a big mistake, which can cost them dearly later – that is, hiding or forgetting the interest income received on the amount deposited in bank accounts.

The Income Tax Department has complete information about all your financial transactions. In such a situation, if you do not give correct information about interest in the return, you may have to face scrutiny or tax notice from the department.

Why is interest income of every bank account important in ITR?

• Mandatory information for all accounts: If you have more than one bank account (savings account, FD or RD), then it is mandatory to add the total interest received on all of them during a financial year and show it in ITR.

• Reason for strictness: Many times taxpayers feel that there is no need to declare small interest received on savings account, but the tax department keeps it within the ambit of tax under ‘Income from Other Sources’. Although there is a deduction of up to ₹10,000 on savings account interest under Section 80TTA of the Income Tax Act (₹50,000 under 80TTB for senior citizens), it is still necessary to declare it in the return.

What is ‘Interest Certificate’ and why is it necessary?

It is an official document issued by the bank, which certifies how much total interest you have received on your Savings Account, Fixed Deposit (FD) and Recurring Deposit (RD) in a financial year.

The Income Tax Department can ask you for concrete proof of this interest amount at any time, therefore, before filing ITR, it is the wisest step to download it from your bank’s website or app and keep it safe with you.

How to download interest certificate from 3 big banks of the country online sitting at home

You can download the PDF copy within a few minutes through your Internet Banking login:

1. ICICI Bank customers should download like this:

• First of all, go to the official website of the bank and log in with your user ID and password.

• given on homepage ‘Payments & Transfers’ Go to tab.

• After this from the drop-down menu ‘Tax Centre’ Click on the option.

• Now ‘Interest Certificate’ Go to the section and click on ‘Download’ option.

• Select your account number and relevant financial year (period) and save the PDF file.

2. HDFC Bank customers download like this:

• Directly after logging in to your net banking portal ‘Accounts’ Go to section.

• here you ‘Quick Links’ An option will appear, click on it.

• within quick links ‘Download Interest Certificate’ Select the option.

• After selecting your account number and period, the certificate will be downloaded to your device.

3. State Bank of India (SBI) customers should download like this:

• Go to SBI’s net banking website (OnlineSBI) and log in.

• In the menu bar at the top of the dashboard ‘e-Services’ Click on the option.

• Under e-services you will get ‘Interest Certificate’ The link will appear.

• By clicking on it, you can easily download the complete details of your savings and interest of FD accounts in PDF format.