Nearly one in three people filing their income tax returns through ClearTax reported annual gross income above ₹20 lakh in assessment year 2026–27, according to the company’s annual report, How India Filed in 2026. The share rose to 30.5%, from 22.5% three assessment years earlier.
The report also found that the proportion of ClearTax self-filers reporting income above ₹50 lakh had nearly doubled, reaching 8% in AY 2026–27 compared with 4.5% in AY 2023–24. It increased steadily across the period, reaching 5.6% in AY 2024–25 and 7.3% in AY 2025–26.
More Income Coming From Beyond Salaries
The report points to a growing mix of income sources among tax filers. In AY 2026–27, 47.3% reported at least one source of income outside employment, compared with 9.5% in AY 2022–23.
These sources included investments, business activities, freelancing and cryptocurrency-related income. The share reporting two or more non-salary income sources also increased, from 3.5% to 24.4% over the same period.
Capital gains were reported by 41.7% of self-filers in AY 2026–27, up from 34.4% in the previous assessment year and 25.5% in AY 2024–25.
Tax Returns Are Becoming More Complex
Returns beyond the basic salary-focused ITR-1 made up 62% of ClearTax filings in AY 2026–27, compared with 53% a year earlier. ITR-2 and ITR-3, which cover capital gains and business or professional income, together accounted for 57.2% of filings.
The shift was also visible among taxpayers earning between ₹5 lakh and ₹10 lakh. In this income group, 49.6% filed complex returns in AY 2026–27, up from 36.2% the previous year. The report links the trend to activities such as stock investing, trading, freelancing and side businesses.
Women’s Share of Higher-Income Filers Rises
Women’s representation in the higher-income groups increased, though a gap remains. Among women self-filers, the share reporting income above ₹50 lakh rose from 3.7% in AY 2025–26 to 5.1% in AY 2026–27. Among men, it increased from 9.6% to 12.2%.
For income above ₹20 lakh, 27% of women self-filers reported earnings in that range, compared with 42% of men.
The findings suggest that higher reported incomes and more varied income sources are becoming increasingly visible among ClearTax users. However, the figures describe the company’s self-filers, not every Indian taxpayer.
