Filing your income tax return for the first time feels considerably more intimidating in anticipation than it actually turns out to be in practice, and having the basic documents and process clear in advance removes most of that initial anxiety, since the process for a straightforward first salary is fairly well guided if you know what to look for.
Start by gathering the basic documents you will genuinely need, your Form 16 from your employer, which summarises your salary details and the tax that is already been deducted through the year, along with your PAN, your Aadhaar, and details of any other income or investments you might have. Understand which of the two available tax regimes, the old regime or the new one, actually applies better to your specific situation, since this choice affects exactly what deductions you can claim, and it is genuinely worth taking the time to actually compare both for your own numbers rather than simply assuming one is automatically better.
File through the official income tax e-filing portal, which walks you through the process with details largely pre-filled from your Form 16 in most straightforward salaried cases, which makes the actual first-time filing process considerably less intimidating than most people expect going in. File well before the final deadline rather than at the very last minute, since portal traffic tends to increase and errors made under time pressure both become more likely the closer you get to the deadline. If your financial situation is genuinely simple, a straightforward salary with no complex investments, doing it yourself the first time is a genuinely valuable learning experience worth having, though bringing in a tax professional becomes worth it once your finances get meaningfully more complex.
Example: A first-time earner who gathered their Form 16, PAN and Aadhaar in advance, compared both tax regimes for their own specific numbers, and filed a couple of weeks before the deadline through the official portal found the actual process considerably simpler than they had anticipated it would be.
One practical tip: Gather your Form 16, PAN and Aadhaar in advance, actually compare both tax regimes for your own specific numbers rather than assuming, and file a few weeks before the deadline rather than at the last minute, since portal traffic and time pressure both increase the closer you get to the cutoff.