03 August 2025
For a person with salary income and lease income from renting machinery, here’s how to decide the ITR form:
ITR-1 (Sahaj) can be filed only if income is from salary/pension, one house property (excluding loss), and other sources like interest, but NOT from business or professional income.
If lease income is treated as business income, then ITR-4 is to be used.
If lease income is treated as income from other sources (not business), then ITR-1 can be used along with salary income.
So, the key is whether the lease income is considered business income or other sources:
If the lease income is a regular commercial activity (like leasing machinery regularly for profit), it is business income → ITR-4.
If the lease income is more passive (occasional leasing) and not a business, then it is other sources → ITR-1 can be used.
Summary:
Salary + lease as other sources → ITR-1
Salary + lease as business income → ITR-4
You should check how lease income is classified in your client’s books or income tax filings. Usually, lease of machinery is treated as business income, so ITR-4 is safer.