80C for PF not editable in old regime AY25-26

I figured it out - responding here in case someone else hits this issue

The option of filling 80C has now moved to a different schedule - and you need to enable it under required schedules.

Schedule IV(A) now autopopulates from that.

Congrates.... for resolving the difficulty by your own.

This is a common ITR portal behavior and not a bug. Here is what is happening and how to fix it:

WHY THE FIELD APPEARS GRAYED OUT:
The income tax portal pre-fills EPF contribution from your employer TDS data. In some cases, if the employer has not filed Form 16 or TDS return yet, or if the pre-fill is pulling from an older data source, the 80C EPF field may appear locked or show zero.

HOW TO ENTER OR CORRECT IT:
1. Switch to the online mode (not Excel utility) for ITR filing
2. In Schedule VI-A (Deductions), scroll to 80C section
3. If the field is still locked, try clicking on the row to expand the breakdown - there may be individual entry fields for EPF, PPF, ELSS, LIC, etc. that need to be filled
4. Cross-check your employee PF contribution from Form 16 Part B or your payslips (only EMPLOYEE share counts for 80C, not employer contribution)
5. If the field remains locked after this, use the XML download option - download the pre-filled XML, edit the 80C value in the XML, and re-upload

IMPORTANT LIMIT: Total 80C deduction cannot exceed Rs. 1.5 lakh. If your EPF contribution alone is below this, you can also add PPF, ELSS, LIC premium, home loan principal, etc. to the same 80C row up to the cap.