More than two crore income tax returns have been filed so far for AY 2026-27 as the ITR deadline draws closer. To avoid errors while reporting income, taxpayers must keep all their necessary documents ready before starting the filing process, including the interest certificate issued by their banks or post office.
The interest certificate provides a consolidated record of the interest earned on savings accounts, , recurring deposits and other eligible deposit schemes during the financial year. This ensures you do not miss reporting any interest income, helping you avoid penalties and other consequences that may arise if you file your tax return incorrectly.
What is an interest certificate?
An interest certificate is a formal document provided by your bank or post office that gives you a comprehensive look at the total interest you have earned on your deposits in a particular financial year.
Whether they are savings, fixed, or recurring deposits, you can get all the interest income related data in this one document.
A taxpayer can also get the loan interest certificate for the interest that they have paid on loans during a specific financial year. It includes important details such as your account number, the interest amount, the period covered and your name.
If you have deposits with SBI, , ICICI Bank, Punjab National Bank (PNB) or India Post, you can download the interest certificate through their internet banking portal. Here’s a step-by-step guide to accessing the document.
How to download your interest certificate from the SBI website
Step 1: Go to the SBI Personal Banking website and log in using your credentials
Step 2: From the top menu bar, navigate to ‘e-Services’ and click on it
Step 3: Select ‘My Certificates’ from the drop-down menu
Step 4: The click on the ‘Interest Certificate’ option
Step 5: Select the relevant financial year and submit the request
After following these steps, you will receive the option to either view or download the interest certificate in form of a PDF. The, you can click on download and save the interest certificate for ITR filing purposes.
How to download interest certificate from HDFC Bank website
Step 1: Go to the HDFC Bank NetBanking page and log in using your credentials
Step 2: Go to the accounts section
Step 3: Click on the download interest certificate option under quick links
Step 4: Choose the account, relevant financial year or the date range
After you follow these steps, click on the download option to save the certificate to your device and use it for ITR filing.
How to download interest certificate from ICICI Bank website
Step 1: Go to the ICICI Bank net banking page and log in using your credentials
Step 2: Click on the payments & transfer tab and then select the tax centre
Step 3: Click the download option under the interest certificate section
Step 4: Select your account number and the relevant financial year from the drop-down menu
Step 5: Then, you will be able to download the PDF to save the document to your device for ITR use.
How to download an interest certificate from the PNB website
Step 1: Log in to your PNB Internet Banking account
Step 2: Click on ‘Manage Accounts’
Step 3: Select ‘Deposit Accounts’
Step 4: Choose the relevant financial year and customer ID from the drop-down menu.
Step 5: Click on the Submit option.
Once done, the interest certificate will be displayed on the screen. You can download and save it from there.
How to download interest certificate from India Post website
Step 1: Visit the India Post Internet Banking portal and log in using your User ID and Password ()
Step 2: If you are not registered, then you can simply sign up for internet banking at your nearest post office
Step 3: Once logged in, locate the Accounts Tab on the dashboard
Step 4: Click on the Interest Certificate option listed under the Accounts Tab
Step 5: Choose the relevant account and financial year, if asked
Step 6: Click Download to generate and save the interest certificate
When is your due date for filing ITR?
- ITR-1 and ITR-2 (Salary and capital gains income): 31st July 2026
- ITR-3 and ITR-4 (Business income – Non-audit cases): 31st August 2026
- ITR-3 and ITR-4 (Business income – Cases requiring audit): 31st October 2026
- Businesses requiring transfer pricing reports (international transactions or specified domestic transactions): 30th November 2026
- Belated (Late) Return: 31st December 2026
- Revised Return: 31st March 2027