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New Delhi: The Income Tax Department released a new draft of the Income Tax Rules 2026 on Saturday February 7. These new rules will come into effect from the next financial year i.e. April 1 2026. The government aims to simplify the tax filing process and make the rules easier for ordinary taxpayers. The number of rules and forms has also been reduced in the new proposed draft. The currently applicable Income Tax Rules 1962 had a total of 511 rules and 399 forms. The new draft has reduced these to just 333 rules and 190 forms. IT Department’s post on X KIND ATTENTION TAXPAYERS! With the Income-tax Act 2025 set to come into force from 1st April 2026 the Draft Income-tax Rules & Forms 2026 have been framed and placed in the public domain for feedback/comments from public & stakeholders. Comments from stakeholders and public… pic.twitter.com/v2RG2qhlp4 — Income Tax India (@IncomeTaxIndia) February 8 2026 The Income Tax Department posted on X: KIND ATTENTION TAXPAYERS! With the Income-tax Act 2025 set to come into force from 1st April 2026 the Draft Income-tax Rules & Forms 2026 have been framed and placed in the public domain for feedback/comments from public & stakeholders. Comments from stakeholders and public are invited  to make the rule-making process more participative and effective. For ease of reference navigators mapping existing Rules/Forms with the draft versions have been shared. Feedback/comments may be submitted at: https://eportal.incometax.gov.in/iec/foservices/#/pre-login/ita-comprehensive-review The department has removed provisions that were no longer necessary and merged several similar rules. This will reduce the complexity of the tax system. Forms in simpler language Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had stated during her budget speech that income tax rules and forms would be simplified so that ordinary citizens could comply with them without any difficulty. The forms have been redesigned in the new draft. Experts say that the language of the forms has now been made more user-friendly to reduce administrative and legal complexities. The guidelines provided with the forms have also been simplified. Last date to submit suggestions The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has placed this draft in the public domain. The general public and stakeholders can submit their suggestions on these proposals for the next 15 days i.e. until February 22 2026. The government believes that taking public opinion will make the law more effective and inclusive. The final rules will be notified based on the suggestions received.