In the present work, CZTS thin films have been prepared by sulfurization of electrodeposited Cu-Zn-Sn (CZT) precursor. Prior to sulfurization, as-deposited CZT precursors have been soft annealed in Ar atmosphere at different temperatures (250-350 degrees C). The structural, morphological, compositional and optical properties of the films have been investigated in detail. It is found that, soft annealing temperature has a significant impact on the properties of CZTS thin films. The systematic study on the improvement in the properties of CZTS films using soft annealing route has been studied and discussed. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.