Income Tax Return ITR E-filing
E-filing of income tax is a blessing in disguise for assessees. The digitisation of the entire process has benefitted the income tax department too. Some key features of the e-filing scheme are that these returns can be filed from anywhere, the processing of returns and refunds happens at a faster pace and the entire process is simpler and hassle-free.
How to Login or Register Yourself on the Online Portal?
- One must register themselves on the incometaxindiaefiling.gov.in portal to file income tax returns (ITR).
- The registration process is free.
- In order to register oneself, click on the ‘register yourself’ tab on the homepage of the e-portal.
- Then select user type and click continue. The screen will show four different steps –
1. Entering basic details page
2. Registration form page
3. Registration verification page
4. Registration successful page
- Fill in all details with utmost care and cross verify as you fill in.
- Please note that all those fields that have an asterisk mark are mandatory and must be filled.
- The password that is provided during the process of registration must be 8-14 characters long and must contain a combination of upper and lower case letters, along with one alphabet, one number and one special character such as #, $, * etc.
- The primary email id and the mobile number must be the ones that you frequently use as this will be used for all future communication from the income tax department.
How to File ITR?
Once you have registered yourself on the official income tax portal, the following procedure must be followed to file your ITR –
1. Open the incometaxindiaefiling.gov.in portal.
2. Click on the ‘login here’ tab on the right-hand side of the webpage. Enter the user ID, password and captcha to login to your account.
3. Click on the ‘filing of income tax return’ tab that appears on the screen.
4. Enter the PAN card details, assessment year and all other details asked. The assessment year is the following year of the financial year for which income tax is being paid for. For example, if A is paying his income tax for the financial year 2020-21, then the assessment year will be 2021-22.
5. On filling all these details, the bank details of the assessee must be filled, if it is not shown on the screen already. If there is prefilled data (as you have provided the same while filing tax once before), then give your prefilled data consent before moving onto the next step.
6. A host of tabs will open up on your screen. There is no need to panic, as these are rather simple to fill in and most fields will not be applicable to you. Peruse and fill in each page one after the other and reverify before proceeding especially if there is prefilled data.
7. All fields that have an asterisk mark must be mandatorily filled.
8. One must keep in mind that if the ITR is being filed on or before 30th November, then one must choose ‘139(1) – on or before due date’ option when the ‘filed u/s’ field comes up. If it is being filed after 30th November then choose ‘139(4) – belated’.
9. Take the help of Form 16B that has been provided by your employer to fill in the details of your gross income and related fields like exempt allowances. The details must be matched against Form 26.
10. Please note that if you have not made certain claims of deduction or exemption with your employer, then the same will not be reflected in Form 16. Therefore, it is important that you enter these separately while filing your ITR. Do so, only if you have all the requisite proof with proper documentation to back your claim.
11. In case you have a self-occupied house property on which you have taken a loan, then the same can be claimed as a deduction. Please note, the upper limit for this deduction is Rs. 2,00,000.
12. Please ensure that you have a complete knowledge of all the different kinds of exemptions and deductions that are available under the Income Tax Act to be able to use these to your benefit. More than often times, you might not be aware of all the exemptions and deductions that will be applicable to you (and the upper limits of the same) and you might miss out on claiming the same. Research on these beforehand to avail the refund. There are enough and more websites and videos that are available online to educate you about the same.
13. The filing of ITR also involves a short e-verification process. The assessee will be given the option to e-verify through different means.
14. Click on the ‘preview and submit’ button to see the entire ITR form at once and cross check every single field. Click on ‘edit’ if there are any changes. If not, then click on ‘submit’.
15. The process has been successfully completed.
Can You File an ITR Offline?
ITR 1, 2, 4 has to be mandatorily submitted online. However, E-filings of ITR-1 (Sahaj) and ITR-4 (Sugam) are not mandatory for Very Senior Citizens i.e. individuals above the age of 80 years. Those filing ITR through this method should furnish their ITR returns in physical paper form to the Income Tax Department.
E-Filing of Income Tax Return ITR FAQs
1. Are there any documents that need to be submitted?
Yes, all documents that are relevant to claiming deductions and exemptions must be submitted in a scanned for on the portal.
2. Does the income tax department provide the e-filing utility?
Yes, it does. Every year, the Income Tax Department releases an updated version of the ITR Utility software for e-filing of ITR.
3. Is there any criminal prosecution if I do not file my ITR?
If the individual wilfully defaults on the payment of income tax by the end of the relevant assessment year, then the tax authorities can initiate stringent punitive action in the form of imprisonment, or fine or both against the assessee.
4. What is the difference between e-filing and e-payment?
E-payment is the process of electronic payment of tax i.e. through net banking or the use of debit or credit card. E-filing, on the other hand, is the process of electronically furnishing the return of income.