How to file your income tax returns online in 6 easy steps

POSTED BY Jagoinvestor ON July 10, 2011 COMMENTS (389)

What is the best way to File your income tax returns online ? Tax filing season is on and most of us will still wake up after few days.

I will talk about efiling your tax returns with govt website and also private websites like taxspanner, taxsmile and investmentyogi which are autorised by income tax department. You can also win some free coupons for income tax filing through some online p0rtals .

Income Tax efiling using govt website

I just want to tell you that incase you are just salaried and have no income from other sources, then the whole process of e-filing is just as simple as filling up details in tax return form at govt website, creating a .xml file and preparing an acknowledgement form using the tools provided by income tax website and then you need to speed post it to Bangalore Income Tax Office.

Read do & dont;s of tax filing

File Income tax return online

Steps for Online Income tax filing

Step 1: Login to https://incometaxindiaefiling.gov.in/ and download the appropriate software from the website as per your case. This software is nothing but a nice detailed excel sheet (enable the macro’s)

Step 2: Once you have the excel sheet on your computer, fill up all the details (if you don’t have form 16, you can still fill all the details manually). After that verify it once again and then export it to XML (the export button is there in the software itself)

Step 3: Once you have the xml file with you, you need to login to the website (you will have to register for it once). You will see the option called “Upload Return” on left side after login. Click on it.

Step 4: There will be two options called “Digital Signature” and “No Digital Signature”. As most of the people would not have digital signature, just choose the option. Upload your XML file and just create your acknowledgement form called ITR-V , You need to download it . Once you have the acknowledge form, just verify it once again.

Step 5: Just send this acknowledgement form using a regular or speed post (no courier allowed) to “Income Tax Department – CPC, Post Box No.1, Electronic City Post Office, Bangalore – 560100, Karnataka”

Step 6: You will get the receipt of your ITR-V receipt by email in some weeks (takes time) , you can track its status of your ITR.

A lot of people who work in big companies might already have filed their taxes as they get lot of tax filing agents coming in their offices, but for people who still want to do it by themselves, they can take this pain. I personally prefer to to through an agent 🙂

E-filing your tax returns through private websites with Taxspanner or TaxSmile

There are various online websites authorized by income tax department who can file your tax returns . The major reason why you might want to explore these online options are because they are really convenient . One more reason for you to start e-filing your taxes is because in coming years e-filing is set to become mandatory (just like for corporate’s) .

Watch the video given below to now how to file ITR online:

So may be you want to be comfortable with that before it becomes mandatory . There are multiple benefits of filing e-return especially through private websites authorized by income tax department. The additional benefits over govt website include convenience, accuracy, tax planning cum saving, professional support after filing ITR and

1. Processing on real time: 

E-filing ensures income taxes are uploaded in the tax system instantly which helps in tax computations processing on a real-time.  If PAN details are matching the income tax department and income tax return filed, the taxpayers gets an acknowledgement on e-mail called ITR V.

In case PAN card information is incorrect, the electronic returns get rejected and the taxpayer is intimated for failure i.e. the ITR V copy is not delivered.  This ensures the return has been submitted in time.

2. Jurisdiction free:

In case the return is being filed manually and an employee gets transferred to other city than he/she need to transfer his income tax return to the city where he is working presently. Whereas, e-filing is jurisdiction free.

This means your PAN address will be the jurisdiction and same can be continued even if you move out of city or country.

3. Faster refund:

As per the Controller and General Auditor of India, there are 40 lakh pending cases of refund with the income tax department as on 31.12.2010. Refunds are generally received in 10 months in the case of physical tax returns ran.

Whereas, the refunds are getting cleared within 1-2 months in the case of return filed electronically. “We want tax-payers to file electronically as that helps in faster processing of refunds,” Sudhir Chandra, chairman, Central Board of Direct Taxes.

4. Revise return online:

In case the return is filed online before the due date, and taxpayer has missed out on declaring any income or investment. He/she can revise the return online without visiting ITO.  If the original returns have been filed physically then, the revised returns cannot be filed online.

If there is refund in the revised return then, you will get the benefit of faster processing and refund.

5. Rectify the mistake online: 

In case of physical returns, if there is an error at the time of filing, the mistake cannot be rectified online which means it will be more time consuming and costly too. The process of online rectification is faster and simplified.

However, online rectification is allowed only for the returns filed electronically

300 readers win free tax filing discount coupons

Whats the use of this blog if I cant get some freebies 🙂 . TaxSpanner & TaxYogi has agreed to give 100 & 200 promotional codes (taxspanner – 100 and taxyogi – 200) to jagoinvestor readers which can be used for free tax filing from their website.

I will pick 300 best comments on this article & other articles and all of them get to file free tax return using the promotional code. Note that it will be totally free and there are no charges for you . Apart from taxspanner.com & taxyogi.com, even taxmunshi.com has offered 5 promotional codes to jagoinvestor readers .

Note that these can be used to file only ITR1 & ITR2. Some other websites which can be used to file tax returns are taxsmile.com & taxshax.com.

E-Filing means faster tax refund

Did you know that if you have some refund to get back, then e-filing would ensure that you get it back faster than manual process.

With online filing it saves a lot of time which is taken in other process like generating acknowledgement form, feeding your details from the form and various other things, that itself takes few months. So e-filing ensures that you get your refunds faster. On of the very active members of our forum , Ashal Jauhari confirms this

Dear Rakesh, I’m already e-filing ITRs from the last year i.e. FY 2009-2010. Till date I have not face any problem for me & my friends (mainly office friends). Last year I e-filed some 40+ ITRs & this year the figure is already over 125.

Error has been reduced tp a great extent after e-filing on our parts.

Me or my friends who were calculated refund refunds, got the same last year within 40-50 days of ITR-V reaching Banglore & that too through ECS. Cool isn’t it?

Thanks

Ashal

No need to file return if, you have only salary income and earnings are less than 5 lakhs per annum

If your only income is from salary and its less than 5 lacs in 2010-2011, then you are not required to file the tax returns. Note that this is true only if you don’t have any other source of income. If you have some income from mutual funds, shares or bank interest etc, then you need to file tax return.

So which website is the best one to file your income tax returns online ? Which one did you use ?

389 replies on this article “How to file your income tax returns online in 6 easy steps”

  1. saginfotech says:

    Taxation software is also providing very easy way of online income tax filing. Gen IT is a secure and good selling tool for Chartered Accountants. Please clarify the point.

  2. Bharati says:

    My last year refund is not yet received whta is to be done. i made it mannualy.

    Thanks and regards,

    Bharati Ingale

    1. Hi Bharati

      I suggest that you now take the RTI route. You can file the RTI and ask your queries to them. THey are bound to reply you on your queries.

      Its a bit long cut, but works well

      Manish

  3. Dayanand says:

    I uploaded my ITR 1 xml file with a tax that was due from my end to the government. Later on I read that I am supposed to first pay the tax due (using challan 280), put the tax paid details in the xl sheet and then upload the xml file. Now that I have already uploaded my xml file and the ITR V has been generated. What process should I follow to pay and correct my filed taxes.

    1. YOu have to revise the returns now . I suggest take help of a CA on this

  4. Jennifer says:

    Hi, Manish,
    Last year, an agent filed my returns, but didn’t let me know that he hadn’t sent the ITR – V Acknowledgement to Bangalore. I was supposed to receive a refund. I got an SMS this year from the IT Department saying that they hadn’t received my ITR – V. I immediately printed it off, signed it and sent it to Bangalore. Is there anything I can do to get my refund?

    1. As you have filed it again, now you will get it, just that the delay has happened due to agent mistake

  5. sacchi says:

    I need to get the refund amount for my late paid LIC preminum,in ITR utility or in e-filing website ,where i need to show the details of the LIC preminum receipts.

    1. I am not sure if this is allowed .

  6. Shankar says:

    I cam across one such online income tax return filing website namely Taxchanakya.com. Looks like a newly launched portal. Individuals who come under these categories can file their income tax namely Income with Salary, Income from House Property, Income from Sale of Investments (Shares, Mutual Fund units, Bonds) or Property, Income by way of Interest, Dividend, Gifts, Family Pension, Agricultural Income, Brought Forward Losses (Except Loss from Activity of owning and maintaining Race Horses) and Clubbing of Income.

    1. Thanks for sharing that !

  7. Sadiq Mohammed says:

    Hi Manish,

    I would like to know few things:

    1. If refund amount is above 50K, does Income Tax Department credit it through ECS/NEFT or they issue a cheque.

    2. Also, what should be the address that we need to mention in ITRV while filing returns. a) One that is mentioned in PAN card or b) Present address at the time of filing returns.

    3. If we have moved from the address that we have mentioned in the ITRV at the time of filing returns and the refund cheque has gone back, what is the procedure that needs to be done to get the refund again and to the present new address.

    Kindly, please mail me regarding my above queries.

    1. Can you open a thread on our forum for this – https://www.jagoinvestor.com/forum/

  8. sudhir pandy says:

    sir i want to draw your attention towards one more thing that no tax on bank interest upto 10000Rs. so what’s the need to declare it if it is already less than 10000 Rs. kindly give your comment on this point please.

    1. Yes, you dont have to declare it .

  9. paridhi says:

    Hi Manish,

    There has been a TDS [around 2k]on bank FD. And my total income doesnt exceed 2lakh. I am efiling to claim the TDS. Which form I need to use? ITR1 or 2. pls advise.

  10. Manjunath says:

    Hi Manish,

    I have not filed my returns for the AY 2011-12. My taxable income was less than 1.5 Lakhs for which the tax has been deducted by my employer. I need to get the refund of 4565 Rs. Please suggest how i need to proceed to get the refund.

    FYI: I have already file the returnd for AY 2012-13 but yet to send the ITR-V signed copy to IT Office.

    1. Then the refund should be on the way ,it generally takes a lot of time

      1. Manjunath says:

        Manish,
        My actual question was weather i can file my returns for 2011-12 Assessment year or not? I have not yet filed the returns for that AY(2011-12). Will there be any penalty if i file returns now for the last assessment year(AY2011-12) as i would be getting above mentioned refund.

        1. You can file it now , there will be no penalty if you have paid the taxes on time

  11. p m somani says:

    I filed online income tax return for the A. Y. 2012-13. Now, I find that I have done some mistake in filling the columns. I filled some data in wrong columns, therefore, I want to revise the return, but the e-filing website (incometaxindiaefiling.gov.in/) , says that, “Make sure you have received an intimation under section 143 (1) from CPC Bangalore for the E-returns filed by you .”
    Thus, I cannot file revised return. Please, guide me, what should I do to rectify the mistakes, done in filling data in wrong columns , in the original return.

  12. pawan kumar says:

    hi ! manish,
    i have downloaded itr4 utility from income tax india site. i have enabled the macros and active x settings in ms office 2007. now when i want to configure the utility sheets, the sheet is protected by a password. so i need the password to unprotect sheet.

    1. Pawan

      I think you should discuss it on our forum – https://www.jagoinvestor.com/forum/

  13. Krishna Verma says:

    I started a thread there and was told that I can show these as expenses. I raised this thing on another website also and a member confirmed this. I do not have much knowledge about this so I am confused now.

    1. That means I was wrong mostly, you can then show is as business expense

  14. Krishna Verma says:

    Manish,
    Under which heading will I have to file the taxes ?

    1. I think you should start a thread on forum to discuss your issue https://www.jagoinvestor.com/forum/

  15. Krishna Verma says:

    There are five heads for filing taxes
    a) Income from Salary
    b) Income from House Property
    c) Profits and Gains from Business and Profession (PGBP)
    d) Capital Gains
    e) Income from other sources.

    You mean to say that I will have to choose Income from other sources. Woudn’t it be Profits and Gains from Business and Profession (PGBP) as it my only source of income and I do this full time ?

    1. But where is the registered firm or company ? Unless you have some legal structure , you cant show it as business income

  16. Krishna Verma says:

    Hi Manish,
    Are you sure that I cannot claim the internet bills and laptop deprecitaion as expenditure ? Content writing and online work is main source of income. Thus it will come under the heading Income by profession/business and not income from other sources (like FD interest rates). Waiting for your reply.

    1. Krishna

      But where is the business on papers? I mean is there any LLP/Firm/Shop Act ?

  17. Krishna Verma says:

    Have invested in PPF 25000 so far. I can claim 75000 more right ? One more doubt, what if my income increases later and total income becomes more say Rs 400000. Will I be fined for not giving advance tax earlier. Also can I show charges like laptop battery purchase or internet bills as expense ?

    1. Yes you can invest 75000 more in PPF . you can not show these kind of expenses as mentioned by you as expenses, They are only allowed for a business as expenses.

  18. Krishna Verma says:

    Hi Manish, This is Krishna here. I hope you will reply here. I am going to file taxes for the first time this year. I read that we have to pay advance taxes before september 15 for this financial year 2012-13. Now my earnings are from online sources (content writing and few other online work). Suppose that on an average I earned about Rs25000 per month from April 2012. Will it be taxable ? How to calculate the advance tax ? What proofs do I need to show my income and expenditure ? I have transactions recorded in may paypal and bank account. Waiting for your reply. Thanks.

    1. Krishna

      Yes it will be taxable , obviosuly .. but you can do tax saving investments and then you will not have to pay the tax. Did you invest in 80C investment products .

  19. Raj says:

    Hi Manish,

    1. If I file my incometax return online before 31-July and forgot to add some additional income. Which means I am suppose to pay the govt some pending tax.

    Can I change the details online after 31-July?

    If I am suppose to pay pending tax to the government, how do I do that? Will govt send me a letter with the details or how?

    2. If I have two Form-16s would it be better to file the incometax online myself or should I go via a CA/Agent?

    Thanks

    1. Raj

      1. Obviosuly , and you were suppose to pay it by Mar 31 , not July 31. July 31 is last date for filing of returns. You can do it here – https://onlineservices.tin.nsdl.com/etaxnew/PopServlet?rKey=732283640

      2. I think just catch and agent for now 🙂 .

  20. Mallika Ganguli says:

    Hi,

    I am facing a strange situation with my ITR for FY 2011-12/AY 2012-13.

    I chose to file it online this year through ClearTax instead of giving it to an agent, as I was doing all these years.

    Since I kept getting an error message that my original ITR has already been e-filed, I went to the https://incometaxindiaefiling.gov.in/portal/index.do website.

    I realised that the agent who was filing on my behalf earlier had been doing it online. So to gain access to my own account, I asked for a changed password, as the agent is now incommunicable.

    In my account, I discovered that for the above-mentioned FY/AY, someone else has filed their ITR under my PAN number in May 2012, which is why the ITR I was trying to file through ClearTax was being rejected. I’m assuming that it is an error made by the same agent, but I’m worried that the taxes I have paid will be calculated according to this person’s income, and it may result in a refund to his account.

    I have already paid my remaining tax dues online, but now I don’t have a way to file my return. Today is the 30th of July, so it looks like I’m going to miss the deadline.

    Any ideas on how I should tackle this?

    1. hmm,.. i suggest you take the route of RTI now .. and communicate all the issues to tax department in points and ask for direction . it will help !

  21. Ram says:

    Hi Manish!
    The way you and online friends clarify doubts is really awesome. I can say I learned lot of things on tax related matters.

    I had a query on IT return filing. Actually I do some freelancing and also get income from Ads via Adsense program. I don’t have any job in any organization. I mean I don’t receive salary. My income for FY 2011-2012 is just Rs.160,000 which is below that taxable limit but still I want to apply for IT return because I am expecting some refunds.

    So I thought ITR 4 is the best form for me. Am I correct? If yes in the form there is a question related to Account maintenance. Shall I say that I maintain accounts? Even though I don’t come under taxable limit according to IT section 44 whose income is above Rs.1,50,000 have to maintain accounts.

    Is it necessary to maintain account books because I don’t know any thing related to accounts like Journal, ledger etc…

    Can I go for ITR 1 where account books are not necessary?

    Hoping for a reply. Thanks in Advance.

    1. No need to fill ITR4 , you can full ITR2 i guess, take help from forum if needed : https://www.jagoinvestor.com/forum

  22. Fenil Desai says:

    It is really very easy to e-file your IT returns through the income tax website, earlier I was using the services of a TRP but now no more. I have also written a post on it.

    1. Good to hear that .. keep coming

  23. Bahubali Prithviraj says:

    Hi,

    I have filed my return manually but there are certain revision which needs to be done.. However my taxable income is greater than Rs 10 lacs..

    Question in this regard:
    Will the manual filed return needs to be revised ? Will the manual return be treated as invalid hence can i go ahead file original return online as we have to do an efilling for FY 11-12 AY 12-13 if the taxable income is greater than Rs 10 lacs?

    Bahubali

    1. You can make changes in the return filed online and do it again !

  24. Tina says:

    Please email the Taxspanner Promotion Coupon code to timachoudhari@gmail.com. Thanks

  25. SJ says:

    A lot of comments here are subtly favouring Taxsmile, possibly planted by they themselves.
    I know I spent 3 days trying to get my xml file from them. Every single time, they would send in the wrong file. While other sites offer year round access to the file, Taxsmile shows it briefly after you file your return. It disappears thereafter. Just in case you need it for revision/rectification, you are stuck !
    This way you have to keep using their site for revised return …… not fair, not straight.

    1. SJ

      Thanks for updating us about your experience with taxsmile !

  26. Arvind says:

    Hi,
    I availed LTA in the month of March 2012 and hence, my Form 16 does not have the LTA rebate mentioned in it. Please let me know how can I include LTA while e-filing my returns so that I can claim the appropriate rebate.

    Is it sufficient to show the Gross Taxable Income = Gross Taxable Income – LTA amount
    OR
    I have to claim it elsewhere?

    Thanks in advance,
    Arvind

  27. Prashant says:

    Hi Manish,

    How do i declare income for the foreign country on the ITR-2.

    I worked in India from Apr-June(2011) and after that i am working outside India and paying income tax here. Just wondering how do i declare my foreign income and tax paid in the returns.

    Thanks.

    1. that means you are NRI , and earning money outside india , then why r you paying income tax here ? You dont have to !

      1. Prashant says:

        HI Manish,

        I am not paying income tax for the money earned outside India.

        But for the 3months i worked in India then i have to file the return, in that do I need to declare anything about my foreign income.

        1. NO you dont need to declare anything about your outside india income and even for 3 months , what ever you earned, if its below 2 lacs then you dont need to pay any tax

          1. Prashant says:

            Thanks Manish for the clarification.

  28. suneel says:

    Manish,
    Can you send me a coupon pls.

  29. Pradeep says:

    Hi,

    I was about to file my IT returns for this year.
    Last year I had a loss of 50k in shares. (short term)
    now I want to file these losses to get tax exemption/refund w.r.t TDS on my salary.
    I had observed that in ITR1 it’s mentioned that if I am claiming loss from other means than salary, we need to fill ITR2.

    Kindly let me know which ITR form I have to file in order to include the short term losses in share market. Also please guide me on which sections I need to fill if its ITR2 form.

    Thanks in advance.
    – Pradeep

    1. Pradeep

      Ask it on forum , you will get instant reply : https://www.jagoinvestor.com/forum

  30. D.Chauhan says:

    Hi,

    This year I have to fill ITR thru online. I am salaried person & have two form 16 ( current + previous employer) Even I have shown my past employer income to current employer & they deducted the tax accordingly but bcoz of some reason my previous employer had given Rs 500 more after 4 months & unfortunately that not considered in tax calculation as a result I have to pay Rs 150 more .
    How I do that . Can I fill online. But it will ask TAN what is this & how I get .
    Is there another way to pay this amount.
    Kindly help

    Regards ,

    D Chauhan

  31. prasad says:

    Hello Chauhan,
    I have joined the job in feb 2011 and i have earned around 50000/- in last year(2011-2012), i have not provided my pan number to my company, but they are given form 16 with out my pan number. Now my doubt is should i submit the ITR or not requited. please conform this.

    Thanks in advance.

    1. This question should be answered on forum as it needs discussion : https://www.jagoinvestor.com/forum

  32. Krishna says:

    Hello,

    I am going to efile, i have not submitted the HRA and insurance(10000) docs at employer.
    so while filling itr I got sme doubts. Please clarify me.

    1. Can I subtract the HRA amount form Income from salaries?
    2. Can I add this insurance amount to my existence form16-80c amount?
    3. Can I submit the proofs for HRA and insurance along with ITR verification form to IT Dept?

    Thanks in advance.

    1. You can definately claim the deductions now at the time of filing , however you dont need to declare the documents , its needed is tax dept asks for it !

  33. ANANT DESHPANDE says:

    I have downloaded itr-2 for online return filing. But the file is read only and not allowing to key-in. While going for unprotection it is asking password. Kindly guide me.

    1. Really .. that should not happen . Check it out on our forum : https://www.jagoinvestor.com/forum/

  34. Giridhar says:

    Manish,
    Considering that I will get quick refund, last year, I applied online (I use to do with some CA). After few months of filing I received a mail from the processing unit in B’lore that they are not in a position to process my return and I need to contact my jurisdiction officer (which is Delhi). I don’t know how to contact them (no details are given either in the mail or in the incometax website. If you have come across similar incidents, can you throw some light.

    1. Giridhar says:

      Just to let you know, I am NRI and my income in India is just interest on FDs. I was doing it through CA as I didnt know online return filing.

      1. You can do it online this time ,try it

    2. You should now file an RTI application

  35. parvesh says:

    Hi,
    Suppose One gets bank interest of about 50,000 from FDs over which bank has deducted 10% tax and gives TDS certificate. Also, emeployer cuts the tax annually for package of > 10L at some other rate.

    My confusion is even though both Company and the bank have deducted the tax does one still have to pay more tax as tax deducted by Bank is 10%. As When we club this tax deducted amount with the salary the amount goes over 20% slab

    Kindly confirm.

    1. Dont look at it that way .. Company pays tax on your income from job , FD is taking the tax which is coming out of your interest income , so both are valid .

      1. Parvesh Sharma says:

        Manish

        My Confusion is while filling the ITR do I have to pay more tax (other than already deducted by bank and company) as bank deducted only at 10% whereas sum of both interest & salary comes under slab of 20%.

        1. The way you do it is .. find out your total income in the year .. find total tax to be payable in the year .. vs the total tax actually paid, if there is any more tax to be paid , pay more and file tax else file a return and demand for tax refund

  36. SANJAY LAHA says:

    As tax payer can I download my form 16 independently without consent of my deductor from tin.nsdl website. How can I get the 6 digit TDS certificate number.
    I have similar quiry for form 16A (bank interest) also.

      1. SANJAY LAHA says:

        Sorry, actually I am talking about form 16, 16A. Not 26A which I have already obtained.

  37. RAMESH MAV says:

    i want to file my IT return on line what is the procedure of registration with income tax

  38. raviraj says:

    Please send the itr -1 and itr -II format(Online submission) for a.y. 12-13, i have to submit the income tax return before 21-Apr-2012.

    1. Raviraj

      You can get it from income tax website ..

  39. shyamal kumar bid says:

    Hi Manish,
    your blog is effective for everyone .Hope it will be so in future also

    1. Shyamal

      Yea .. i will make sure i keep writing like this !

  40. raj says:

    Dear Manish Sir,
    You recommend online e-filing to every one out there but do you file online?

    1. Raj

      there is no recommendations as such , this article is for information purpose .. If your financial life is more complicated , online tax filing will not workout for you , so you need to meet a CA .

  41. Shailender Sharma says:

    I have a question : –
    I filled tax online for FY2010-2011, but while paying extra amount in self assesment, i mentioned wrong assesment year as 2009-2010. It is shown only on the challan by the bank. There is no mention in ITR form of old year.
    I called IT department and even wrote reply to their demand, which they cancelled to consider that amount for correct year. Bank people said they can’t correct it and IT department has to do this. IT department say bank have change this.
    Can anyone help and tell how it can be corrected.

    Thanks in advance
    Shailender

    1. Shailender

      https://www.jagoinvestor.com/forum/ is hte right place to ask this

  42. Ponnappan R says:

    http://ponnappaninfo.blogspot.com/2010/05/how-to-e-filling-form-16.html

    i have done few simple step by step process for myself.. hopefully it will usefull to all..
    please utilize this.. if any help our hero Manish will guide you

    1. Thanks Ponnappan ,. will use it ! .. how is it different than what is already there in my article ? Is there any new or extra points you have added ? Let me know

  43. Aseef says:

    Hi,
    can itr1 be filled out in pdf format before exporting to xml?
    is there any advantages of excel over pdf format?
    Also ,i have 2 employers for thisFY.I worked for first employer for 3 months and no TDS deducted by first boss..How do i go about filling form 16?
    thanks and regards..Aseef

  44. Aseef says:

    Hi,
    can itr1 be filled out in pdf format before exporting to xml?
    is there any advantages of excel over pdf format?
    thanks and regards..Aseef

    1. Better ask it on our forum : jagoinvestor.com/forum

  45. Pallabi says:

    Hi Manish,

    I filed the return of AY 2011-12 a couple of days back (quite late, i know) and used the excel utility filling it all by myself. Everything went fine and i got the form-v as well.

    However, I later noticed the details on form 26AS and found TDS done by my bank on interest. I had not vreceived any TDS certificate from the bank so I could not fill in the details in TDS2 section.

    My questions are:

    1. Can I file a revised return right away? I have not yet mailed the form-V of hte original return to Bangalore. So, do I file a revised return and send both the form-V to Bangalore at the same time?

    2. Also, I guess I will have to mention somewhere the income from bank interest? Where do I do this?

    3. Since I do not have the TDS certificate from the bank, can I rely upon the credited amount refelcted in 26AS?

    Any advice will be greatly appreciated

    1. Pallabi

      1. Yes you can file the returns again freshly

      2. You have to mention it in the column which says “Interest from other sources”

      3. I am not very sure on that

      Manish

      1. Pallabi says:

        Manish,

        An update on my queries –

        1. Since writing the query, I have tried uploading a fresh return, but it doesn’t work. I am not allowed to upload a the efiling website since there is already a return uploaded.

        2. A revised return will have to be filed. The excel utility will accept the Revised status only under the section 139(5) with receipt no. and return date. So, the original ITR-V will have to be mailed before a revised return can be filed.

  46. Dhiraj says:

    Hi,

    Please any one help me out- i have one question-
    Actually we are into client services, so we have 300-400 client and i wanted to know that can we do the e-filing of our client without any tie up with income tax department or do we need any tie up with them or any authorization certificate for the same. Or else can we do by creating separate user id n password for individual clients.

    Please reply —-

    Thanks
    Dhiraj

    1. Dhiraj

      Where do you have to make the login and id when you are doing the e-filing with govt website ?

      Manish

  47. Harshal says:

    Hi,

    I wanted to e-file return for AY 11-12 and bymistakely I filed it for AY 12-13(Amt arnd 10k).
    I submitted ITR-V to IT dept Banglore office. They have acknowledged it via e-mail. But I didn’t
    get any letter from IT dept even after 4 months. Is there any way to know status of return filed?
    I checked online and it always says “CPC status not available”. How much time they take usually?
    I paid Rs 9810/- for AY 12-13, so will they consider it as “Advance Tax”? Can I send them letter/application
    to consider that amount for AY 11-12. What if they send me letter saying “I have to Pay amount with intrest”
    and I dont pay at all. Can you tell me any suggestion/way to get rid of this?

  48. shibin says:

    When i upload my income tax return it show an error where forms are mis match, i have only house property income and other source income. Help me which ITR form i will choose and whats the reason for mismatch

  49. Babu says:

    Hi
    I have posted ITR-V on 1 aug 2011 by speed post, it reached cpc benguluru on 4 aug 2011, but still the status is itr v not recieved
    shall i send another form?
    wait still some more time?

    1. Babu

      you should wait for some time

      1. Babu says:

        Income tax website updated my status on 20-8-2011
        i sent on 1 aug 2011, its stated as received on 05-08-2011
        it took two weeks
        finally my returs successfully completed
        btw i did through taxsmile

        1. Babu

          Thanks for update 🙂 . good to know

  50. Rakesh says:

    I too filed my returns online for the first time through incometaxindia.
    It was a good experience. Any idea how many days/weeks does it takes to get an acknowledgement of the ITR V status from them.

    Rakesh

    1. Narasimha says:

      2 of my friends got it in 1 week time in Bangalore.

    2. Penchala Kumar M says:

      I got it in 1 week. I posted it on 15th Jul & received acknowledgement on 23rd Jul. Now as most of the people file their returns close to Jul 31st, it can take 2 weeks time.

      Penchala

      1. Penchala

        Good to see that income tax department is sending the ack forms so fast 🙂 .

        Manish

    3. Rakesh

      Why didnt you use the coupons which we had ?

      Manish

  51. Sarvesh Gupta says:

    If I have claimed refund in my tax return, which documents do I need to send to IT along with ITR V?

    1. Sarvesh

      No documents are attached with ack form . Just mention it in the return

  52. Dinesh says:

    Hi Guys,
    Can I fill IT returns for the assessment year 2009-2010? If yes then how?
    I tried online but not succeed as period is already closed on 31 march 2011.

    Does anyone know how to fill IT returns for the assessment year 2009-1010 now?

    Thanks,
    Dinesh

    1. Dinesh

      For late filing , I suggest doing it through CA

      Manish

  53. Jitendra Solanki says:

    Hi,

    Form 26AS, which is a proof of your income tax paid, is available at IT Dept website and even your bank account.For eg. i downloaded my Form 26AS from ICICI Bank savings account through netbanking.Similarly, other banks are also providing this facility with their savings account.

  54. Rohan says:

    Hi Manish!

    I have filed my IT returns online for the past three years and have had no problem so far.

    What do I do if I have to submit my IT returns for the purpose of getting a loan or applying for a foreign visa? The ITR-V form confirms that I have submitted my returns, but does not actually mention my income or the tax paid. I could take a print of the excel sheet that I filled up (prior to generating the XML file), but that does not carry any official stamp or receipt on it… and is actually quite easy to manipulate.

    1. vijay says:

      Tax paid details for previous years & current year are shown in form 26AS & this can be seen through IT Dept. website. See left side menu there and download, and then print it for record.

      1. Pankaj says:

        @ Manish

        My ITR – V mentions Gross Total Income, Deductions claimed, Total Income, Total tax and interest payable, Total taxes paid and Refund.

        So, isn’t it better to submit ITR – V for Loan purpose, rather than 26AS as it only have Basic salary component shown as income?

        @ Rohan

        Is your ITR – V doesn’t have the heads mentioned above?

        1. Pankaj

          Banks will have their set of documents which they want

  55. narasimha says:

    Hi,

    1) Does Losses from margin trading and future/options trading carry forward to the next year?
    2) If yes which ITR to use?, i have income from Salary, Loss from House property and Loss from Trading/FnO.

    thanks,
    Narasimha

  56. free taxes 2011 says:

    Wow great i like this blog. E filing is the fastest way for you.

  57. Pankaj says:

    A very informative article indeed… This year I have taken help from my friend for e-filing mine and my wife’s the ITRs @ https://incometaxindiaefiling.gov.in/

    By mistake I entered the before marriage surname name of my spouse which was mentioned in her Old PAN card. So now I wish to revise the ITR and correct the surname (after marriage) which is as per her New PAN card issued after providing relevant documents for surname change.

    My queries are:

    1) How and when can I make the revision i.e. after receipt of ITR-V at ITD – CPC or I can revise it now itself?

    2) The PAN details i.e. the surname was different than what I mentioned in the ITR; still the ITR-4 was accepted and we received the acknowledgement e-mail having ITR V.

    But, you had mentioned in the article that “In case PAN card information is incorrect, the electronic returns get rejected and the taxpayer is intimated for failure i.e. the ITR V copy is not delivered.” However, in this case how come a incorrect information in ITR got accepted?

    Please advice.

    1. Pankaj

      I dont have much idea on these points , ask it on forum , you will get the help : https://www.jagoinvestor.com/forum/

      1. Pankaj says:

        Thanks Manish…

  58. shree says:

    Hey Manish,

    very informative article . Haven’t ever tried e-filing.
    gonna give it a try this time.
    Do you still have any free coupon left with you ?

    thanks

    1. Try it this time .. i have sent you a coupon

      Manish

  59. Apoorv says:

    Hi,
    I read your post ,this is really helpful.
    I am a salaried person and my income is below 5lac ,so do i need to file IT return(for 2010-2011) as i have already taken housing loan and this is my first Financial year(2010-2011). If I’ll use taxsmile.com do I need to send my document’s hard copy to them?
    Please reply ASAP.
    Thanks,
    Apoorv

    PS:-Promo code if possible.

    1. Apoorv

      Yes , you need to file tax return . Promo code is on the way to yu

      Manish

      1. Apoorv says:

        Thanks alot Manish.
        One more question I am having…
        IF i’ll file my ITR through any of these sites you have mentioned then after that I have to mail Hard Copy of my documents like ITR-1 form n Form -16 etc to IT Office?

        Thanks in advance
        Apoorv

        1. Apoorv

          No , you dont need to submit any of the docuemnts . All you need to do is , mail your ITR-V ack form to Banglaore address . thats all

          Manish

          1. Apoorv says:

            Manish ,

            Sorry to bothering you but I still have some doubts.
            I am filing ITR-1,as for last financial year i had income only through my employer and he already deducted tax from my salary & I don’t want any refunds.Still i need to send any document? and you said that “All you need to do is , mail your ITR-V ack form to Banglaore address . thats all”
            Are you taking about E-mail or Speed post?

            Thanks,
            Apoorv

            1. Roopesh says:

              Hi Apoorv

              the documents have to be sent either by normal post or Speed post only
              pls do not use any other means like courier or registered post.

              Hope it helps

            2. Apoorv says:

              Manish,

              Thanks alot I have filed my ITR through TaxYogi.
              Appreciated your help.

              This is wonderful site ,I’ll share it with my friends.

              Apoorv

            3. Apporv

              Good to hear that 🙂 . share it with all

              Manish

  60. arjun says:

    Refer the above comment – The blank space is after capacity as……

    1. vijay says:

      Please see reply above

  61. arjun says:

    Need a little help on filling up the ‘VERIFICATION’ column of ITR-V received after e-filing.The last line states – I further declare that I am making this return in my capacity as and I am also competent to make this return and verify it.

    Q. What do I fill in the above blank ?

    Thanx.

    1. vijay says:

      Capacity would normally be Individual if it is not H.U.F. Fill applicable & send to Bangalore address by ordinary post.

      1. arjun says:

        Received my confirmation of receipt of ITR V via email from intimations@cpc.gov .Never knew that tax filing is this simple.Thank you Mr.Manish for this extremely informative blog and the coupon 🙂 .

        @ Vijay – They accepted the ITR V even without the blank space being filled !

        1. Arjun

          Good to hear that .. This is first time I heard some one getting the confirmation from tax department 🙂

          Manish

          1. Sunnydoc says:

            Hi,

            Infact they give a very detailed and helpful confirmation.. 🙂

            Dear Taxpayer,

            1. Thank you for using the Electronic filing of Income Tax Return facility provided by the Income Tax Department on the website

            .
            2. Your ITR-V/ Acknowledgement is now being sent to you as a pdf document.
            3. To open this file, you need Adobe Acrobat Reader. If you do not have Adobe Acrobat Reader, please visit the following link to download it: http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html

            .
            4. Your ITR-V/ Acknowledgement is protected by a password for your security. Please enter your PAN (in small letters) and the Date of Birth or Incorporation (in ddmmyyyy format), in combination, as the password, to view your ITR-V/Acknowledgement. Note that your password is in lower case only.
            For example,if your pan is AAAAA0000A and the date of birth is 10-Jan-2008, then the password will be aaaaa0000a10012008
            5. Please furnish the signed and verified Form ITR-V to the Income-tax Department by mailing it to Income Tax Department – CPC,
            Post Bag No – 1 , Electronic City Post Office, Bangalore – 560100, Karnataka, BY ORDINARY POST OR SPEEDPOST ONLY within a period of 120 days from the date of transmitting the data electronically.
            6. ITR-V sent by Registered Post or Courier will not be accepted. Form ITR-V shall not be received in any other office of the Income-tax Department or in any other manner.
            7. The acknowledgement of the receipt of the ITR-V at Income Tax Department – CPC, Bangalore will be sent to you at the same e-mail address SUNIL-EMAIL@gmail.com.
            8. Please add donotreply@incometaxindia.gov.in to your white list / safe sender list. Else, your mailbox filter or ISP (Internet Service Provider) may stop you from receiving your ITR-V through your e-mail account.
            9. In case you are unable to open the document, please contact ask@incometaxindia.gov.in providing the document along with pan number and assessment year.
            10. If you did not E-file this Income Tax Return but have received this email, please send an email to ask@incometaxindia.gov.in asking for your registration to be cancelled.

            Sincerely,

            For and on Behalf of the Income Tax Department,
            Administrator

            1. Suniel

              Thanks for sharing it , It will help a lot of people

              Manish

  62. Jason says:

    To claim the refund for the money spent on Charity, after mentioning the amount in 80GGA should i also attach the original receipts along with the IT Return to get the refund or what is the process to get the refund?

    1. Jason

      No need to attach the original reciepts , just file the returns and mention the tax refund amount there . better you e-file the returns

      Manish

  63. karri says:

    Hi,
    Till last year I have only salary as the source of income. So filing from incometax website was pretty easy and straight forward as you have mentioned.
    This year I got arnd slightly greater than 10k as interest in my savings account.
    I am not sure whether the bank has done TDS for this and I dont have from 16A with me yet.

    So in the worst case ( assuming bank hasn’t deducted or I dont get 16A by deadline ) would it suffice if I pay self assessment tax for the interest income and quote the same in 16 c and 25 in ITR 1 ?

    thanks in advance for your help.

    1. vijay says:

      Check with Bank for TDS on saving account interest or you can also verify at Income Tax Dept website. You may register there & then view Form 26AS for all your deductions for current as well as previous years. No need to obtain Form 16 from bank if it is reflected in 26AS.
      Fill ITR1 , work out payable tax & then pay balance tax also online. Then send ITR5 to Bangalore address of IT Dept. Deadline 31st July.—

      1. karri says:

        Thanks for that. I was not aware the one can view form 26AS from the efiling website. I was under the impression that you have to register again at the income tax website get verified and all to get form 26AS.

        thanks for the timely help

  64. Roopesh says:

    Hi
    I quit my job and have joined MBA course this year. I was working for the last organization for last 1 year only. I also withdrew my PF from the EPF account maintainned by the trust of the company. Under which section will the PF income be shown ? Is the PF withdrawn taxable or is this income tax-free ?

    Regards
    Roopesh

    1. Roopesh

      You have to pay tax on PF withdrawal if its before 5 yr of service, but you must have got the PF money after deducting the tax , find out if the tax was cut and then paid to you or not .

      Manish

      1. Roopesh says:

        Thanks Manish
        Can you also let me know under which head should I declare this income ?
        Also if possible , pls mail me one of the free coupons

        Thanks again

        1. I have sent you the coupon

          Manish

  65. Prasad says:

    Manish,
    I’m not sure if this has been already asked in the above comments. I have a couple of queries.
    1. My gross income is about 5.2 lakhs for the FY 2010-11. After deductions like 80C, my taxable income is 4.8 lakhs. In this case, do I need to file my returns?

    2. My SB account interest is about Rs.600 for the entire FY. However, it hasn’t been declared in Form 16 ( wasn’t even aware that SB a/c interest is taxable). What do I do in this case?

    BTW, e-filing is such a simplified process.. I’ve been e-filing returns for the past 3 years, and every time, it has been trouble free. 🙂

    1. Prasad

      1) there are many conditions which you need to fulfil for that clause that “Person having less than 5 lac taxable income dont need to file taxes” . You should read http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/Exemption-from-filing-income-tax-return-No-one-can-avail-of-it/articleshow/9180069.cms

      2) Yes , you need to pay tax on that .

      Manish

      1. Prasad says:

        Thanks for the reply Manish.. I have gone through that article; and it has convinced me that it is better to file my returns, whatever be my income. 🙂 About my 2nd query, what will be the procedure to pay taxes on the said amount..? Do I just fill the interest amount under “Income from other sources” in the ITR 1 form, calculate the tax payable, and then make payment for the difference amount? Please enlighten.

  66. Hitesh says:

    Hi Manish

    I have seen your article late , I am wondering if you still have free coupen left for same

    regards
    Hitesh

  67. Viral says:

    Hi,

    I am trying to file my returns online through , however, when i try to upload the xml file it gives me an error “Please select proper xml file for processing”…

    Why am i getting this error.. any idea?? Couple of my other friends are also facing the same issue…
    I have tried both versions.. the excel as well as Pdf version and then generated the xml file. I did online filing of returns last year also, but did not face such error. I fill the details filled in by me are correct to best of my knowledge..

    Your help in resolving this is high appreciated…

    Thanks,
    Viral Lakhani

    1. vijay says:

      Please check & validate as per provision in software each page of ITR and generate xml fil again and try uplading saved xml file again.

    2. Viral

      I think you should ask it on our forum , untill we see things in detial , how can some one suggest it . We have coupons for efiling , why dont you use it . Do you want one ?

      Manish

    3. Murali says:

      I too got this error. Even after creating new xml file, I could not succeed. Finally I added the incometaxindia website in to “trusted sites” (options>security>trusted sites). Problem solved. You cna try this.

  68. lokesh says:

    i wish to try free coupon… i had filed last years return with taxsmile.com.

  69. Thank You, This is very Helpful Blog.

  70. Aneesh Soman says:

    Hey Manish,
    I am reader for your blog from more than a year now and started making many better financial decisions after going through your posts.I thank you for the good work you are doing.I got a doubt regarding income tax filing.I am working as a Software Engineeer here in Bangalore in a MNC.Last financial year I started investing in stocks (around November when markets where at all time highs ) and later started trading in F&O from March (After learning that equity itself has cost me around 18k loss in 4 months ).In total at the end of Fy10’11 as on March 31,I was in net loss of 18k from equity and 22k from F&O.But things started changing from April and now I had recovered all my losses and is in some profit also all through F&O.So here is my question.I want to declare my losses in stock market along with Form16. I had paid 5200 as TDS to my employer in Fy10’11.
    1.Which ITR Form should I fill?
    2.Do I get refund on showing stock market loss?
    3.Do I get exception for coming 3 years for the loss shown now so that the next 3 years profits will be covered to that amount as exempted?
    4.Can I fill return online ?If yes,can i fill at the above mentioned sites?If yes,Please send me a code if possible
    Thanks in advance
    Aneesh Soman

    1. 1. You will have to file ITR 1 only
      2. No you cant
      3. only if its short term capital loss from equity
      4. Yes you can , I will send you a coupon

      Manish

      1. Rahul says:

        Hello Manish,

        I have a question. As you have said that we need to file ITR 1 if we want to show our capital gain loss rgt? but would like to know what about those people who have a home loan also. I was reading it somewhere if you are a salaried employee and have a home loan running then you will have to fill ITR2 for showing short term capital loss in stock markets.

        Rgds
        Rahul Goel

        1. Yea .. you need to file ITR 2

          Manish

          1. Rahul says:

            Thanks Manish,

            There is one more clarification required from your end on this. To get exemption for next 3 years for the losses incurred in stock market, is it mandatory to have only equity loss or even derivative losses are included in the same category.

            Please send me the code if any are available at this time for efilling never done it before but would like to try it for this time.

            Thanks and Regards
            Rahul Goel

            1. Rahul

              You cant get exemtion for losses in stock markets , its only adjustments allowed and that too only for short term capital loss

              Manish

  71. ashique abrar islam says:

    1. can i get a coupon
    2. i have filed through agent in last 3 years, if i file online will there be any problem?
    3. i have some short term gains around 25000 in shares but i do not have more than Rs50000 income for the whole year, will i need to pay any taxes?

    1. Sending you the coupon now

      NO you dont need to pay any tax . Then why do you want to file a return ? Is it just to put info about short term capital gian ?

      Manish

  72. Mayank says:

    Can I get a coupon?

  73. arjun says:

    Do I have to send the ITR-V acknowledgement to the bangalore office even after e-filing on tax spanner ?

  74. JP says:

    Hi Manish

    Can i get the required clarification from the taxspanner or taxyogi if i use their coupon. if so can u send me a coupon so that i will try to get clarification from their tax consultant and do e-filing in thier site using the coupon
    I have been doing e-filing thro’ Govt website for last 3 years and it is ok if everything is clear. But this year due to some complication i would prefer to go thro’ tax filing sites like taxspanner

    Thanks

    JP

  75. Deepi says:

    Need help in filling ITR-1

  76. Pavan says:

    Please provide me a promitional code…

  77. Giri says:

    Please do send me a promotional code. This is pretty easy to file returns.

  78. Deepi says:

    where should we need to include the Professional tax in that Excel sheet ?

  79. Kumar says:

    Hi,

    One of my friends forwarded the link to this website. This is real cool. Can you please send me a coupon. Please send me the taxspanner one.

    Regards,
    Kumar.

  80. arjun says:

    A follow-up to the above query
    1. What happens if you left your job in Mar 2011 and are currently not employed ?Do you need to file returns ?
    2. A coupon would be handy 🙂 ….

    1. arjun says:

      thank you for the coupon

  81. Deepi says:

    I haven’t submitted all the invesment proofs to the employer. So my form 16 doesnot include all the invesment details. In this case how can i include those investments proof while filling the returns. I am planning to file my returns through incometax of india (Govt website).
    Also please help me in filling the Excel sheet.Where can i include that proofs which are not submitted in that excel sheet?

  82. arjun says:

    I have been filing my wife’s and my own returns via an intermediary as I was in the army.We are generally tardy about paperwork in general and we have been filing returns only the past 3 years – as the only income is from the salary.
    However,your comprehensive article,like most of the others(!) on the website has inspired me to attempt filing tax returns myself this year.A new beginning.
    Does it make any difference if my current place of work/residence is different from the filing circle(Pune)?

    1. Arjun

      It should not make any difference , as all you need to do is send the ack form to Bangalore address .

      I will send you the coupon

      Mansih

  83. JP says:

    Hi Manish,

    I need some clarification on annual letable value for 2nd house

    I bought my 2nd flat during 2010-11 through a housing loan (taken during May 2011 and first and full disbursement in Oct 2011). I took possession during Mar 2011. My interest paid during the year (pre emi and emi) is about 2,00,000. I am yet to let out the flat. I know that, to claim full interest paid, i need to show annual letable value. how do i calculate ALV for last year since i took possession only on 19th Mar 2011. Can i show notional rent for 10 days in ALV to claim full interest paid during the year.

    Thanks

    JP

    1. JP says:

      Hi Manish

      Can i get this clarification from the taxspanner or taxyogi if i use their coupon. if so can u send me a coupon so that i will try to get clarification from their tax consultant and do e-filing in thier site using the coupon
      I have been doing e-filing thro’ Govt website for last 3 years and it is ok if everything is clear. But this year due to some complication i would prefer to go thro’ tax filing sites like taxspanner

      Thanks

      JP

  84. Mamata says:

    Hi
    Just browsing the net to know the details of e-filing of Tax return. Routed to your jagoinvetsor. Completed reading 3/4 articles. Superb work. If you have any spare coupon you can share ..

    1. Mamata

      Just sent you one 🙂

      Manish

  85. Sandeep Kumar says:

    Hi,

    My friend has switched job in Fy10-11. When I combined his both form 16, his TAX PAYABLE in ITR1 was Rs 15,ooo.

    I suggested him to first pay 15k online via NSDL and then do e-filling.
    But he has done e-filling without paying tax and he is planning to pay tax next month!! Isn’t this wrong, because if he pays tax next month then shouldn’t he be paying interest for next month also & re-do e-filling of tax!
    And what if he don’t pay tax as he has already filed income tax?

    Thanks

    1. Srinivas says:

      Yes. he can pay it next month but with Interest.
      Then he has to e-File it again as Revised

      1. Sandeep Kumar says:

        Please advise what if he don’t pay tax as he has already filed income tax?

        Thanks for response.

        1. Sandeep

          He can pay the additional tax and refile his income tax returns . If he does not , then he should be ready with the consequences if he gets caught

          Manish

          1. Sandeep Kumar says:

            Thanks Manish 🙂

            Have shared him jagoinvestor this link to my friend. Rest depends upon him 🙂

  86. Roopesh says:

    Hi
    I quit my job and joined MBA course this year. I also withdrew my PF from my EPFI account. Under which section will PF withdrawn be taxable or is this income tax-free ?

    Regards

    1. Srinivas says:

      Hi Roopesh,

      It is not tax free. On the date of PF withdrawal, if you have completed 5 years of membership then it is tax free and amount will be credited by your PF trust. No need to declare this in ITR.

      If you have not completed 5 years then PF trust would minus out your PF under 80C for each year and recompute the income tax for that respective year and slab. then they would deduct total tax from the PF amount and credit to you.

      -Srinivas

      1. Roopesh says:

        Hi Srinivas

        Thanks for the reply.
        Regarding my query, I dont have taxable income this year but yet tax has been already deducted on the PF withdrawn. How do I file ITR and consequently ask for refund for the same.

        Regards
        Roopesh

  87. Sunnydoc says:

    Hey Arudra,

    Could you please tell us how to use the coupon on taxspanner?? Not able to figure it out please help..

    Thanks..

    1. Arudra Kumar says:

      @Sunnydoc,

      After you enter all the details, the last step says payment gateway…just click on that and you will be asked to enter the coupon code if any. Enter the code and click on the next step button. Hope this helps.

      Regards,
      Arudra.

      1. Sunnydoc says:

        Thanks Arudra 🙂

  88. Rajesh says:

    @ Divy
    Nothing to worry. You can compute your income tax.if the amount computed is more than you have already paid(u can come to know about how much u have paid by checking it in yours payslip), then the rest amount to be paid can be deducted using your netbanking. A challan will be generated which needs to be mentioned while filling your tax.feel free to ask if u needd any other clarification.

    I tried getting my hands on Itr forms but they are really buggy and difficult to fill. Will love to get a coupon.

    1. Rajesh

      I sent you the coupon

      Manish

  89. Divy says:

    Hi,
    It seems like a good idea to file returns online but i’m not sure if it can handle my situation.I have Form-16 from 2 employers.Current employer has calculated Tax only for the salary they gave me and did not take into account income from last employer.As a result,i have 2 form-16’s.moreover, i had not submitted HRA receipts for April-July 2010 to previous employer and hence that has not been taken into account while calculating Tax.I believe i need to pay more tax and want to use HRA exemption for April – july 2010.Can these thing be taken care of while filing returns online?

    If that’s possible, please help me with a coupon for one of the Tax filing sites.

    1. I have sent you the coupon , talk to customer care of these websites . they will help in your case

      Manish

  90. vikas kumar jain says:

    Hi Manish,
    Kudos To you for a detailed and nice article on the very basic and must process for the people who filed Return every year.
    I must share my experience why I switch my mood to understand and learn the process and tried to file Return online/offline this year by myself.
    As last year I use the service of the guys who take service fees and filed return by taking only FORM-16. They used to come to our offices and as bulk number of employeesare there so they just take FORM-16 and their part is done. They didn’t bother to share if anything else is required or not just give them fees and FORM-16 and it get done.
    Last year also i gave him two FORM-16(as i have two employer) and they file my return. I also submitted Advance Return as some of the tax was not properly deducted. In the Challan copy some mistake was done and that was neither taken care of by me (as I’m not properly aware) nor by any of them.
    And this june I got a Notice from the IT Deptt.
    Now There was none to contact. Again I get trap between another guys who process the same.
    So this year I planned to be properly aware and file my return myself and found your article as “Water in Desert” for making it clear upto large extent.
    Few things still i wnt to know that –
    1. As an salaried employee ( having only interet income from banks ) we need to file ITR-1 only ?
    2. Are there instrutions regarding to fill the various columns in the downloaded excel form utility ( as few columns require Section, Juridiction etc.)

    Again Thanks a lot for your article.

    1. Vijay says:

      Salaried employee with interest income need ITR1 only. Please visit Income Tax Dept website as it gives lot of useful information.
      If you download ITR1 from that website it is very user friendly and with instructions also in excel software itself & may not face any problem.

    2. Vijay

      Thanks for sharing your case … Why dont you use the coupons which we have 🙂

      Maniash

  91. Atul says:

    Sharing my experience as salaried person with no other income sources for filing IT returns.

    I used private website (tie up with my own company)last year and planning to use this year. It was ITR-1 form and surprisingly I received Demand order from IT department for AY 2010-11. I forwarded the demand note to Private website company. Cause was the way IT department does calculation. Fault of neither IT or private website company. Hope to get it resolved.

    For AY 2011-22 the private website company has modified my returns as per IT way.

    Cheers

    Atul

    1. Atul

      Thanks for sharing your experience .

      Manish

  92. Ms. Deepa says:

    Hi Manish,

    Thank you for update on income tax and also on various topics on personal finance.

    Can you or Mr. Vishnu suggest, how to pay tax on the interest i got on saving bank account / fixed deposits. Since my employer only deducted tax arising from my salary, interst from saving bank /fd remains pending!

    Thanks,

    1. Vijay says:

      When you fill up ITR1 return payable tax will be worked out for (salary+interest). From that you have to deduct TDS by employer/bank, by filling details of TDS in ITR1 ,and software will take care to deduct it. Your all interest income is to be totalled and then included in income from other sources (colum 43) of ITR1.

  93. Scaria Thomas says:

    Hi

    I was planning to file ITR 2 online but met with some difficulty. I have short term capital gains of 20,000 from sale of shares. I also have a loss of 3,000 from sale of shares. I tried to set- off this loss in the CYLA schedule, 3 iii. But this loss has not been reflected in CYLA 3 vi or in Schedule SI 2i or Part B- TI 6.

    Is it okay if I just subtract 3,000 from 20,000 and write my STCG as 17,000 in Schedule CG?

    Thanks
    Scaria

    1. Scaria

      Yes , you should directly write 17k as your short term capital gain

      Manish

  94. Hem says:

    The promo code is not working for me. It does not throw any error message either. Sent a mail to their customer care.

    Thanks,
    Hem

    1. Vijay says:

      You can visit Income Tax Dept. Website and download Excel software from there. It is user friendly and works well . I have been using it for last 4 years. No problem.

      1. Hem says:

        There seems to be a problem with the taxspanner.com website. I wrote to them and they now marked my account as paid.

        Thanks again Manish for the promo code. This is my first e-return and I’ll do this from now on every year.

        –Hem

        1. Hem

          Nice .. I will try to get free coupons each year 🙂

          Manish

  95. PENCHALA KUMAR says:

    I AM DOING ON MY OWN FOR THE FIRST TIME. SO, I HAVE A VERY SIMPLE DOUBT LIKE, WHAT SHOULD BE THE ASSESMENT YEAR?

    1. Vijay says:

      For income from 1/4/2010 to 31/3/2011 i.e. Financial year 10-11 , assesment year is 11-12 and so on.
      A.Y. = F.Y.+1 year=next year after F.Y.

    2. Assesment year would be 2011-2012

      Manish

  96. Vaibhav Goyal says:

    Nice article Manish. This is the 3rd time I am filing my return, and had been thinking of doing it online this year (had filed thru my CA on last 2 occassions). After reading this article, I think I’ll go for it, but will stick to private websites bcoz of their simplicity.

    Would be thankful if u could send me a coupon.
    BTW, here’s a small tax query:

    Q. Recently a friend of mine joined an MBA course for which the fee is Rs. 4 lakh/yr & has to be paid by DD. He has an a/c with IDBI which doesnt charge anything for DD to IDBI a/c holders (probably the only bank to do so). However he doesnt hv this amount in his a/c. So to save on the DD charges (which would have been close to 1500), he wants to transfer the funds from his parents a/c to his and then make the DD free of cost. But he isn’t sure how it would be shown in his IT returns. He asked me yesterday and even I wasnt sure. So the question is does he need to show it while filing IT returns and will he need to pay tax on it?

    Thanks in advance – Vaibhav.

    1. That way it will become complicated . why is bank charning 1500 as charges . it would be couple of hundreds ., , I made a DD for my brother for 2 lacs, and it was 200 Rs as charges

      Manish

  97. Bipin Tirodkar says:

    Please send me a coupon..This is the 1st time I’m trying online..
    Manish.. Thanks in advance

    1. Sent 🙂 . Let us know how it went !

  98. Anupama says:

    Nice article. I want to try e-filing. Can you share the coupon?

  99. Sunnydoc says:

    Dear Manish,

    Could you please tell me where exactly on the site can i enter the promo code? I cant seem to find it.. Thanks!

    Sunnydoc

    1. Sunnydoc

      I have no clear idea . I have not used that site . Kindly ask their customer care

      Manish

      1. Sunnydoc says:

        ok thanks.. will do that..

        1. vinay kukreti says:

          Please share promo code entry information if somebody have tried it.I can’t figure it out.

          1. VInay

            Just sent you the promo code

            Manish

  100. Amit says:

    I also want to give it a try and save the money we are paying to tax consultants. The benefits given above are a good reason to go for online ITR filing.

    -Amit

  101. Tapas says:

    As usual a very nice post in a perfect time. Just curious to know if you have any more free coupon left..I want to try online this time…

  102. Prabhakaran says:

    Manish,

    Thanks for this excellent post

    1. Prabhakaran

      Thanks 🙂 . Do you want a coupon ?

  103. Srinivas says:

    Nice post and good exchanges.

    Actually IT filing can be seen as step by step learning process. (My experience over a period of time)

    Initially, we do what we do without caring for consequences and on july 31st (or a day before) run to a CA. Next year we realise the problems, and start running to CA a week or two before July end. Next stage is understanding implecations of various expense / investment decisions and provide the details to CA for filing returns. In all these stages there will be big dues/refunds and we wait and curse IT that they are not doing their work efficiently.

    Next stage can be estimating income before the year is over to see that there is no much due or refund and filing return in June and be free. I feel this is the best state to aim for and attain.

    As indicated, this is from my personal experience and i (think i) achieved the last stage this year, after filing returns for about 15 years. Well there was no Jago Investor that time to learn and discuss Fin issues that time.

    Thanks Manish and team.

    1. Sunnydoc says:

      Ya well said.. I’m glad there is so much information at your fingertips these days.. but all said and done, it is very important to know the difference between good info and bad info.. am happy to say that Jagoinvestor has given me only good information so far!

      Keep up the good work!

    2. Srinivas

      Good to hear your experience 🙂 . Keep sharing

      Manish

  104. Karthik says:

    (Post this before but it has not appeared, so posting again)

    For a freelance trainer who works for just one organization on contract, what is the form to the filled? Is it ITR-4?

    For a salaried employee with house loan benefits to be claimed, is it ITR 1 or ITR 2?

    Please clarify. Thank you 🙂 [And coupons would be helpful too :)]

  105. Karthik says:

    Hello Manish, thanks.

    For a freelance trainer who works for just one organization on contract, what is the form to the filled? Is it ITR-4?

    For a salaried employee with house loan benefits to be claimed, is it ITR 1 or ITR 2?

    Please clarify. Thank you 🙂

    1. Karthik

      Even for that freelancer it would be ITR 1 only , as its his income from salary

      Also for person with house loans , it would be ITR2

  106. Siba says:

    Great post. I had filed using Tax Spanner last year but considering doing it myself this time. But I have a refund case. How would it work? In my case I forgot to give proof of 80CCC investment (pension fund) to my employer and tax got deducted. Now I want to claim refund on the excess tax paid? How do I do it through e-filling process? After computing the tax, do I need to attach proof while sending ITR-V acknowledgement to Bangalore?

    Guidance will be appreciated.

    Thanks
    Siba

    1. Siba

      If you calculate your net refund , then you can fill it on the excel software . But I would say if there is refund ,than go with online tax filing companies .. We have the coupon anyways 🙂 . Use it. I am sending you one .

      Manish

      1. Siba says:

        That would be awesome. Send me Taxspanner one please!

  107. Sree says:

    This is a good article. I would like to do efiling this time, first time. Please send me a coupon too.

  108. Sakthi says:

    Hi Manish,
    One of my colleague shared this link with me to get the free coupon for filing Income Tax Online. It saves time, promotes greener world, makes refunding process easier so why don’t I give it a try with this promo?

    Regards,
    Sakthi

  109. Nishant says:

    Thanks for the ownderful insight. Haven’t seen such a comprehensive post on e-filing. Went through a few last year as well, but wasn’t too confident filing returns online. There was a very good post, which also explained all the entries in the ITR forms and their relevance, cant find that post now though. Any clues ?

    Wanna take the leap to online filing from this year. Would be nice to use some assistance on it. A coupon..definitely on.

    Nishant

  110. Jaspreet says:

    This is very nice information, hope it helps people & also helps government in it tax collections!!

  111. kalyan says:

    I have a doubt regarding filling ITRs. This year I changed companies and so have gratuity and leave pay. Tax for leave pay was deducted but many websites and friends said I can claim refund for leave pay.
    Now the question is where in ITR should I declare gratuity and leave pay. None of the online sites ask for that information. If they incorporate that information in their software that would have been easy for me.

    1. Kalyan

      You can ask them about it from customer care . They will help you in locating where exactly you need to put that information .

      Manish

      1. kalyan says:

        Hi Manish
        I tried to get te customer support but they did not answer.
        There is a field for allowances exempt under section 10 in section S. I am going to use the field for declaring leave pay there and see how IT treats it. During scrutiny they may get back for clarifications if they need. Worst case I already paid tax for the amount and so my refund request will be rejected.
        By the way can I have one coupan if you still have any. Thanks in advance.

        Kalyan

        1. Kalyan

          Is this issue still there ..?

          Manish

  112. Vinay Kukreti says:

    Dear Manish,
    Thanks for this article,I am fortunate to subscribe you as till date I have no idea of filling e-tr,and dependent to agents.Now by reading your article and visitint govt. site it is looking simple to me and I will try this time for ETR.

    I have few questions? I am a salaried person and my 18000 Rs has been deducted last year 1010-11.Now I have Rs. 1 lacs investmet proof under 80C,I have to claim LTA benefits claim and rent reciepts.Sir with E-TR I don’t need to submit original Bills,so how they beleave on us that I have submitted E-TR honestly.Would they check documents on later stage?

    Secondly,I have made some investment in shares (sharekhan) last year from my savings,earning was not much,it is only 1000 Rs. In this case ITR-1 is suffient for me?

    1. Vinay Kukreti says:

      Dear manish,

      Please send me a coupan, as it would be helpful and new experience to me for filling ETR first time online Thanks in advance

      1. vinay kukreti says:

        Hi manish ,Thanks for the coupan,kindly tackle my query written above,whether ITR1 is suffient for me? Secondly how to use coupan?

        Regards

  113. Sunnydoc says:

    Manish please send me a coupon.. I want to try it out..

    Thanks..

    Sunnydoc..

    1. Sunnydoc says:

      Dear Manish,

      Thanks for the coupon.. Could you please help us out on where exactly to use the promo code on the taxspanner website? I can’t seem to figure it out.. 🙁

  114. Sandeep says:

    I have never filed an e-return but keen on doing it from this year given my mobile lifestyle. I have really heard very positive reviews of e-filing.

    1. Sandeep

      I sent a free coupon to you .

      Manish

  115. Arudra Kumar says:

    Hi Manish,

    Please send me a code. I want to file the returns online this year.

    Regards,
    Arudra.

    1. Arudra

      I have sent the code in your email

      Manish

      1. Arudra Kumar says:

        Hey Manish,

        I filed my returns today by using the coupon sent by you. The entire process was so easy. Thanks to you and TaxSpanner.com

        Regards,
        Arudra.

        1. Arudra

          Good to hear that 🙂

          Manish

  116. Krish says:

    I e-filed IT returns both last year and this year. For sure, thought it saved a great deal of fuel cost for many users. We used to rush to far off IT department on the last day. Even vieweing the Form 26As online is a good step to know the TDS details which can be compared with Form 16 & 16A. However I am little disappointed that IT department is yet to execute Tax system in an integrated manner online.

    I am unable to see the rationale behind digi sign or manual posting of ITR V. By the way, seems like postal department is raking great money given that it has to be send through only government post office but not by any other courier. Now we have to incur fuel cost to reach the post office and also pay stamp charges. Not anything to rejoice. Ofcourse there is a fee to utilize the digi sign from the approved parties. Anyway I don’t see any saving for the individual tax filer. For NRIs, sending ITR V is a tedious task. They have to send the form to family/relatives/friends by courier and from there route to post office. Ofcourse digi sign is another option.

    Contrary to what is given, I did not get any acknowledgement through e-mail about the receipt of ITR V after hardcopy posting. We can get the update from the website, however we have to check once once in a while after filing.

    The refund is another fiasco. Last year I had opted for ECS and they had sent the cheque by post which was returned due to vacant house during working days. I don’t even get any e-mail alert about processing of refund cheque or sending by post. When I checked the refund details online, I realised that 3 months back the refund cheque was sent. It’s been 3 months ever since I noticed it, am struggling to get back the refund.

    Although some comfort is brought with current upgradation, it can be made much effective for the filers and there is still long way to go.

    1. Krish

      Thanks for the long sharing . I understand that a lot of scope is still there in improving the IT processes .

      Manish

  117. Raju says:

    Manish
    I have a question.
    If two persons take a joint FD with a bank. With the first one(whose name appear first in the FD) is earning but however does not fall under the tax slab and the second one under the tax slab. In such circumstances will the second person has to pay tax on interest earned on this FD?

    1. Raju

      No, I assume its a joint account .

      Manish

  118. Sundesh Pawar says:

    I have been filing Returns online since past 4 years, However last time i approached through an Auditor because it involved few Capital Gains computation and Bank INterest to be computed. I am a little hesitant to use ITR2 available from Govt website. I wanted to try any private website (as this time as well i have to show return from Mutualfunds)because of the simplicity involved and also making things easy. I would be more than happy if i receive a Free coupon from you. I follow all your articles with lot of interest as i have never seen any website provide this kind off unbiased opinion about the Financial Products. Also which is aimed at bringing in financial awareness to the society. After all Money is essential part of the Livelihood and we need to really make it work for us.

    Hope to receive my Coupon soon. Thanks in Advance
    Sundesh
    Sundesh

    1. Sundesh

      Thanks for sharing your experience . I have sent you a free coupon

      Manish

  119. Priya Nair says:

    Hello, Informative article, thanks for sharing. I moved from US in Feb 2011 and till then had no india income other than NRI FD’s in india. From Feb i am earning indian salary from my job and in april 2011 i converted NRI FD to NEW resident FD’s. My income does not exceed 5 lakhs in these couple of months i have been in india, do i have to file Tax for 2010-2011. Please advice.

    1. Priya

      Yes why not . you have to file it , why do you think you dont have to ? Note that 5 lac rule is not that easy one , and you will not fit in that

      Manish

  120. vijay says:

    Very informative article but I have to add some comments about the proceedure.
    Income tax dept. website is very useful and the return preparation software is also user friendly. There is no need to promote private web sites doing this work.
    I have been filing returns ITR1 for me and ITR2 for my wife since last 3 years. I have already submitted for this year. No problem. Only visit Income Tax Govt. website and follow all guidelines there. No paper and environment friendly also.

    1. Nagarajan Santhan says:

      Hi

      I agree with Vijay.

      For the last four years I did eFiling through govt website only.

      Lot of my friends also doing the same way. Govt website is good and user friendly.

      Thanks and Regards
      Nagarajan S

    2. Vijay

      Its not always the case . many people do not find govt website very easy . and especially when its not ITR1 or ITR2 but a more complicated one . A lot of people dont understand various heads and details . in that case i think pvt websites are better . Why not ?

      Manish

  121. Santy says:

    Not sure why we have still have the posting of returns via manual mode. This needs to be removed for us to stay truely “online”.
    These sites have been of great help but we need to have similar options for middle class people without internet. Probably a help desk in Tier -2 & 3 cities might help.

    1. vijay says:

      Tax return preparer are appointed by IT Dept to assist people for efiling with nominal fee and if you approach them then there is no need for personal internet.
      Anyway internet access is not a problem when so many friends or relatives may be having a connection? Internet cafes are also available and worst come our CA’s are there to help us.

      1. Vijay

        Do these tax return preparer work for free ?

        Manish

    2. Santy

      Online filing is set to become mandatory in coming times 🙂

      Manish

      1. Santy says:

        I meant the final part of sending the ITRV form by post. Why cant we do away with it?
        BTW, any chances of landing on a free coupon?

        1. Santy

          You cant get away with it , if you dont send it , how would tax department know about the filing ?

          Manish

  122. Sunnydoc says:

    I’m glad that this topic came up.. Just recieved form 16 from my hospital and was wondering how to pay my first ever IT return.. So I guess I shall do it online then after all! It really seems the most practical thing to do.

    1. Time saver (I can do it any time, no queues, all you just need is an internet connection)
    2. Saves energy (both of the person as well as the trees!)
    3. Tax refunds are quicker

    Thank you Manish for the informative article, we are all learning new things each week on how to make life more efficient.

    Suneil Gandhi

  123. Harshit Patel says:

    Here We go Again,

    Mr.Manish to the rescue again, know what? I was actually planning to File the returns for my wife through E-filing, I usually do mine through an agent, than i thought let me try Filling my Wifes returns myself… i mean how Hard can it be… and here u were giving a step by step procedure. I Liked the Article on “do & dont’s of tax filing”. Thanks again. Your blogs have really changed the way I look into my Finances.

    Keep it Up buddy… Will Let you know how did my First E-filling experience go…

    Cheers,
    Harshit Patel

  124. Mr. Investor says:

    Hmmm, for sure http://www.jagoinvestor.com is going to receive more comments and highlights, after all freebies are like honeybies 😛

    Keep the good work!

  125. Sagu says:

    I was looking for some info when I came across your blog. Wonderful article.
    Ever since I first e-filed last year I have become a big evangelist for online tax returns. It is such a simple process. Chasing agents and CAs is a pain otherwise.
    Last year I filed through one of the sites you mentioned in your blog and it was a pretty smooth process. I had some doubts which were promptly cleared by the customer care.

    The best part is that I got my refund within 4 months. I would like to encourage all to take this route rather than go to agents and expensive CAs. Take control!

    1. Sagu

      Thanks for your feedback . I am sure in coming times, online tax filing is the only option

      Manish

  126. Srinivas says:

    Dear All,

    One help, My friend has 80G receipt which did not submit with the employer.
    Can he do e-Filing and attach the xerox copy of this 80G receipt and send it to Bangalore IT address?

    -Srinivas

    1. Srinivas

      I dont think you need to attach it , now you just have to keep that reciept . If in future anything happens and you need to show it , then you show it . else just keep it with you and declare it in the return

      Manish

      1. Vishnu says:

        Yes, not necessarily 80G. Any deductions (LTA, HRA, Medical) etc which are not claimed with the employer can be done during returns.

        Since these ITR forms are annexureless, no need for any attachment.

        Preserve the proofs for 5-6 years as you are accountable to show when it is required.

        1. Monica says:

          If LTA deductions are not made by employer how can we show it while filing IT returns. How will the block of 4 years for LTA work in this situation?

          1. Monica

            Better ask at our forum to get a more accurate answer : https://www.jagoinvestor.com/forum/

            manish

        2. Deena says:

          Hello Manish,

          Is it possible to claim (HRA) while filling income tax ONLINE(when the same was not exempted in employers Form 16)?

          If it can be done… but I don’t see any option in either “Quick eFile ITR / Excel Utility” to enter HRA information

          Is it correct to directly reduce the HRA (assuming I calcualte the exemption of HRA rules – least of three rules) from “Income from Salary”

          Say in my form 16, Gross Total Income is Rs. 3,00,000 (3 laks)

          HRA exemption i would have to claim is Rs. 50,000

          Then is it correct to enter the “Income from salary / Pension” as 2,50,000 (2.5 laks) directly?

          1. HRA is a employer level exemption and this should be handled with them only

  127. Jayakrishna K says:

    Hi ,
    Thank You Manish , the post motivated me to file the returns online.

    Need help in filling returns online
    I could not find Conveyance Exemption,HRA Exemption which comes under section 10 in the IT returns software
    Could any one please help.

    1. Srinivas says:

      The new IT returns form SAHAG, avoids these.
      In the Income under salary section, you can directly enter “Income chargeable under the head SALARIES” from your form-16

    2. JayaKrishna

      Let us know if you were able to solve it using the tip by Srinivas below ?

      Manish

      1. Jayakrishna K says:

        Thx Srinivas , I have successfully filed the IT declaration.

  128. DUREJA BK says:

    The article on e-filing of IT Returns seems a very methodically concieved one. The process has been explained in such a way that even a novice can file the eReturn without any difficulty.
    The whole process which is complex for filing the return has been made so simple that Agents may envy. After all it may affect their business. What one needs is his income record, TDS certificates, details of savings. Punch these in the appropriate columns, wow the Tax payable/refundable is worked out. Upload the xml file. send a copy to Banglore. So wonderfully explained in simple steps. Congratulations

    1. Dureja

      Agents need to find out alternatives now . e-filing will become mandatory soon .

      Manish

      1. DUREJA BK says:

        Sooner the better. lets upgrade ourselves and be independent. When the IT dept. is coming forward why we should lag behind. The article from Jago Investor as such is doing the GREAT Job.

        Keep it up

        Dureja BK

  129. Giridhar says:

    Hi Manish, This is a very good piece of information for many people who dont know about the efiling. I stay abroad and two years back I was fanatically looking for some agent to file my return. My goodness he charged me Rs1500 for each return and I got the refund well after 15 months. Last year did some online search and learned about e-filing and e-filed mine using govt website for free got the refund after 6months. And my wife used http://www.taxsmile.com and she got refund within 3 months. I would say both are fine but taxsmile is less intimidating with graphical userinterface. The funny thing is that we got refund of 2009-10 after the 2010-11. Now I tell all my friends to do e-filing. At least 10-15 of my friends doing e-filing.

    1. Giridhar

      Nice .. I am sure many NRI’s are now doing this only . Did you complete this year return as well ? Need a coupon ?

      Do you have a indian income ?

      Manish

  130. Hem says:

    The article is pretty much clear about e-filing. I’m just wondering what to write to get the free coupon. Why do not you simply send me a coupon? Too much greedy, huh?? 🙂

    1. Hem

      Dont worry .. just commenting will get you one 🙂 . I have sent it to you just now .

      Manish

      1. Hem says:

        Thank you so much!!

  131. srinivas says:

    Hi Manish – Any idea on taxation wrt to ultra-short-trip to oversees for work, say a week (to US, Australia etc). Is there any thing extra that need to be paid apart from treating total income as regular income?

    Thanks,
    Srini

    1. Vishnu says:

      If u went on Business Visa (not work Visa), then you would have got per diem allowances, but not salary in the overseas. All your allowances regardless of the amount will be non-taxable.

    2. Srinivas

      as Vishnu already said , there wont be anything extra as you got salary in India (assumption) . So you went empty handed and came empty handed (dont chukle) . so no tax

      Manish

      1. Srinivas says:

        Excellent…!! Thanks Much Vishnu and Manish..!!

  132. Srinivas says:

    Hi,

    One query, While doing e-Filing, Do I need to keep Income tax ward/circle Empty?

    -Srinivas

    1. Vishnu says:

      U can keep it empty also.. No issues

    2. Srinivas

      yes , someone above said that he faced no issues from last 2 yrs when he kept it empty

      Manish

  133. Chandrasekar Ramakrishnan says:

    mmm,
    1. This is a very good “green” initiative except for a single printout.
    2. Manish, many of us think that it is mandatory to file the returns within immediate 31 July of the year. As far as I know, it is not really compulsory to file the return so fast. Am I right? Can you please write an article on this?

    Thanks!
    Chandru

      1. Chandrasekar Ramakrishnan says:

        Hi Manish,
        Can you please send me a free coupon 🙂 as my comment warranted a reply from you.

        1. Chandrasekar

          Sent a coupon to you

          Manish

  134. Nagarajan says:

    I had reservations about efiling. Now I am planning to file eReturns if i get a coupon to try out.

    1. Nagarajan

      Great . Let me send it to you . 🙂 . Please update how it all went here on this comment section for others to learn .

      Manish

  135. Srinivas says:

    Hi Manish,

    One clarification, Where is the tax payer’s copy of acknowledgment?
    I mean when we send Acknowledgement form to Bangalore IT office; do we get any post from them with IT sign and seal?

    anybody, who is aware of this, please tell me

    -Srinivas

    1. Nagarajan Santhan says:

      Hi Srinivas,

      When you are submitting your tax return through online (upload generated xml file) it will generate ITR-V form. This is the final copy of your tax return.

      But you need to send the signed copy of ITR-V to bangalore office for their updation also no need for get any sealed copy of ITR-V.

      Hope this will clear your doubts.

      Thanks and Regards
      Nagarajan S

      1. Srinivas says:

        Thank Nagarajan. It’s clear now.

      2. Sarvesh Gupta says:

        What happens if someone doesn’t post the ITR-V or it goes missing in transit?

        1. Vishnu says:

          It will be considered that you have not filed your returns..

          After you send the ITR-V through post, you should get an acknowledgement of the receipt through Email. (it will take some time anyway) which is the proof.

          Anyway, you can check it online through this link.

        2. Nagarajan Santhan says:

          Hi Sarvesh Gupta,

          I think (not sure) if you are not submitting / missing ITR-V means your process not completed succesfully. In future you may have problems.

          You can always check ITR-V status @ (Menu: Services > ITR-V Receipt Status).

          In my case, I submitted ITR-V last week and today my status is “ITR-V has been received in CPC “.

          Incase ITR-V is missed (no status updation for long time) re-send ITR-V. We have 180 days time period for ITR-V submission. I Hope this is too enough.

          Thanks and Regards
          Nagarajan S

          1. Srinivas says:

            I had some exerience on this for my last year return.

            Once one completes the process he will get ITR V to the email mentioned in the return. This is to be signed and forwarded either by ordinary post or speed post to CPC Bangalore within 180 days.

            Once the form is forwarded, we are at their mercy. We can check the status in IT website. IT takes about 10 days. It after a good time, if the status doesnot change, it is better to send one more copy. There is no alternative to this as the customer care executives at CPC are of no use.

            However once if the ITR V is received at CPC, status changes and the assessee gets a email from IT.

            1. Srinivas

              thanks for your update .

              Manish

  136. Penchala Kumar M says:

    Hi Manish,

    I have filled my returns through an agent for the past 4 yrs. But this time, i would like to do it through e-filling. Thanks for your in valuable article, especially the 5 benefits of e-filling are good & they are will help everyone at some point in time and i would suggest my friends also to go through this article & do e-filling.

    Thanks,
    Pench

    1. Penchala

      good to hear that . Let me send you a promo code to file your tax online .

      Manish

  137. srihari says:

    Hi Manish,

    Thanks for taking the initiative.
    I have few questions regarding the filings.

    1) I have taken my PAN card in hyderabad. and currently Iam working in bangalore. Based on my PAN number, the website ) gives me the jurisdiction (ward/circle) different from the one mentioned in my Form-16. Which one should I consider while filing for returns?

    2) I have taken home loan during 2010-2011, which form (ITR1 or ITR2) should I consider for filing the returns so that I get benefit on the interest paid as part of home loan repayment?

    Thanks
    Srihari.

    1. Vishnu says:

      Previous 2 years, I left this ward/circle Blank and I did not face any issues and I got my refund as well.

    2. Abhijit says:

      Thanks Manish.

      I have similar question. I am salaried person and I have a home loan. I used to fill ITR2 till last year. Which form should I fill this time? (ITR-1 or ITR-2)?

      1. Srihari & Abhijit

        You both need to file ITR2 , read this : http://www.rediff.com/money/2007/jul/13trans.htm

        Manish

        1. Vishnu says:

          Hi Manish,

          I have a doubt on this part. As per the income tax site, ITR-1 should be enough if the we have income from only one house property (excluding brought forward loss).

          I am not sure this means ITR1 will suffice for those who have income/loss from one house property. (Or, is it only when there is profit but no loss)

          1. srihari says:

            Based on the information read on blogs/sites..

            I understand that

            1) ITR1 should be filled if you are salaried and have a home loan on self occupied house.
            2) ITR2 should be filled if you are salaried and have a (more) home loans on a rented house.

            Please correct me if Iam wrong.

            Thanks
            Srihari

            1. srihari says:

              For my I have tried to check the same with https://www.investmentyogi.com/ . I have given the form16 data to website and they have generated the xml file (to be uploaded on incometax website) which based on ITR-1

              Thanks
              Srihari

        2. Abhijit says:

          Thanks for your kind reply. However the link seems to be to old of year 2007.

          Government seems to have made some changes. They have included Income on One House Property in ITR-1.
          http://law.incometaxindia.gov.in/DITTaxmann/IncomeTaxRules/PDF/Ay2010-11/Instructions-1.pdf

          I am having one house with home loan. I don’t have second house as such. So I am still really confused about which form to use (ITR1 or ITR2). 🙁

          May be I shall go ahead with ITR2.

          1. Vishnu says:

            Actually, I had this doubt hitting my head for more than a week. At last, I decided to use ITR-2 as there is no harm in going for ITR-2

  138. jitendra solanki says:

    Hi Manish,

    Very Nice one.

    Although CBDT has exempted net income upto Rs 5 lakh,there are some conditions to be met.If you look at some of these, its very difficult to actually get exemption.
    1. TDS on interest income should be reflected in form-16.Not sure how many can really fulfill this.
    2.It says inocme from only salary and saving bank interest.This means if someone is invested in FDs,NSC,PPF.MF,Gold and property, even for tax benefits, he is not eligible.Again, this is very wierd as anyone with incom of more than 3-4 lakh will be invested in some tax saving products.
    3.If you have changed job in a year you are not eligible.Looks very rare case expecially in IT industry.
    4. If someone applying for loan, i still doubt banks will be happy with only form 16.

    With all these condition one shoudl file their returns whatsoever.

    1. Vishnu says:

      Good one..

      Many people doing the returns also doesn’t consider the Bank/FD Interest 🙂

      They are considered negligible. 🙂

    2. Jitendra

      Yea .. agree with you . There will be very less number of people who will be eligible for this

      Manish

  139. Manas says:

    I am considering to file IT returns online..Manish your articles have been really providing a great insight to all of us.
    Keep up the hard work.

    Regards
    Manas

    1. Manish

      Good to hear that . I will send you a promo code .

      Manish

  140. Yogesh Tiwari says:

    Hi Manish,

    Here’s my 2 cents.

    Make sure guys, if you are filing return online by your own self. Be sure of the details you fill in.

    Here’s what I did(my mistake).

    I left my last employer in Jan 2011. I also, withdrew my PF. Now, at the time of PF withdrawal, they cut flat 30% on it and gain me the rest. The organization that I joined didnt cut any tax in Feb and Mar. So, now I had 2 form 16s and one PF tax deduction certificate.

    At the time of e-filing return, I filled all the details of the 2 form16s. After uploading the xml, I realized that I forgot PF tax declaration.

    Now, I re-calculated the return including 2 form 16s and PF tax, to find that I owe Rs 242. That very moment, I paid rest of Rs 242 online, using https://onlineservices.tin.nsdl.com/etaxnew/tdsnontds.jsp challan 280.

    Although, I have sent the ITR-V form already to bangalore. Once I receive the receipt no. I ll file revised return. Till then, I cant do anything but wait.

    So guys, be cautious, when you file your return. I hope this helps.

    Regards
    Yogesh Tiwari

    1. Sandeep Kumar says:

      Hi

      Can you please advise if you are able to see your paid tax of Rs 242 in Form 26A in “PART C – Details of Tax Paid (Other than TDS or TCS)” or any where else?
      I too have paid tax CHALLAN NO./ITNS 280 via ICICI net banking and have received challan copy at end of transaction but not able to see any amoung in Form 26A!

      Thank in advance

      1. Vishnu says:

        This transaction does not appear immediately in Form 26A.

        I am not sure how much time it takes. But, I am able to see all my previous Self Assessment Tax Credits which I have done over the past 3 years.

        Last week, I have paid through ICICI which is yet to reflect. It should not be a problem as long as you have the payment details like BSR #, Receipt # etc..

    2. Yogesh

      Thanks for sharing your experience . I am sure many people will get help from this sharing 🙂 .

      Manish

  141. Anshul says:

    Hi Manish,
    Thanks for this useful article. I filed my return last year through Tax Spanner, and the entire process was very smooth.
    I have a question. I am a salaried employee. I left my previous company in Jan 2011, and joined another company. Though my total income for this financial year from both the companies comes out to be less than 5lac, do I still need to file the return as the income is from two different companies?

    1. Vishnu says:

      I think the number of companies doesnt matter.

      1. Vishnu says:

        I am wrong. Only one employer is allowed. it means, you have to file.

  142. SHASHANK says:

    one more thing
    by filling e-return we will save papers,trees.
    SO GO GREEN AND ALSO GET UR RETURN QUICK…………
    Thanks Manish for this informative article..

    1. Shashank

      Thanks for putting this point 🙂 . I am sure lot of paperwork is already being reduced as 25% returns are filed online only .

      Manish

  143. Sudheer M says:

    Manish,
    “No need to file return if, you have only salary income and earnings are less than 5 lakhs per annum”.

    This will not actually(practically) work for many of the salaried people as they have to even declare the Savings Bank Interest with the employer and get it included in Form-16. Many employers will close accepting documents by the month of February, majority of the banks (barring icici and a few) have the interest credited on 31st March. Icici declares it on 28th Feb, by the time employer would have closed accepting proofs.

    Again, he should not have any other income like capital gains etc.

    I feel only a very few people would come under this 5 Lakhs category.

    1. Vishnu says:

      very much true..

    2. Sudheer

      Yes I understand , there will be few people under this who are salaried class , but a large number of salaried class people fall in this category and do not have any interest income also . think about pensioners .

      Manish

    3. Sudheer

      5 lacs rule includes saving bank interest also , so if you have income from salary and saving bank interest , then 5 lacs rule apply 🙂

      Manish

      1. Sudheer says:

        I think you missed my point. The rule states that this exemption of non-filing is applicable only if the Savings Bank Interest is included in Form-16. My point was, by February almost all companies close accepting of proofs to be included in Form-16. So, there will be still some more interest income which is credited on or after February 28 and not included in Form-16. They certainly cannot claim exemption from filing returns here. And no employer will agree to modify Form-16 after their own cut off date.

        Again, majority(>95%) of the Salaried class have savings bank accounts and therefore interest income.

        1. Sudheer

          Yes ,, agree 🙂

          Manish

  144. Sandeep says:

    Hi

    One more clarification plz 🙂

    I still have to pay income tax of Rs. 4377 is FY 2011-12. I understand that I can pay online from https://onlineservices.tin.nsdl.com and without interest (as total payable tax for FY11-12 is less than 10,000 rs).
    After paying tax online should I mention this is in Point 25 “Details of Advance Tax and Self Assessment Tax Payments” in ITR-1 form?

    Thanks in advance,

    1. Rajkumar says:

      Yes Sandeep,
      You need t fill the “Details of Advance Tax and Self Assessment Tax Payments” part in ITR-1

      Regards,
      Raj

    2. Vishnu says:

      Self Assesment

  145. Sandeep says:

    Hi Manish

    I have queries related to filling income tax and before google I checked on your forum for article on tax filling (but before today I was not able to find anything relevant) . I am happy and thankful to you for this post. I am looking forward for comments on this article that will clarify & give more ease for e-filling.

    Request to advise on following:
    a) My wife has invested Rs 20,000 in March-11 (which comes under section 80C and I am not nominee in that policy. She is working and had paid premium from her account) on her name and has not declared same for tax rebate in FY11-12. Can I declare Rs 20,000 in FY11-12 ITR-1 form to claim tax rebate for myself (I have investments of Rs 78,000 only in my Form 16 and this will save me more tax)?.
    b) If no and if I pay premium of same policy in March-12 from my account (via check) then can I claim tax rebate?

    Thanks in advance,

    1. Sandeep

      a) NO , you cant , how can you claim it on your name when you have not invested for it from your own pocket .

      b) Yes, but only if its in your name. The only thing you would need it the acknowledgement of the payment in your name, other wise it wont work . If it worked that way , people can save tax on other names .

      Manish

      Manish

      1. Vishnu says:

        Manish,

        I hope we can claim the deductions for policiies if it is on the name of Spouse or Children. (If both are working, any one of the couple can claim or the claim can even be made partially.

        1. Err .. I made a mistake ,

          Yes you can claim it if its on your spouse name or children name . My bad

          Manish

          1. Vishnu says:

            I actually got this info from one of your articles some time back 🙂

  146. Venshu says:

    I have been filing my tax returns (ITR2) through http://www.taxsmile.com website since 2010. I have faced absolutelly no problems and the process has been extremely easy and user friendly. I have opted for the digital signature option where I do not have to send the hard copy of my return to the IT Dept’s Office in Bangalore.

    I e-filed my ITR2 on 27th July 2010 for the first time and received my refund (
    through ECS) on 13th Jan 2011. This year I have e-filed on 4th June.

    1. Venshu

      Good to get this information , I think taking digital signature option is good for NRI’s who are outside India, the postage costs and inconveniance would be anyways more than that 🙂

      Manish

      1. Minesh says:

        I have e-filed return for FY 2009-10. I have not received any refund till now and now they have sent a letter for TDS mismatch..so I have to send them a copy of acknowledgement, copy of 16A..

        It took 2 years for them..

        Same thing also happened with my mom’s return..

        These guys are useless..

        1. Minesh

          Tax refund without e-filing takes a lot of time ,agreed

          Manish

          1. Minesh says:

            Hey Manish..
            You did not get my point..
            I have “e-filed” returns..and they have sent a letter for TDS mismatch after 2 years..

            1. Minesh

              ohh , got it now .. so what did you do then ?

  147. MS says:

    Hi,
    I have two questions –
    1. How can I get the digital signature ?
    2. You have told us the benefits of filing returns through private but authorized websites, but I am sure there would be some catch.. what is that ?, And how can I make sure that the token you are passing us will guarantee the complete the return filing process, and will not leave us half way.

    Thanks
    MS

    1. MS

      The coupons are only for those who want to file ITR1 and ITR2 as the promo code is only for basic version of tax filing .

      You can take advanced package from these sites which give digital signature to you too .. but the only benefit of that is that you will not have to post the docs after print out . rest all is same .

      Manish

  148. Rakesh says:

    Manish,

    Thanks for this excellent post, I had raised this query in Forums and Ashalji had answered my query in a very detailed manner. This gives me confidence to think once more to file my returns online, though still hesitant to do.

    Rakesh

    1. Rakesh

      I would suggest you can go for it this time , I can understand the change is not easy , but may be you would be very surprised by the easyness they provide .

      I am sending you a promo code you can use to file the return .

      manish

  149. Sarvesh Gupta says:

    I am considering first time to fill online return. What is benefit of filing from private web sites over gov IT website? Especially when I am expecting some returns from IT.

    1. Sarvesh

      The main thing is that filing it from pvt web sites is more easy and convinient

      Manish

    2. Vishnu says:

      I have been doing the e-filing for last 4 years. I have tried both the Income Tax Site and other private sites.

      When your source of income is very simple like Interest + Salary + Dividend, then you will not have much issues doing manually through the income tax site. (through the free Excel Utility). Be careful, It is easy to do a mistake in this option as you hardly have any user friendly instructions to fill it.

      But, when you want to do some complex calculations like (Combining more than one Form 16s), Capital Gain calculation, House Property Income/Loss, Interest for Late Payment of Tax, Missing Deductions in Form 16, then it is better to do it through these intermediary sites, unless you have patience and expertise to do that.

      In my experience, TaxSmile is the best and most comprehensive of all the sites. 5 Star *****

      1. Sarvesh Gupta says:

        Thanks Manish and Vishnu. Few more questions
        1. Do these intermediary sites offer facility to upload and auto read single/multiple Form 16?
        2. If these tool auto read, do they allow edit for missing deductions etc.
        3. Do they offer previous year return filing or return revision? If yes, are there some spacial considerations?

        1. Vishnu says:

          Not all sites have Auto-Read option for Form 16. But, you have option to edit anyway.

          Tax Smile offers for both revision and previous year returns. Not sure about other sites.

        2. Sarvesh

          Yes , online websites gives all these options , just that for more complex parts the charges are higher .

          Manish

      2. Vishnu

        Thanks for your feedback . Its very helpful for new investors who want to try it out ! .

        Manish

      3. Tapas says:

        Thank you so much… Nice info

        1. SANDEEP JAISWAL says:

          Dear Manish,
          I am a salaried employee of Indian Navy considering Efiling thru tax spannerfor FY 11-12. Can u give a free coupon for the same
          regards
          Sandeep

          1. We are trying for getting some coupons .. will post an article on this soon !

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