Do’s and Don’ts you must follow while filing your ITR!

Let’s look at the things  that one should do and shouldn’t do using the example of Mr. Aditya who is a Marketing Specialist at WOW Media Ltd. in Bangalore.

Mr. Aditya’s salary details

Note : Mr. Aditya doesn’t have any taxable capital gains

Now let’s look at what Mr. Aditya and you should do to file the ITR properly and beneficially

1) Choosing the Right Form

There are 4 ITR forms

• Mr. Aditya should choose ITR-1, as his annual salary is less than Rs.50 lakhs and he doesn’t have any taxable capital gains.
• Filing using the wrong form can render the return invalid.

2) Claim your deduction and exemptions

• An exemption refers to specific types of income that are not taxed, while a deduction is an amount subtracted from your income to lower the taxable portion.
• The new tax regime does not allow any deductions or exemptions. However, the old regime offers various deductions and exemptions for taxpayers, including a standard deduction of Rs. 50,000.

For example, if Mr. Aditya is eligible for the following deductions, he can claim them according to the tax regime he opts for :

3) Choosing the correct Tax regime

• Individuals with business or professional income can change their tax regime only once.
• Salaried individuals like Mr. Aditya can switch between the old and new tax regimes each year during filing.
• So Mr. Aditya has used our Advance Tax calculator to help him choose between a new tax regime and old tax regime. Following table reflects the information he got with the help of calculator

By choosing the right tax regime, Mr. Aditya can save Rs. 65,520

Tax Strategy Masterclass: Link

Budget 2024: Yes the budget 2024 hit us and we are working on updating our Calculator as per the new rules! If you have got the Masterclass already, you will get the updated Calculator soon to your mailbox directly!

4) Report all your income

• Income should be reported from various sources like rental income you pay via cash, or interest from saving accounts, etc.
• We have to make sure these incomes are reflected in our ITR filing so we have to pre check it from sources.
• Not doing so can lead to notices from the IT department.

5) Don’t Miss the Due Date

• Mr. Aditya should file his returns before the deadline of 31st July, if not he should pay Rs.5000 as late filing fees.
• Also 1% interest on the outstanding tax amount for each month of delay.
• For example, filing a month late will cost him Rs. 5560 extra (Rs. 5000 late fee + Rs. 560 interest on Rs. 56,020).

6) Don’t’ forget to cross-check your From 16, AIS and Form 26AS

Mr. Aditya can find the mismatch between the pre-filled data in the ITR forms and the AIS which can occur due to differences in the information reported by various sources.

Following things he can to do to resolve such Mismatch:

• He can review the data by comparing pre-filled ITR forms with AIS to identify differences.
• Verify the sources of the differences from banks, employers, or other entities.
• Gather supporting documents such as bank statements, Form 16, and interest certificates.
• Correct the pre-filled data manually in the ITR form if errors are found.
• Report differences in the AIS to the Income Tax Department via the e-filing portal.

Mismatches between Form 16, AIS, and Form 26AS can trigger income tax notices.

7) Don’t forget to do verification after filing the returns

Mr. Aditya has to verify his ITR after filing, either online or offline.

• Online (e-Verification):

1. Log in to your Income Tax e-filing account
2. Go to ‘e-file’ > ‘Income Tax Returns’ > ‘e-Verify Return,’
3. Verify using Aadhaar OTP, Net banking, etc.

• Offline:

1. Print and mail the ITR-Verification form to the Income Tax Department.
2. If you do not verify your ITR within 30 days of filing it, the return will be considered invalid.
3. Once your return becomes invalid you should file it again with the late filing fees and interest penalty.

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