A certain amount of money you pay for the income tax to the government of India each financial year. If you’re a working professional, tax filing is a necessity. Your employer deducts certain tax from your monthly salary, which is called Tax Deducted at Source (TDS). You can reduce your income tax liability in a financial year by making certain investments, such as Fixed Deposit at a bank, invest in Mutual Funds, open a PPF account at a bank or post office, and so on. 

In fact, if you want to invest, you have certain ways to grow your money. And, if you don’t, you are left with excuses. Despite all, you must go for e filing income tax return for each assessment year in order to receive back the overpaid tax for the previous financial year. However, there are times when you don’t get your refund, which might be due to one or more reasons. Listed below are some of such cases:

Q: I have not received my income tax return for the assessment year 2012-13 but for all subsequent years. What could be the issue and what should I do now? - Anonymous

A: You can file an application with the concerned assessment year, asking for the issue. You can also file a grievance online, i.e. log into your online income tax filing account and file a grievance below the ‘e-Nivaran’ tab, asking for a refund for the particular assessment year. Before filing a grievance, make sure you check your income tax refund status online without failure. You are also recommended to check if the refund for the AY 2012-13 has been adjusted with that for the next year.

Q2: Can I get my email ID changed in the personal information section, as I mistakenly provided by official email ID while filing the ITR? - Anonymous

A: Yes, you can get your email ID changed. You will have to raise a service request to make amendments in your ITR form on the e filing income tax portal.

Q3: Can I get rectified the data mismatch in what reflects in form 26 AS and what has been deducted by the employer? - Anonymous

A: There have been scenarios wherein the tax deducted at source is different from that what is mentioned on form 26 AS. In such a case, you must discuss the same with your employer. Your employer will then have to verify your quarterly e-TDS with the income tax department. Only then, you can expect the tax details to match in the both the 26 AS form and in your employer’s record.

It is highly recommended to pay adequate heed to figures mentioned on form 16 while income tax filing online, which is in order to eliminate the chances of any mistake that might fetch you an income tax notice in the future.

Income tax indeed is a sure thing in one’s life and you cannot overlook or hide your income tax liability for a financial year. When tax filing for an assessment year, make sure you’ve all the documents handy to avoid any issue later.