The Income Tax Department has taken extra initiatives to protect your private information while e-filing your income tax returns, through a secure e-filing vault.

When we step out of the house, we ensure all the doors and windows are locked to thwart thieves and protect our home and possessions. The movement of many transactions online has created the need for virtual locks on all cyber doors and windows to protect the user’s sensitive and personal private data. “Just as banks have security measures installed on their website, to store your sensitive data, the Income Tax Department has taken extra initiatives to protect your private information while e-filing your income tax returns, through a secure e-filing vault,” says Chetan Chandak, Head of Tax Research, H&R Block India.

Activating your E-Filing Vault High Security Option

As of now, you login into http://incometaxindiaefiling.gov.in/e-Filing/UserLogin/LoginHome.html to e-file your returns using your userID (PAN) and password. So, “if somebody knew your PAN and password, they could easily access your records. Therefore, the e-filing portal has installed some added security measures to protect your tax return and other personal details. The E-filing Vault will have added security checks, similar to your bank’s security checks, following the regular login process,” says Chandak.

After logging in with your userID and password, you can follow the below-mentioned steps:

Step 1: Select “E-filing Vault – Higher security option” under Profile settings. You will see options listed:

Login with higher security options – Under this option the user is given a choice to select particular mode(s) in which he wish to login in future to his e-filing account. Once he selects any option(s), next time onward he will be able to login only through that mode.

Lock reset password option – Under this option the user is given a choice to lock his account for resetting the password only through the selected mode. Once he choses any particular mode(s), then in future he will be able to reset the password only through that mode.

Step 2: Select “Login with higher security option” and select one or more of the following login methods:

a) Through Net banking

b) Using digital signature certificate (DSC)

c) Using Aadhar OTP

d) Bank Account EVC

e) Demat EVC

Step 3: Multiple options can be chosen by you, which will be the login methods used for all future logins. To choose from the above-mentioned options, the following pre-requisites must be met:

# Registered on e-filing portal

# Valid registered DSC

# Valid Aadhar linked with PAN

# Valid demat account linked with PAN

So, “if you decide to use the net banking login option, then you will need to click “Ok” followed by clicking on the “Proceed” button. From here you will need to click “Confirm” from the confirmation page, to which you will be redirected,” informs Chandak.

For all future logins now, every time you log in on the e-filing portal, you will be redirected the “login through net banking” page. Select bank login through the bank’s page.

Once you log into your account, “you will need to select “Login into the IT e-filing account”, from where you will be redirected to the e-Filing dashboard. The similar process can be followed for all the other methods mentioned above (DSC/Aadhaar/ demat)/demat),” says Chandak.

How To De-Activate the Authentication Method?

If you choose to de-activate your chosen login method, you can do easily by following these steps: Profile Settings — E-Filing Vault — Select login option — Proceed — Disable.

Resetting Your Password

You can restrict the mode of resetting the password to only through your chosen options, such as netbanking or Aadhaar, for example. To reset your password using Aadhaar method (must be linked to PAN), follow the below mentioned steps:

a) Enter your userID and Captcha code

b) Select to reset your password using Aadhaar OTP

c) Select generate Aadhaar OTP

d) Enter the OTP and “Validate

e) Confirm your chosen method by selecting “confirm”

The next time you want to reset your password, you can select the Forgot password option from the main login page, from where you will need to follow these steps:

1. Enter your userID and Captcha code

2. Select reset password using Aadhaar

3. Verify the userID and Aadhaar number

4. Generate the OTP to be sent to your mobile number

5. Enter the OTP and validate

6. Enter your new password

The similar process can be followed for all the other methods mentioned above (DSC/Aadhaar/demat)/demat).