There are two ways of filling the form online. One is by manually entering all details and submitting the return online. The other is by uploading XML files through offline methods.

The Income Tax Department opened the e-filling portal for income tax returns (ITR) for the financial year 2017-18 or assessment year 2018-19 last month. To make things easy for people, the tax department has explained the different categories of ITR forms like for self employed professionals, businesses, salaried employees, freelance workers etc.

Taxpayers can now file their returns from the comfort of their home by registering on the income tax department website or other websites. The due date for filing tax returns (physical or online), is July 31.

How to choose the right form to file your taxes electronically

The categories include ITR form 1 Sahaj (Individuals with income from salary and interest basically those whose income is up to Rs 50 lakh), ITR 2 (Individuals and Hindu Undivided Families (HUF) not having income from business or profession), ITR 3 (Individuals/HUFs being partners in firms and not carrying out business or profession under any proprietorship), ITR 4 (Individuals and HUFs having income from a proprietary business or profession), ITR 4S- SUGAM (Individuals/HUF having income from presumptive business), ITR 5 (Firms, AOPs, BOIs and LLP), ITR 6 (Companies other than companies claiming exemption under section 11), ITR 7 (Persons including companies required to furnish return under section 139[4A] or section 139[4B] or section 139[4C] or section 139[4D]) and Form 16 which is essentially a certificate issued by an employer validating the fact that TDS has been deducted and deposited with the authorities on behalf of the employee.

Who can file ITR Form-1(Sahaj)?

Unlike last time, the ITR Form-1 (Sahaj) has undergone many changes. Before filling the ITR Form-1 (Sahaj), you should keep in handy details regarding Income from any source, such as property, salary, breakup of salary, last year’s tax returns, bank statements, TDS (Tax Deducted at Source) certificates and Profit and Loss (P&L) account statement, balance sheet and audit reports, if applicable. You would need to pay a late fee under fee u/s 234F if you miss the deadline.

Also ensure that your system is equipped with the Java Runtime Environment Version 7 Update 6 or above.

There are two ways of filling the form online. One is by manually entering all details and submitting the return online. The other is by uploading XML files through offline methods.

– Submitting online:

This form needs to be submitted to the Income Tax Department’s website.

Log on to http://www.incometaxindiaefiling.gov.in. You will need to keep your user ID, password and date of birth ready for this. You will also be asked to enter a captcha code.

When you sign in, click on the option which says “Filling of Income Tax Return”

Select the ITR form name, choose the assessment year as well as the submission mode. You will need to prepare this and submit it on the website itself.

Fill in the rest of the details as required and hit the submit button.

The system will generate a message of acknowledgement which will tell you that your income tax return has been submitted successfully. After this, the ITR-V would pop up on the screen. This will be the acknowledgement and you will need to download this. The ITR-V would also be sent to the email id you have registered with the IT Department website.

– Uploading XMLs:

Log on to the website http://www.incometaxindiaefiling.gov.in. Go to the homepage. Click on the “Offline Utilities” option.

You will come across another option which says “Income Tax Return Preparation Utilities”.

Choose the Assessment Year for which you are filling the income tax return.

Download the offline utility (Excel or Java)

Prepare the income tax return form offline at your convenience, save it and extract XML files.

Then go online again, click on the “Filing of Income Tax Return” option and submit the XML files.

E-verify your the filing of your return within 120 days of submitting it to complete the process.

Check your tax credit – Form 26AS vs. Form 16

You should check Form 26AS before filing your returns. It shows the amount of tax deducted from your salary and deposited with the IT department by your employer. You should ensure that the tax deducted from your income as per your Form 16 matches with the figures in Form 26AS. If you file your returns without clarity on errors, you will get a notice from the IT department.

List of Required Documents for e-filing of tax returns

It is always good to stay a step ahead, especially when it comes to tax filing. The checklist provided below will help you to get started with the e-filing of tax returns.