Avoid a maximum penalty of Rs 10,000, if your total income exceeds Rs 5 lakh.
Taxpayers are often served notices from the IT department for delayed & missed return submissions.
Your Tax Return documents are proof of your financial investments and will be useful when you apply for a loan or a visa.
Most embassies and consulates require you to submit IT returns for the last 3 years.
Check if you have to file a tax return
For FY 2018-19, if your income exceeds Rs 2.5 lakh (Rs 3 lakh for those aged 60 years and above) you must file an income tax return in India. You must also file a tax return if excess TDS has been deducted and you want to claim a refund.
Paper return or e-filing of income tax? If your income is greater than Rs 5 lakh, or you are seeking a refund, you must file your income tax return online. An exception is made when the individual taxpayer is 80 years or older.
Gather your Documents for Tax filing
The documents needed to e-file your tax return will vary case to case.
Typically, you'd need just a Form 16 and Form 26AS. You’ll need:
- Basic details such as PAN, Aadhaar number, and bank account information
- Documents related to your income such as Form 16 or Form 16A
- Form 26AS which contains information about TDS and advance tax payments
Note that the income tax return is an annexure-less form. This means that no supporting documents need to be sent along with your tax return. But do store them carefully. This will help in case the income tax department has any questions about your tax return.
Sign up or login to www.cleartax.in with just your email account.
ClearTax is simple, easy and free to e-file your Income Tax Return.
Upload your Form 16
Every company in India issues Form 16 for all its employees, typically in the last week of May and first two weeks of June. You may receive them in a PDF or get them as 2 seperate PDFs.
Part A of the Form 16 contains all the details related TDS and the company’s TAN.
Part B contains key information about allowances such HRA, LTA, your taxable salary, and deductions you’ve declared at the time of investment submission.
All you have to do is upload them on ClearTax.com, and it will automatically read your income, deductions, TDS, and pre-fill your income tax return! Upload Form 16.
If you don’t have a Form 16, you can still prepare a tax return with just a payslip.
Claim missed out deductions and check if you have to pay tax.
You can claim HRA, LIC premium and any other Section 80C expense or deduction you've missed. Medical reimbursements and LTA cannot be claimed. If you missed the investment submission proof deadline in office, then while e-filing your return on ClearTax, you can claim HRA, LIC premium, and any other Section 80C expense or deduction that you’ve missed to tell your company. This will lower your tax liability. Do note that medical reimbursements and LTA cannot be claimed.
Read: What should you do if you’ve missed submitting investment submission proof deadline?
Pay tax on the Department website if needed.
The tax is calculated as you are filing your tax return. If you find that you need to pay additional tax, you must pay the tax first and then e-file your tax return. Both of these needs to be done before July 31st.
If you don’t pay this tax before July 31st, you will be charged an interest amount of 1% per month (simple interest) on the tax amount outstanding. This interest will be calculated from the due date applicable to you for filing of return of the applicable year till the date that you actually file your income tax return.
Read: How to pay tax online on the Department website?
Double check all the details and e-file your income tax return.
The deadline for filing your income tax return is July 31.
A 15-digit acknowledgement number will be displayed on the screen.
After you file your tax return online on ClearTax, you'll get a confirmation email from both ClearTax and the income tax department with the 15-digit acknowledgement number.
Send ITR-V or e-verify your income tax return.
Once the tax return is e-filed, you can send a 1-page acknowledgement to the income tax department in Bangalore or e-verify your tax return within 120 days from the date of e-filing. This can be done from most Net Banking accounts. Make sure you verify the tax returns, because returns that have not been verified are not processed by the tax department.
Track refund if you're getting one :)
The Income Tax Department is getting faster each year with processing your tax refunds. Taxpayers can expect to get their refund anywhere between just a couple of weeks to a few months.
Track your refund right here on ClearTax.
Economic Times ranks No.1 tax return filing website.
Login to E-file❯More than just compliance.
ClearTax is not just about e-filing your income tax return. We make sure that you don't pay more taxes than you have to. We help you save tax and invest.
No more XML downloads
No more XML downloads, no more complicated password resets.
Just sign up with your email account and e-file.
Skip all the data entry
Just upload your Form-16 and Cleartax will automatically capture the information and fill your tax return. Simple, right?
7 minutes & done
Upload your Form-16. ClearTax reads it automatically. Just review and e-File. In 7 minutes or less.
File for many people from one account.
You can file up to three tax returns for free from a single account. E-file income tax returns for your family and have everyone's record in one place.
Support for Queries.
Fantastic support when you need help.
We guarantee 100% accuracy
ClearTax's tax calculations are verified against the Income Tax Department's tax engine before e-filing to ensure that a return is being filed correctly.
We're serious about security
Our 128-bit SSL encryption and bank-grade security keeps your data safe.
How to link your Aadhaar card with PAN
The Income Tax Department has made it easy for taxpayers to link their PAN with Aadhaar with just a 2 step process which does not even require to login or register at the e- filing website
Step 1:
Just go to Income Tax website and click on the link on the left pane – Link Aadhaar
Step 2:
Provide PAN, Aadhaar no. and enter the name exactly as given in Aadhaar card
No Data entry
Upload your Form-16 PDF. Import your Form 26-AS. ClearTax reads this automatically and fills your tax return.
All tax forms covered
ClearTax automatically selects the correct ITR while you fill your info.
We support ITR-1, 2A, 2, 3, 4S, 4, 5 and 6.
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7 minutes & done
Upload your Form-16. ClearTax reads it automatically. Just review and e-File in 7 minutes or less.
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