General income tax returns filing mistakes

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Common Income Tax Returns Filing Mistakes

13 Unlucky Mistakes and How to avoid them

AUTHORED BY

SANYAM JAIN

IndianTaxUpdates.com

http://www.indiantaxupdates.com/


Income Tax Returns Filing Mistakes

The attention we give to playing Angry Birds is not the same we give the screen

while filing out income tax returns. Tax payers wait for the deadline to file ITR and

eventually file it in haste, because of which mistakes are bound to occur.

Here are most common mistakes which should be avoided while filing your ITR:

1. Selecting Wrong ITR Form

The most common mistake which an assessee commits is choosing the wrong

form for filing income tax return. Various Income Tax return forms are notified by

the IT department for filing income tax return.

Selecting a correct form is very essential for proper filing of income tax return.

ITR 1 (Sahaj): To be filled up by individuals with salary, pension, rental

income from one property, tax-free capital gains and income from interest.

ITR 2: To be filled by individual and HUFs with salary, pension, rental

income from more than one property, taxable capital gains, income from

interest and foreign assets.

ITR 3: To be filled by partners in a firm with interest, salary, bonus,

commission, capital gains, more than one property.

ITR 4: To be filled up by individuals and HUFs with income from business /

profession with gross receipts more than Rs. 60 Lakhs a year. (If gross

receipts are less than Rs. 60 Lakhs, but the income is less than 8% of gross

receipts, still ITR 4 to be used).

ITR 4S (Sugam): To be filled up by individuals and HUFs with income from

business / profession and gross receipts upto Rs. 60 Lakhs a year.

ITR V: Remember this is “V” and not 5. This is an acknowledgment form and

is to be filled by all the above mentioned categories.


Also, make sure that you upload the form as per the correct assessment year (AY).

2. Not disclosing all Incomes (don’t ignore or leave any)

While most salaried taxpayers seek to disclose only their salary income, it is

important to report income for other heads, such as savings bank account income

(the deduction up to R10,000 is only applicable from FY13).

Even though long-term capital gains and dividend from equity, Mutual Funds and

listed securities are not taxable, they form a part of your income from other

sources and you need to provide their details in the return form.

If you own more than one house, you are liable to pay a certain amount as tax,

even if you have not earned any income from it or if it is unoccupied.

3. Entering Wrong Information:


PAN Number: You miss filling in one number or character of your

permanent account number (PAN) and the form cannot be processed.

Besides, you could be fined R10,000 for an incorrect entry.

TAN number: In respect of tax deducted at source (TDS), it is mandatorily

required to furnish the TAN no. of the deductor. If the TAN no. of the

employer is not wrongly entered then you will not get the credit of your tax

deducted.

Status: Tax slabs are impacted depending on if you are a resident/non-

resident individual or male/female, so calculate your taxes based on the

applicable slab rates and special rates if applicable.

Bank Details: "Note that in case of e-filing of returns, the furnishing of bank

account particulars is mandatory even if no refund is due. In case of refund,

it is advisable to go for e-filing of returns to ensure faster processing," says

Suresh Surana, founder, RSM Astute Consulting.

Jurisdiction: If the taxpayer provides wrong jurisdiction which is obtained

from the Income Tax site through the PAN of the assessee then delay is

caused in processing of income tax returns or your return may be rejected

by the Department.

Other details like Email Address, MICR code, address for communication,

phone number etc.

4. Not Signing the Form:

a. Not Sign at all: Signing on tax return is a vital requirement to be undertaken

by an assessee. Generally, assessees are in a hurry to file income tax return

and they forget to sign & submit the ITR in case of manual filing and ITR V in

case of online filing of income tax return without DSC. This may lead to

rejection of the ITR filed.


b. Signing a blank form: In case you are hiring an agent to file returns on your

behalf, kindly make sure to go through the form after the agent has filled it.

Signing a blank form and leaving it completely on the agent is not a

recommended option. Even a typing error could spell trouble for you.

5. Ignore Multiple Form 16:

If you’ve changed jobs in the middle of a fiscal year, ensure that you collect Form

16s from both employers. If you have not shown your savings with the previous

employer to the present employer, there is a chance of paying extra tax,

especially if you are in the high income bracket.

6. Not Verify TDS with Form 26AS

Do check the TDS and advance tax credit available against your PAN in your 26AS

on the income tax website. Should your tax computation lead to a tax liability

over and above your TDS and advance tax credit available, ensure prompt

payment along with applicable interest.

7. Not Recheck Deductions

Many individuals include ‘Employer’s Contribution’ to PF also under Section 80C.

Remember, it is only the ‘Employee’s Contribution’ that qualifies for Section 80C.

Another common mistake is that some people provide the entire home loan EMI

amount under Section 80C or 24B, while the correct way is to put the principal

amount under Section 80C and the interest amount under Section 24B. There are

some other lesser known deductions like Section 80E, 80G, 80DD etc. which need

to be mentioned in your return form.

8. Ignoring Reversal of Deductions:

If you sell your house within five years of getting its possession, the deductions

availed on the home loan are reversed. “Any installment or part payment of

amount due under self-financing schemes is allowed as deduction under section

80C. However, if you sell the house within five years of getting possession, all the


deductions claimed on this house would be deemed to be income in this year and

you need to pay tax on it,” said Sharma.

9. Attaching supporting documents with ITR-V

The income tax department's e-filing website clearly states that no annexure,

covering letter or pre-stamped envelopes is to be sent along with ITR-V (ITR-

Verification, or acknowledgement, form). "No supporting documents are to be

attached to the tax return; these are to be furnished only when called for by the

tax office," says Srinivasan.

10. Filing Delayed ITR

Delayed ITRs cannot be revised later, even if you realize some mistake. Filing on

time becomes extremely important for people having tax losses, otherwise the

benefit to carry forward these losses to offset future income is lost.

11. Not hold copy of the Return

A copy of Income tax return and Acknowledgement should be maintained by you

who would be helpful in ensuring rectification of mistakes and will be helpful

during audit process, if any, being conducted by the department in the near

future.

12. Forgets sending e-filing acknowledgement

You should remember to take a printout of ITR V, sign it and send it to the Income

Tax Department’s Bangalore office within 120 days. Unless you send the

acknowledgement, your E-filing is not treated as complete. Another thing to

remember here is that ITR V is to be sent by normal post or speed post (and not

through courier).

13. No filing at all

Filing tax returns is in your own interest. Tax filing helps you in availing any kind of

loan, visa and immigration processing, income proof / net worth certification or


even applying for high Life Insurance Cover. So, just avoid this biggest mistake of

all – simply not filing a return.

Suggestion:

We suggest you take the e-filing route through tax portals; these have software

that prompts you to correct common mistakes. Some portals simply ask you for a

scanned copy of Form 16, Form 16A, and copies of income from other sources;

the software detects the data and fills the form automatically.

Final Words:

The importance of filing correct and accurate returns cannot be any less

emphasized. Neglecting to pay attention to details can end up making taxes even

more costly or delays in refund. While, some of these mistakes would end up in

you getting a notice from the tax authorities, others would expose you to risks of

heavy penalties and punishments.

Disclaimer:

The above data/information has been collected from various sources and

compiled in a way to enhance the knowledge of the reader.

General income tax returns filing mistakes

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