Deepanshu Jain
Pursuant to amendment in rule 12 of the Income Tax Rules, by the notification no 42 dated 11/6/2013, the following proviso has been inserted in sub- rule (2) of rule 12.
“Provided that where an assessee is required to furnish a report of audit specified under sub-clauses (iv), (v), (vi) or (via) of clause (23C) of section 10, section 10A, clause (b) of sub-section (1) of section 12A, section 44AB, section 80-IA, section 80-IB, section 80-IC, section 80-ID, section 80JJAA, section 80LA, section 92E or section 115JB of the Act, he shall furnish the same electronically.”
In simple words, the assessee who is required to furnish the tax audit report for AY 2013-14 shall submit the tax audit report electronically. The following steps should be followed for filing the tax audit report electronically.
Step 1
Those Chartered Accountants (‘CA’) who have the Certificate of Practice (‘COP’) or are eligible to sign the tax audit report u/s 44AB of the Income Tax Act (‘the Act’) shall register themselves as Tax Professionals by using the following link :-
https://incometaxindiaefiling.gov.in/e-Filing/Registration/RegistrationHome.html
After registration, you will get an activation link on email id provided by you. Now, you have been registered as a tax professional and your user id is ARCA (authorized representative CA) and your membership number. Eg. ARCA012345.
Step 2
This step has been followed by the assessee or by CA by using user id and password of assessee
Assessee, who requires getting his account audited u/s 44AB of the Act, shall add CA who has to sign his tax audit report. Follow the following steps
– Login with the user id of assessee
– Go to my account
– Add CA – Now you have to enter the membership no of CA (from whom the assessee wants to get his account audited) and the system will automatically reflects the name of your CA (if he is already registered as tax professional as mentioned in step 1).
Step 3
Download excel utility form of the tax audit report from the below link, fill it and generate the XML file (same as generated for filing ROI).
– https://incometaxindiaefiling.gov.in/e-Filing/UserLogin/LoginHome.html?nextPage=efile
– Go to download
– Forms (other than ITR)
Further, I wish to bring to your kind notice that this tax audit report is not the substitute of the existing tax audit report. In other words, CA should also prepare detailed tax audit report as prepared by him in the preceding years, since the XML audit report is exhaustive in nature and there is no scope of description in it.
Step 4
Prepare the finale balance sheet and profit and loss account before submitting the tax audit report. Balance sheet and profit & loss account should be attached (in pdf format) while uploading the XML file of tax audit report.
Step 5
After preparing all the documents now the time to file it on e portal of income tax, follow the following steps
– Go to the link https://incometaxindiaefiling.gov.in/e-Filing/Logout.html?ID=872639272
– Login with user id and password (use login id created in step 1, i.e. of CA)
– Go to the menu E file
– Select the option upload forms
– Furnish the required details and submit it
Step 6
This step has been followed by the assessee or by CA by using user id and password of assessee.
Assessee whose tax audit report has been submitted by the CA (in step 5) has to approve the tax audit report. The following step should be followed :-
– Login with the user id of assessee
– Go to work list
– Approve the tax audit report
Assessee can review the tax audit report, balance sheet and profit and loss account submitted by the CA. Assessee can reject the documents submitted by the CA, in that case the entire procedure of filing has to be start from the beginning.
Unless and until, tax audit report has been approved by the assessee, it has been assumed that no tax audit report has been furnished by the assessee. In simple words, tax audit report should also be approved by the assessee before the due date of filing the tax audit report.
(Author is a student of ICAI)
If tax audit report for AY 13-14 is revised in March 2015, should it be uploaded electronically?
If assessee of the firm is deceased then what is the procedure and rule for signing the audit report by representative assesssee?????????
Dear Ravi,
Can you please elaborate your query.
Regards
CA Deepanshu Jain
Hi James,
Since you have to upload the signed B/s & P&L A/c. So, in my opinion either you can use the digitally signed financials or you can simply used the scanned financial which is dully signed.
Regards
CA Deepanshu Jain
Dear sir
please tell me that digital signature is required in submit the audit report,and scan copy of BSPL and XML file of audite report convert in zip file after take in both file in one new folder or not
Dear Deepanshu,
Where is it mentioned that digitally signed BS & PL can be uploaded with the Tax Audit Report.?? Or is it just your intrepretation?
Thanks in advance 🙂
wahat is the due date for submission of audited I.T Return for assessment year 2013-14 ? if i cannot submit the return within due date that waht is panalty?
Hi khevana,
That’s fine, it doesn’t make any difference provided assessee has given the permission.
Regards CA Deepanshu Jain
what if assessee’s confirmation part is done by C.A. using assesse’s user ID & password?
Hi Chirag,
You can upload the tax audit report before due date, even though the same are signed on 5th August.
Regards, CA Deepanshu Jain
Dear Dipanshu
Your article is very helpful
Say tax audit report + Financial statement are signed by CA and client on 5 August. Is there is any limitation to upload it within a specified time from date of signing OR it can be uploaded on any date before due date of filing.
Hello Avinash,
Thanks for appreciating my efforts.
Yes you can upload the digitally signed balance sheet and P&L A/c.
Regards, CA Deepanshu Jain
Congratulations for writing a practical and very useful article regarding E-Filing of Tax Audit Report in Tax Guru.
I have query regarding the Uploading of Balance Sheet and Profit and Loss Account :
1. In Stead of Scanned Signed BS AND P&L can we upload the Digitally Signed (Both by CA and Client) PDF BS AND P&L ? in that case there will be no manual signed by both of them and it will save time and energy of Both CA and Client.
Kindly let me know your opinion regarding the matter.
Thanks in advance.
Dear CA. Deepanshu Ji,
Congratulations for writing a practical and very useful article regarding E-Filing of Tax Audit Report.
I have query regarding the Uploading of Balance Sheet and Profit and Loss Account :
1. In Stead of Scanned Signed BS AND P&L can we upload the Digitally Signed (Both by CA and Client) PDF BS AND P&L ? in that case there will be no manual signed by both of them and it will save time and energy of Both CA and Client.
Kindly let me know your opinion regarding the matter.
Thanks in advance.
The author’s suggestion to have two audit reports—one to be uploaded and another one in a detailed form as being done previously may create problems. I think that wherever space is a constraint and we need to give a detailed explanation in the uploaded report, we can mention “as per details in the detailed audit report”
The ICAI need to clarify and bring out guidelines for filing tax audit report online.
Thank You Deepanshu Sir for sharing with us the intricacies of e-filing of Tax Audit Report.
Hi Shailesh,
Detailed financial statements required to be submitted.
the prodit & loss and B/s means all annexure and schedules and notes on a/cs also tobe submitted or only 2 paper B/s and P&l
Good efforts, well done Sir.
Hi Mr Ritesh,
In my opinion, assume that the deadline to file the tax audit report is August 31 because in the month of September when everyone is uploading the tax audit reports, b/s and P&l a/c ( upto size of 20MB) the income tax site will not work properly.
Further, once you had uploaded the tax audit report, the same should be approved by the assessee before the due date.
Dear sir
Plz suggest any cut-off date or time limit for uploading the Tax audit report and financial Statement to Income tax site.
Plz revert
Hello Mr Shankar Rao,
Thanks for appreciating my efforts.
I wish to clarify you that auditor is required to upload both balance sheet and profit and loss account with tax audit report (either scanned copy or converted PDF file with Sd/-).
The size upto which files can be attached is 20 MB(total), so in case scanned copy is more than of 20 MB’s. You need to upload the files in PDF with Sd/-.
Sir You have done excelent Job. My question is weather auditor has to uplload scaned copy of signed Balance sheet or simply pdf converted balance sheet
Good efforts, well done brother
Hello Mr Kumar,
Step no 3, 4 & 5 will be performed by CA.
Many matters in the devised efiling form of audit report are not in accordance with form3CD provided in rules..like dates of payment to related party.. dates of acquisition of fixed asset ..such large number of entries in form are not practically possible…print of form 3CD gives overlapping rows…
guidelines from ICAI are required in respect of sample checking and reporting as no comments can be added anywhere.
Who will perform the Step No: 3, 4 & 5
Good..well explained..Thank you..
Hello Mr Khetan,
I wish to further explain you that the excel utility form provided by department is exhaustive in nature. In case you need to give some explanation in the tax audit report or you want to give some disqualification mark in the tax audit report, there is no scope for such remarks in the excel form. In my opinion, for safeguarding the responsibilities of CA’s it is required to prepare the tax audit report as prepared in earlier years.
Thanks Mr Agarwal for appreciating my efforts.
To the best of my knowledge, advocates are not allowed to sign the tax audit report, thus you need to sign the tax audit report with the help of a CA and the same has been uploaded by his login id.
Thanks for a point-wise explanation. Great…! Keep it up..!
Thanks a tonne for sharing this info!! Good work, keep it up!
Thanks, for explaining the procedure for efiling tax audit report.
howevr i am unable to understand who will submit the income tax return, whether C A OR LAWER OF THE ASSESSEE. IN CASE THE RETURN IS FILED BY THE LAWER, THEN HOW THE AUDIT REPORT SHALL BE FILED, BECAUSE THE LAWER SHALL FLTTED THE RETURN IN THEIER COMPUTER AND C A SHALL WORKING IN HIS COMPUTER.
KNDLY EXPLAIN ME
C A KC AGARWAL, ALLD
In my opinion, there should not be another audit reoprt (detailed, as described by the author) but only one which is to be uploaded at the site. CA should take printout of the same after uploading and get it signed by assessee.
Very Very Good and Thanks for sharing
GOOD & EXCELLENT
Excellent.