While filing Income Tax Returns, many people make errors which can result in a huge amount of penalty and interest which becomes an additional cost to the taxpayer. We are discussing herewith some common errors that a taxpayer can commit while submitting an Income Tax Return.
Page Contents
- 1. Non submission of Income Tax Return if TDS is deducted
- 2. Last minute rush to file Income Tax Return
- 3. Use of wrong Income Tax Return (ITR) form
- 4. Negligence to look over form 26AS
- 5. Payment of income tax in another assessment year
- 6. Failure to report small incomes
- 7. Missing to report the incomes which are exempted
- 8. Not e-verifying the income tax return
1. Non submission of Income Tax Return if TDS is deducted
Many taxpayers assume that if taxes have been deducted in the form of TDS, then they are not supposed to file an income tax return because they have paid the full amount of tax in the form of TDS. But it is a myth. As per the Income Tax Act, if a person is a resident of India and his total income is above the basic exemption slab of income then it is compulsory for him to file his income tax return. No matter he has already paid his taxes. Even if taxes are paid, non-filing of income tax returns will result in a penalty.
2. Last minute rush to file Income Tax Return
Many taxpayers start preparation of income tax filings near the due date of filing. Due to last minute filing, a person can be exposed to the following errors:
- Clerical error
- Missing some eligible deductions
- Missing reporting of income
- Due to loading on the server, the income tax server may not be working properly in recent days.
3. Use of wrong Income Tax Return (ITR) form
Income tax department notifies income tax returns (ITR) forms every year according to the income and residential status of the taxpayers. For instance, a person with salary, other resources and ONE household property income/loss up to Rs. 50 lakh is supposed to file his income tax return in ITR form-1. But if he files his income tax return using some other form, then he may face litigation from the income tax department.
4. Negligence to look over form 26AS
Before filing an income tax return, a person must go through his form 26AS very carefully. Form 26AS includes many information such as details of advance tax paid, details of self-assessment tax paid, TDS deducted on any income like interest, salary commission etc. If any income is appearing in form 26AS and missed to be included in the income tax return then the return will be processed in error and accordingly notice will be issued.
5. Payment of income tax in another assessment year
This is the most common error which a taxpayer commits. Impact of income tax in an incorrect assessment year is that the taxpayer has to discharge the liability again by paying tax in the correct assessment year. Therefore, a person must be very vigilant while choosing the assessment year while paying the taxes.
6. Failure to report small incomes
Many people assume that reporting of small income like savings bank interest, interest on bank FD is not necessary. But the truth is this thinking is wrong. A person is supposed to declare all of his income no matter what the amount is.
7. Missing to report the incomes which are exempted
Missing to report exempt income is one of the major mistakes a taxpayer commits. Assuming that exempt income is not affecting the tax liability, most people do not report it. However, it is also mandatory to report the exempt incomes.
8. Not e-verifying the income tax return
Even filing an income tax return is not sufficient. Even if a return is e-filed, in that case it is mandatory to e-verify the same within 120 days from the date of filing, otherwise your income tax return will be treated as invalid. Various modes of e-verification of income tax return are as follows:
- Sending a signed copy of ITR acknowledgement to CPC.
- Verification through Aadhar OTP.
- Verification through net banking.
- Filing of income tax return with digital signature.
I hope this article will help you to file your income tax return carefully.
Author Bio
Use of wrong Income Tax Return (ITR) form – I feel it is unfair on the part of the Department to intiate3 legal action for choosing wrong ITR, provided the income even in the correct ITR does not vary and there is no loss to the exchequer.
Example – a person who is left with delisted shares in his hands (which he cannot sell in any case) is deemed to be holding “unlisted shares” cannot use ITR-1 but must file ITR-2; he may have no other income other than his salary and income from Deposits.
There is no distinction between “Delisted Shares’ and “unlisted shares” and many will suffer because the framers of Forms do not seem to understand the problems.