ITR U – JSON saved in path not found. JSON generated from excel utility not found

Individuals can file an updated tax return through the Income Tax Portal using Form 139(8A). However, this can only be done in offline mode, where a JSON file needs to be generated using a return preparation tool. The IT Department provides an Excel-based utility for preparing and generating this JSON file, but it requires the .NET framework to run its macros.

A common problem encountered when generating a JSON file from the Excel-based utility is that, although a pop-up message appears indicating “JSON is saved in the path : —“, the JSON file may not actually be present. This issue arises when the ‘NET Framework 3.5’ is disabled

To resolve the issue of not being able to generate a JSON file, two steps need to be taken:

1. Enabling the ‘NET Framework 3.5’:

• • Go to Control Panel > Programs and Features > Turn Windows Features on or off, or search for “windows features on or off” in the start menu.
  • Find “.NET Framework 3.5 (includes .NET 2.0 and 3.0)” and expand the feature by clicking on the plus symbol.
  • Enable both categories and click OK.
  • When prompted, choose to “Let Windows Update files for you” and wait for the process to complete.

2. Downloading the .NET Framework 3.5 Service Pack 1 (Full Package):

• • Search for “dotnetfx35.exe” on Google and navigate to the Microsoft website to download the file.
  • Once downloaded, double-click the setup file to install it.
  • Reopen the Excel utility and try generating the JSON file again.

The issue should now be resolved.