Individuals, except senior citizens, have to mandatorily file the ITR through the online mode which is also known as electronic filing, i.e. e-filing of the income tax return.
An income tax return is a form that a person is required to submit to the Income Tax Department. It contains information related to individual's income and taxes paid, starting from 1st April to 31st March of the financial year. There are seven ITR forms prescribed by the Income Tax Department according to the amount of income, income source and the category to which the taxpayer belongs.

E-filing of the income tax return can be done through Clear’s e-filing utility in a smooth and simple manner. Clear is a government-authorised portal to carry out e-filing of the returns and hence 100% authenticity and security is maintained.

You can file your income tax returns online, either on the income tax department's website or with us at www.cleartax.in.
Income Tax filing or e-filling is made easy on Cleartax. You can e-file your returns in just 3 minutes without any manual effort.
Also, note that the due date to e-file your income tax returns for the assessment year 2022-23 is on or before 31st July 2022.

Yes, deducting TDS and filing a tax return are two separate legal compliances. Income tax should be paid on your taxable income as per the provisions of the Income Tax Act. Whereas, you file a tax return to show that you've paid all the tax you needed to pay. The income tax return is also a very useful document when it comes to applying for a loan or visa.

There are seven forms - ITR 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 notified by the government for different categories of taxpayers. ITR-1 to ITR-4 applies to individuals and HUFs. They can choose the appropriate ITR form based on the income earned and source of income. ITR-5 applies to partnership firms, LLPs, AOP (Association of Persons), BoI (Body of Individuals), Artificial Juridical Person (AJP), Estate of deceased, Estate of insolvent, Business trust and investment fund.
All the companies should file ITR-6. It does not apply to companies claiming exemption from income from property held for charitable or religious purposes. Such companies should file ITR-7. If you are e-filing with ClearTax, we automatically decide on the correct income tax return form.

You can pay tax to the government directly on the Income Tax Department website using your net-banking account or debit card using challan 280. The payment types for below taxes are as follows-

• Advance Tax- (100) Advance Tax
• Self assessment tax- (300) Self Assessment Tax
• Regular assessment- (400) Tax on Regular Assessment Tax

You can still file your tax return on ClearTax without a Form 16. You're just going to need your payslips. Follow the instructions on this guide to e-file without Form 16.

ITR-V is a 1-page document that you receive after e-filing your income tax return and where e-verification is pending. You can verify your income tax return through offline or online mode. There are various methods of online verification. However, to verify your return offline, you must print, sign and send the ITR-V to the Income Tax Department within 120 days from e-filing your tax return.

ITR return forms are attachment-less forms and, hence, the taxpayer is not required to attach any document (like proof of investment, TDS certificates, etc.) along with the return of income (whether filed manually or filed electronically). However, these documents should be retained by the taxpayer and should be produced before the tax authorities when demanded in situations like assessment, inquiry, etc.

You can file ITR 1 if the agricultural income is up to Rs 5,000. For agricultural income exceeding Rs 5,000, you have to file ITR 2. To know about ITR 2 .Click here.

You can claim a refund of the excess tax paid by filing your Income-tax return. It will be refunded to you by crediting it to your bank account through ECS transfer. It is important to pre-validate your bank account details before filing your income tax return.

You must file your return before the due date, if you have sustained a loss in the financial year and if you want to carry forward it to the subsequent year for adjustment against the subsequent year's income. Loss can be carried forward only if you have filed the return claiming such loss before the due date.
It is always advisable to file ITR even if the person is not mandatorily required to file the ITR according to the Income Tax Act. This is because the ITR return serves as a proof of income statement for various purposes like loan approval, VISA applications, credit card applications, claim income tax refunds and set off and carry forward of losses, etc.

As per section 139(1) of the Income Tax Act, 1961 in the country, individuals whose total income during the previous year exceeds the maximum amount not chargeable to tax, should file their income tax returns (ITR).
a. Individuals who have Salary income
b. Individuals who have switched jobs (Multiple Form 16)
c. Individuals having Income from Capital Gains (mutual funds & stocks), business/profession, House Property, other income such as Interest, etc.
d. Individuals having Foreign Income (Onsite deputation), Foreign Assets, NRI

You can seek the help of chartered accountants and agencies dedicated to ITR filing. It is wiser not to allow anyone to have your PAN and password in order to prevent any kind of fraud. Also, you can always take assistance from CA to file IT returns. With ClearTax you can get an Expert to calculate your taxes and e-file your tax return. It is a totally safe and secured platform. See return filing plans here.

E-filing of income tax returns is mandatory if your income is above the basic exemption limit. ITR filing becomes a must even if your income is below the basic exemption limit if the below-mentioned conditions are met:

• If you have deposited more than Rs1 crore in all of your current accounts
• If you have incurred expenditure on foreign travel of Rs 2 lakh or more
• If you have incurred electricity expenditure of Rs 1 lakh or more
• If you have beneficial interests or signing authority in foreign countries
• If your total business turnover is above Rs 60 lakh
• If your gross professional receipts are above Rs 10 lakh
• If your total deposits in the savings bank account are Rs 50 lakh or more
• If the total of TDS and TCS is Rs 25,000 or more(Rs 50,000 or more in case of senior citizens)

It is always advisable to file ITR even if the person is not mandatorily required to file the ITR according to the Income Tax Act. This is because the ITR return serves as a proof of income statement for various purposes like loan approval, VISA applications, credit card applications, claim income tax refunds and set off and carry forward of losses, etc.

To check your ITR e-filing status, follow the steps mentioned below:

Step 1: Log on to the new income tax e-filing portal by entering your PAN as user ID, and your login password.
Step 2: After logging in, Go to ‘e-File’ option in the top bar and select 'Income Tax Returns’, and further select 'View Filed Returns' from the drop-down.
Once you click on ‘View Filed Returns’, details of all the past returns filed by you will be displayed year-wise. You can also download the ITR-V acknowledgement through the ‘Download Receipts’ option, and your ‘ITR forms’ from there. You can click on the ‘View Details’ link to see the status of your ITR, including e-verification status and refund issue status if any.

Income Tax Act levies penalties for late filing of income tax returns. Under Section 234F, a maximum late fee of Rs 5000 is applicable for filing ITR after due dates.
However, there is a relief given to small taxpayers, if the total income does not exceed Rs 5 lakh, the maximum penalty levied for delay will be Rs 1000.

Interest penalty on outstanding tax liability
Under Section 234A of the Income Tax Act, a taxpayer with outstanding tax liability will have to pay monthly interest of 1% on the outstanding tax payable till the belated ITR is filed.

Yes, ITR-1 and ITR 4 are simplified returns and can be easily filled with some basic knowledge. Also, if you are a salaried employee, then you can directly upload your Form 16 and all the details will get auto-populated in Clear’s (previously ClearTax) e-filing utility. This will make your ITR filing process very smooth and simplified.
For more complex ITRs like ITR 2 or 3, it is better to gain some knowledge or go for expert advice.

As you already know, PAN and Aadhaar are the most basic and essential documents to file an ITR.

Let’s look at the other documents you need to file your ITR.

• Form 16: Form 16 issued by your employer is also known as the Tax Deducted at Source (TDS) certificate. Your employer provides this form after furnishing the information related to the taxes paid on your behalf. In this form, you can view your salary, allowances, and deductions
• Payslips: It is essential to keep the salary slip ready for salaried taxpayers. Your salary slip consists of basic details such as your salary, House Rent Allowance (HRA), Dearness Allowance (DA), Traveling Allowances (TA), tax deducted, statutory deductions, etc. These details are essential to file income tax returns.
• Form 26AS: Form 26AS contains tax-related information such as TDS, advance tax, self-assessment tax, and TCS collected on your PAN. Apart from this, Form 26AS reflects details from Annual Information Return (AIR), which is filed by different entities, if you have invested or spent, mostly high-value transactions.
• Annual Information Statement: Annual information statement consist of comprehensive details of your financial information. It includes the transaction details even where TDS/TCS is not applicable. You can view your savings account interest details, mutual funds transactions, rental income, etc.
• Form 16A/16B/16C: Form 16A consists of whether you have any TDS on interest on fixed deposits, TDS on rental income, TDS on insurance commission, or any other income liable for a tax deduction. Form 16B provides details of TDS if you purchased a property during the previous year. Form 16C consists of TDS deducted on income from renting your plant and machinery
• Interest certificates from banks or post offices: Interest income from a savings bank account, fixed deposit, recurring deposit and post office savings accounts are taxable. Even if your bank does not deduct any TDS as you are well within the TDS limits, you should get the interest certificates to know the total interest earned. If you cannot get interest certificates, make sure your passbook is updated with details of interest income.
• House property details: If you live in a rental property, you’ve to collect the rental receipts and details of your house owner and PAN to claim HRA. If you are residing in your property, write down the property details, ownership %, etc. If you’ve taken a loan for the purchase/construction of the property, don’t forget to obtain the “loan repayment certificate” from your bank or NBFC. This certificate is essential in claiming interest paid under Section 24 and principal repayment under Section 80C.
• Capital gains details: If you sell any property and earn profit from it, you must pay tax on that income. It is necessary to keep the sales deed in your hand if you have sold any property during the previous year. In case you have invested in shares, mutual funds, etc., and sold any during the previous year, you are required to collect a capital gain statement from your broking house. It contains the transaction-wise details of all the short-term capital gains and long-term capital gains.
• Business PL and BS (with schedules): Your business income which is to be reported in your ITR, has to be determined based on the profit and loss account and balance sheet. Hence, if you are doing a business, you should keep the PL and BS in hand to file ITR.
• Other income details: If you have any income, such as
  a. Dividend income
  b. Family pension
  c. Interest from loans
  d. Honorarium received
  e. Tuition fee
  f. Freelancer income
  g. Winnings from the lottery, game shows, puzzles etc.
  
  You should keep the related documents ready so that you don’t miss submitting these details while filing ITR.
  
  
• Investment proofs: You have to keep the documents related to the following documents to claim deductions under chapter VI-A of the Income Tax Act. These proofs include
  a. Contribution to Employees Provident Fund (EPF)
  b. Contribution to Public Provident Fund (PPF)
  c. Investments in ELSS schemes
  d. Life insurance premium payments
  f. Contribution to National Pension System (NPS)
  g. Children education expenses
  h. Health insurance premium
  i. Interest paid on the educational loan, etc.
  
  Apart from the above deductions, if you are eligible for any deductions under sections 80D to 80U, you should keep those documents ready as well!

Every individual/HUF is responsible for filing the income tax return if their total income exceeds the basic exemption limit without giving effect to the specified exemptions and deductions.

If an individual is a resident and ordinary resident in India, he/she shall file his ITR, even if his income does not exceed the maximum exemption limit, if he/she:
Is the beneficial owner of any asset (including any financial interest in any entity) located outside India,
Has signing authority in any overseas account.
Is a beneficiary of any asset (including any financial interest in any entity) located outside India.
Deposits more than Rs 1 crore in current account (one or more current accounts maintained with a banking company or a co-operative bank)
If foreign travel expense incurred is more than Rs 2 lakh either for himself or for any other person.
If electricity bill is more than Rs 1 lakh during the year.​
For taxpayers like companies, partnership firms, local authorities, there is no basic exemption limit for filing ITR. Such taxpayers must mandatorily file ITR for every financial year.