Caught Error Description as Null in Income Tax Portal

Filing your income tax returns has been easier through online mode. You can log in to the Income Tax Portal, fill out the required ITR form, and upload it. However, the offline mode of this procedure may get hindered at times due to technical glitches.

Keep reading to learn about the error that may occur while submitting ITR offline and how to resolve this issue!

Caught Error Description as Null in Income Tax Portal

While filing your Income Tax returns, you may come across a 'caught description error as null'. In such cases, you cannot upload a specific ITR to the Income Tax Portal due to this error. This error is referred to as 'Null', which implies that there is no specific information or description regarding it.

Generally, software developers can identify an error and represent it with a description code after it occurs. This description code helps diagnose and resolve the issues faced while filing the ITR. However, the Income Tax Portal has not been able to provide any description in this case. So, it is hard to resolve this issue completely.

Caught Error Description as Null in ITR Filing Using Offline Utility

ITR stands for Income Tax Return. In addition to filing the IT return online, taxpayers can file their returns using an offline excel-based utility. However, you may not be able to complete the filing procedure on the first go in this process. 

This is because you may encounter 'caught error description as null' while filing an ITR. It will not allow you to file your income tax returns successfully. Sometimes, taxpayers keep on conducting the entire procedure multiple times to upload the ITR file to the Income Tax Portal. However, this is not the permanent solution to file an ITR. 

How to Handle Caught Error Description as Null?

Many taxpayers prefer filing their income tax returns through offline utilities due to data security concerns, low data availability, etc. At times you may face difficulties in uploading an ITR file due to a technical glitch called 'caught error description as null'. The Income Tax Portal was unable to eradicate this issue previously, and most taxpayers used to repeat the filing procedure multiple times to overcome it.

However, the IT portal has now updated the ITR filing procedure, and you can try a simple method to avoid this caught error description as a null glitch. So, first, you need to download an Excel Utility form for the required ITR file from the Income Tax Portal. 

Next, you need to extract it offline. Once extracted, you can manually open this Excel file and enter the required details. You can also download pre-filled data and import it to the ITR file. 

Finally, after filling up the form, you need to validate the information and save this file by clicking on 'Save JSON File'. Open this saved file from your system and upload it to the IT portal. 

How to File Your ITR Offline?

Here are the steps to follow while filing ITR through offline utility:

1. Log in to the official website of the Income Tax Department.
2. Download Java or Excel ITR Utility by clicking on 'Downloads' and then selecting the 'Utility Excel Based' of the relevant ITR form. 
3. Open ITR Utility after extracting the downloaded ZIP file.
4. Fill out the required mandatory fields in the form. 
5. Next, you need to validate all the information entered in the ITR form and calculate your payable tax.
6. You can generate the XML and save it after validating the data.
7. Enter your PAN (ID), Password, and Captcha Code to log in to the e-Filing Portal.
8. Navigate to the 'Income Tax Return' link from the 'e-File' menu and click on it.
9. Select the 'Assessment Year', 'ITR Number', 'Filing Type' (Original/Revised), and 'Submission Mode' (Upload XML).
10. Verify the IT Return by selecting any of these options:
    1. Aadhaar OTP
    2. DSC (Digital Signature Certificate)
    3. EVC, etc.
11. Click on 'Continue'.
12. Choose the verification option.
13. Submit ITR after attaching the XML file.

Final Word

So, now you know what a caught error description is as null and how to file your ITR successfully to avoid this glitch. Downloading an Excel or Java Utility file can help you avoid this glitch in the first place. As the error is not identifiable, there is no hard and fast rule to avoid it. However, following the mentioned technique to file an ITR can help you conduct the procedure without any hassle.