The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) launched the new income tax e-filing portal ‘www.incometax.gov.in’ on 7th June 2021, replacing the earlier portal ‘www.incometaxindiaefiling.gov.in’. This new portal has been redesigned to provide taxpayers with a more modern, user-friendly, and seamless experience for filing their income tax returns (ITRs) and accessing other tax-related services. All taxpayers are now required to carry out their tax compliance tasks through this new portal.
The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) launched the New Income Tax 2.0 Portal on 7th June 2021, replacing the older portal. This upgrade was aimed at offering a more intuitive, user‑friendly experience for filing ITRs and managing tax-related tasks.
The e-filing 2.0 website is simple and user-friendly and is equipped with the features listed below:
ITR Processing
The new user-friendly portal will immediately process a taxpayer's income tax return. This will enable faster refunds to the taxpayers.
Free ITR Preparation Software
The taxpayers will benefit from the free ITR preparation software - Excel-based as well as Java based utility. Every year after considering the changes in ITR forms, the department releases the ITR forms specific to each financial year. Taxpayers can prepare returns by downloading the ITR preparation software or also prepare and submit online within the website itself. The interactive questions available in the software will make the e-filing process simpler.
Call Centre Services
The new web portal is integrated with a ‘new call centre’ for immediate response to queries. Additionally, detailed FAQs, tutorials, videos, and chatbot/live agents address taxpayers’ issues.
Single Dashboard Interaction
A taxpayer can see all the interactions, uploads, and pending actions in a single dashboard along with the follow-up action.
Multiple Payment Options
The new portal offers multiple payment options for taxpayers. These options include RTGS/ NEFT, credit card, UPI, and net banking via any taxpayer's account in any bank. It has enabled easy tax payment. Click here to learn how to make tax payments via the Income Tax Portal.
Pre-filled ITRs
The new portal allows the pre-filling of some details related to certain incomes. These can relate to Salary, house property, business/profession, etc. In addition, it enables the detailed pre-filling of details of Salary income, interest, dividend, and capital gains. The pre-filling will happen when the concerned entities upload the TDS and SFT statements.
Annual Information Statement (AIS)
It consists of a comprehensive view of information for a taxpayer displayed in Form 26AS. Taxpayers can provide feedback on information displayed in AIS. AIS shows both reported value and modified value (i.e. the value after considering taxpayer feedback) under each section (i.e. TDS, SFT, and Other information).
The National Faceless Appeals Centre (NFAC)
It has been set up to implement the Scheme and facilitate the centralized conduct of e-appeal proceedings. This includes assigning appeals for disposal to Commissioners of Income Tax (Appeal) units through an automated allocation system.
Electronic verification
Taxpayers can electronically verify their returns using methods such as Aadhaar OTP, net banking, or digital signature.
Communication with the Income Tax Department
Taxpayers can receive notices, updates, and communicate with the Income Tax Department through the portal. The notices, responses/submissions and orders etc., will be available within the income tax portal itself, without the requirement to chase behind the income tax officials.
Pre-validate bank account to get income tax refund
Upon the filing of ITRs, the income tax department will review them and process the refund, if any. Such refunds are now transferred electronically to your bank account linked with your PAN.
Registered taxpayers can log in to the new income tax portal using their PAN number as the user ID and their password.
For new taxpayers who are yet to register, the portal provides an easy registration process where they need to enter details such as PAN, date of birth, phone number, and email ID to create their account. Once registered, taxpayers can access all e-filing services, file returns, check refund status, and manage their tax compliance online.
The following are improvements made in e-filing portal 2.0 from the previous e-filing portal:
It's aim is to improve taxpayers' experience when they file their income tax returns.
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