How to File Income Tax Online? 5 Easy Websites Which You can Use
These sites offer an 'user-friendly' interface and helps people to document and file their taxes in a short time.
Tax payers are always on the lookout for options, which can lessen their trouble and ease the process. While, there is the Income Tax Department’s e-filing portal (incometaxindiaefiling.gov.in), where you can register yourself and follow the 5 steps to file your Income Tax Returns (ITR), but people are gradually shifting to the use of other tax filing portals. These sites offer an 'user-friendly' interface and helps people to document and file their taxes in a short time. Some of these portals also suggest possible investment opportunities for the users to save on their tax liabilities.
Before, you start with your ITR filing, it is very important to keep few important documents like Aadhaar Card, PAN Card, Bank details and other investment related documents ready. Below is a list of 5 such portals, which you can use to file your taxes easily. Some of these sites charge a nominal fee for their services.
ClearTax: ClearTax platform is very useful for individuals and small and medium size entrepreneurs. The process is very simple, all one needs to do is to upload their Form 16. The whole process doesn't take more than 10 minutes.
TaxSpanner: It is said to be India's largest and most trusted website that offers online preparation and filing of taxes. This is the only site, where free facility is not available and charges start from Rs 449. According to reports, it has been ranked as the best online tax preparer by Money Today in 2009 and by Mint in 2010.
Quicko: This platform provides hassle-free service to file your returns. The process can be done is almost 5-minutes. Once you have the form 16 in hand, you can start the process by uploading it. The website claims that Team Quicko is available via chat, email or call.
H&R Block India: You can use this portal to file your taxes, with the help of experts as well as it has the option, if you want to do it yourself. It assists NRIs with the tax filing process as well.
TaxSmile: Individuals, NRIs and corporates can use this site to file their taxes easily. It is free for individuals who want to do it by themselves.
According to reports, the Income Tax Department has already warned taxpayers to ‘Come Clean’ and file their belated or revised income tax returns for assessment years 2016-17 and 2017-18, with interest, if any, for late filing latest by March 31, 2018, or be prepared to face penalty or prosecution, depending on the case. So you need to be extra-cautious to report all your income and other details carefully, otherwise if there is any error, you might end up paying a heavy penalty if caught by the I-T Department. This is not to be confused with the deadline for filing taxes for the current financial year, which is on or before July 31. March 31, is also the deadline to make your tax saving investments for the year.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 19, 2018 12:06 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).