Step by Step Guide on how to file ITR (Income Tax Returns)

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• Advance Tax – Know What is Advance Tax & How to Pay it

  Posted by Rushabh H. Mehta | Published on 09 Mar 2020

  As the term suggests, advance tax means paying taxes in advance according to a set schedule before the financial year ends. As a taxpayer, you would be familiar with income tax and that it needs to be paid or recovered before the end of a fiscal year.   Understanding advance tax The advance income tax is currently paid every quarter. This form of tax aids the government to receive tax revenue on an ongoing basis. As a taxpayer, you can make smaller payments every quarter that could be easier on your wallet, rather than making a one-time, lump sum tax payment at the end of the Financial Year - in March. To understand what is advance tax, it merely means the payment of tax liability by a taxpaying individual before the financial year closes. As a salaried individual, you may want to know the implications of non-payment of advance tax, how much advance tax needs to be paid, how to pay advance tax online, the income segments on which advance tax is payable and other crucial details, to avoid penalties. Being knowledgeable about taxes can help you to know the difference between the advance tax and self-assessment tax, especially when it comes to filing your taxes or understanding late payment charges. To understand advance tax for individuals, it is imperative to know how and when you need to pay the tax and other essential factors.   Who must pay advance tax? All taxpayers who receive taxable income from sources that are not subject to withholding tax, or where taxes are deducted at a lower rate must pay tax in advance. The Income Tax Department has laid provisions for taxpayers to pay advance tax in four easy instalments within specified due dates whose estimated tax liability for the Financial Year surpasses ₹10,000, or more, as per Section 208 of the Income-tax Act, 1961.  Senior citizens, who are 60 years and above, without an income from a business or profession, are exempt from paying advance tax. Typically, a taxpayer's advance tax payable is decided after making an estimate of the taxpayer's total yearly income, tax payable in that regard, and as reduced by TDS and foreign tax credit. The Income Tax Department also has the authority of estimating a taxpayer's total income and advance tax payable by issuing a notice to make the payment.   The need to pay advance tax The Income Tax Department has made it a mandatory requirement for qualified taxpayers to make advance tax payment for the benefit of the government. Advance tax facilitates the government in receiving tax income every quarter rather than at the end of the financial year. The option of paying advance tax on a quarterly basis also reduces the taxpayer's burden through the payment of smaller cash discharges. The advance tax payable in four instalments during a specific financial year is as follows:   Types of income applicable for advance tax All personal income is liable to tax according to the Income Tax Act. Revenue from monthly rent, interest income, capital gains on the sale of shares or assets, revenue from a profession or business and the like triggers advance tax obligation. As a taxpayer, one must estimate the total personal income received by the individual during the financial year, ascertain the taxes payable, decrease the quantum of taxes that are reserved while remitting the balance taxes based on specific percentiles, on or before the due date of every specified quarter. The primary area of concern for every taxpayer is to understand how to estimate one's taxable income since the revenue for the entire financial year must be calculated in advance to pay taxes.   Penalties on delaying or non-payment of Advance Tax Here’s what you need to know regarding late payment or non-payment of advance tax. Failing to pay advance tax or delaying paying advance tax attracts interest under Section 234B and 234C of the Income Tax Act. 1% interest is levied every month on the total amount due from April to December, and 1% for the quarter ending March. If the advance tax is not paid on time, the simple interest of 1% per month accrues and must be paid on all pending instalments. The Income Tax Department also levies interest if the total advance tax paid, in addition to TDS, is less than 90% of the assessed tax.   Implications of avoiding advance tax payment With regards to salaried individuals, advance tax payable is also levied on any revenue other than the salary, as salary is subject to TDS. Non-payment, deferral of advance tax or partial payment could invite an interest of 1% per month for the first three quarters and 1% for the quarter ending March. This could cumulate in a total of 10% of the advance tax due. In the event that the taxpayer does not pay 90 % of advance tax by March 31 of a financial year, an interest rate of 1% per month will be levied under Section 234B of the Income Tax Act until all the taxes are paid in full. This means, if you default in making advance tax payment during the first three instalments, it could result in 3% interest on the tax payable for the quarter. In contrast, a default in paying the last instalment could result in 1% interest on the advance tax payable.   Conclusion You can make advance tax payment off-line by filling in Challan 280 at authorised bank branches. Similarly, you can also make the payment online via the Income Tax Department's website that offers detailed instructions. Calculate your taxable income and adjust your tax payment accordingly to know your advance tax payable. As a taxpayer, it can help to estimate your total taxable income for the entire financial year in advance. Paying taxes as per the advance tax due dates can save you from the interest levied on a non-payment or short payment of the advance tax. In addition to avoiding paying high-interest amounts, it could also help in reducing the stress of paying significant tax amounts at the time of filing your income tax returns.   Disclaimer: Investment in securities market / Mutual Funds are subject to market risks, read all the related documents carefully before investing.  

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• ITR Filing - Penalty for Late Filing of Income Tax Return

  Posted by Rushabh H. Mehta | Published on 09 Mar 2020

  Introduction  Most taxpaying individuals seem to view filing income tax returns as burdensome and a hassle. However, filing income tax returns is no longer cumbersome like it used to be. With the advent of the online filing, also known as e-filing, the days of standing in long queues and the endless anxiety of meeting the tax filing deadlines are far behind. Today, you can conveniently file your returns from your home or workplace in a matter of minutes. But delaying or missing out on registering your ITR in time could incur substantial penalties.   Importance of filing on time Taxpayers typically receive notifications from the Income Tax Department regarding necessary income tax-related days in advance. In order to avoid paying the income tax penalty for late filing of your income tax returns, it can help to create an alert for such dates or mark them on your calendar. Filing your income tax returns comes with specific advantages such as carrying forward of losses, claiming an income tax refund, reporting one's revenue or income for the financial year and avoiding paying penalties. Any returns filed after the deadline usually calls for late payment fees of up to ₹10,000.   The need to file Income Tax Returns As a taxpayer, you are called to declare your revenue, tax deductions, investments, expenses and taxes through a form to submit to the Income Tax Department. Under the Income Tax Act, 1961, it is mandatory for every taxpayer to file income tax returns. The facility of filing taxes can now be done online, and hence it is crucial to have necessary documents at the time of filing returns.   Understanding penalties As a taxpayer, the penalty for late filing of income tax return could be: ₹5000 if income tax returns are filed after the deadline of the relevant Assessment Year. In this case, on or before December 31 of the relevant Assessment Year. ₹10,000 if income tax returns are filed after the deadline but before the end of the relevant Assessment Year. In this case, after December 31, 2019, but before March 31, 2020. If your cumulative income does not exceed ₹5 lakhs, you could be liable to pay ₹1000.  The law of placing penalties for late filing of income tax returns was introduced in the Budget 2017, under Section 234F. It subsequently became valid for the Financial Year of 2017-18 or the Assessment Year 2018-19 and forward. The year that directly follows the Financial Year for which the ITR has to be filed is regarded as the Assessment Year. Hence, the Assessment Year for Financial Year 2018-19 is 2019-2020.   Simplifying the Section 234f penalty through examples To understand how penalties can affect taxpayers, let's look at them through instances. Example 1: Say, Mr X earns a yearly income of ₹6 lakhs. If he files his income tax return for Assessment Year 2019-2020 on August 25, 2019, he will not be required to pay the penalty under Section 234F. This is because, since Mr X filed his income tax returns within the due date, he was saved from paying a late fee. Example 2: Mr A earning a yearly income of ₹7 lakhs filed his income tax return for Assessment Year 2019-2020 on November 10, 2019, would have to pay ₹5000 as penalty fee. This is because Mr A filed his income tax return after the due date, but before December 31, 2019. Example 3: Mr D earning an annual income of ₹5.5 lakhs filed his income tax return for Assessment Year 2019-2020 on February 2, 2020, he would have to pay a late penalty fee of ₹10,000. This is because, Mr D filed his income tax return after the due date and after December 31, 2019.   Importance of filing taxes While paying taxes is essential, filing your tax return holds even greater importance. While there are numerous advantages of filing your returns within the permissible timeframe, the consequences of delaying them can prove to be expensive such as paying the penalties under Section 234f income tax. Hence, as a salaried individual, it is crucial to complete your tax return filing when you receive Form 16. By adhering to deadlines, there is no need to worry about late payment fees.   Repercussions of delayed ITR returns If you delay filing your income tax returns, you may not be able to carry forward your losses from capital gains, except for losses from house properties. Besides, being late in filing your taxes could also incur interest on unpaid tax. In addition, not filing your tax returns on time could cause you to lose the interest on any refundable amount if you are eligible for refund and interest on that refund.  Besides, if you fail to file your returns on or before the deadline, it could invite an additional interest of 1% per month or until the time you clear the amount on the unpaid taxes. The interest is applicable under section 234A of the Income Tax Act. For instance, the due date to file your income tax returns in a particular Financial Year is August 31, but you file your taxes on December 30. In this case, if your total outstanding is ₹1 lakh, having taken into account advance taxes and TDS, the total interest payable would be ₹4000, with interest charged at 1% for four months. However, in the event that you have to pay the fee under Section 234F, you need to apply Challan Code ITNS 280. To pay the penalty, the taxpayer must visit the NSDL website and select Challan ITNS 280. There are two ways to make late payment fees. It can be included as the total income tax due The amount can be mentioned under 'Other' head.   Conclusion Ensure that you file your income tax returns by the due date if your revenue surpasses the exemption limit. It is crucial to file your income tax returns on time if you have to deposit balance tax, expect a significant refund amount or have to carry forward your losses.   Disclaimer: Investment in securities market / Mutual Funds are subject to market risks, read all the related documents carefully before investing.

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• Income Tax Slabs & Rates in India for 2020-21

  Posted by Rushabh H. Mehta | Published on 28 Feb 2020

  Every year, the income that you earn is subject to income tax. Calculation of your tax liability depends on the income tax slabs, which are determined under the Income Tax Act, 1961. These tax slabs specify the rates of tax payable on different levels of income. The higher the income you earn, the higher would be the income tax rate. However, before we understand the income tax slabs and calculation of your tax liability, let's look at the five sources of income that you need to declare when filing your income tax returns. Sources of income Income from salary Income from business or profession Income from capital gains Income from house property Income from other sources Any income that you earn in a financial year should be recorded under the correct head of income. After that, the total income is added together to find your gross taxable income. You can claim eligible deductions and exemptions from your gross taxable income to arrive at the net taxable income, which would then be subject to tax. Income tax slabs Now that you know how you are required to calculate your taxable income, here are the income tax slab rates which are applicable to calculate your tax liability – Income tax slab for individuals and HUF’s Points to note Here are some points which you should note concerning the above-mentioned income tax slabs In all the above-mentioned income tax slabs, there would be an additional health and education cess of 4% on the tax liability calculated. If your net taxable income is up to INR 5 lakhs, you can claim a rebate on the tax payable under Section 87A of the Income Tax Act, 1961. The rebate allowed would be your actual tax liability or INR 12,500, whichever is lower. This rebate reduces your tax liability to zero if your income is limited to INR 5 lakhs Illustration Let’s understand how to use the income tax slab for calculating your tax liability with the help of an example. Mr. Verma is 40 years of age, and he has an income of INR 10 lakhs from salary and INR 2 lakhs from other sources. He invests INR 1.5 lakhs in ELSS schemes and INR 20,000 towards a health insurance policy. His income tax liability would be calculated as follows – Calculation of Mr. Verma’s Taxable Income New Income Tax Slab In the Union Budget 2020, Mrs. Nirmala Sitharaman, India’s Finance Minister, introduced a new income tax slab. In this tax slab, the income tax rates are lower for higher levels of income. The new income tax slab is as follows – Income tax slab 2020-21 Points to note This slab would be applicable from the financial year 2020-21 Health and education cess of 4% would be applicable on the tax liability calculated using the above-mentioned income tax slab If you choose the new income tax slab rates, you would not be able to avail deductions and exemptions available under different sections of the Income Tax Act, 1961 Two deductions can be claimed under the new tax regime from your taxable income. The first deduction will be for your employer's contribution to the National Pension Scheme (NPS) if you are a salaried employee under Section 80 CCD (2). Contribution of up to 10% of your salary would be allowed as a deduction. The second deduction is under Section 80JJAA where expenses incurred on new employment would be allowed as an exemption. The income tax slab 2020-21 is optional. You can either choose the new tax slab or the old one for calculating your tax liability. The rebate under Section 87A would be allowed even under the new tax regime if taxable income is up to INR 5 lakhs Illustration In the above example, if the new tax regime is considered and the employer’s contribution to NPS scheme is INR 50,000, the taxable income and tax liability would be calculated as follows – Calculation of Mr. Verma’s Taxable Income (New Tax Slabs) As you can see, even in the absence of deductions, the new tax regime allows a lower tax liability due to lower tax rates. When you calculate your tax liability, use both income tax slabs, the old and the new, and find out your tax liability. Then choose the tax slab, which offers the lowest tax outgo and file your income tax returns. You can choose tax-deductible investments offered by IndiaNivesh and lower your tax liability using the old tax slabs. So, work out both the alternatives, if you need tax saving options, find them on IndiaNivesh and then file your returns.   Disclaimer: Investment in securities market / Mutual Funds are subject to market risks, read all the related documents carefully before investing. 

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