Engineer's Finance

Last date for filing returns is 31-Jul-2011

Currently there are many paid and free services for filing the returns. Some of the paid services are as follows:

1. http://www.taxmunshi.com/
2. http://www.taxspanner.com/

There are various other paid services but I found these to be the lowest Rs. 199 and Rs. 249 respectively.
If you are like me, who is not interested to spend a paisa on the filing the tax return then you have to visit the following site:
https://incometaxindiaefiling.gov.in
First Step: Login to the portal. If you don’t have the log in then register and create your id. It requires your PAN card details so keep them handy. If you don’t have PAN card with you at the moment, then don’t worry. Here is the link which you can access to know your PAN Card details.
Second Step: Download the excel utility or pdf Utility from the following link. For salaried professional download ITR-1. My suggestion would be to download the excel utility.
Third Step: This step requires you to have your Form 16 from your employer. Once you have that with you, you can go ahead with filling the excel utility or pdf utility. I am assuming that excel is what you have downloaded based on my suggestion since it is very easy to fill.
Now in detail, we will go about filling the excel utility.

1. It is necessary to ENABLE the execution of macros in Return-Preparation-Utility in order to enter, validate and generate an .XML file for upload. Follow these steps to ENABLE execution of macros depending on the version of [Microsoft Office Excel] being used to open the Return-Preparation-Utility.[Microsoft Office Excel 2003] Navigate through the following excel menu option to reduce the level of security in executing macros : Tools –> Macros –> Security
2. OR
3. Tools –> Macros –> Security –> Medium
4. Save the excel-utility and re-open it.
5. [Microsoft Office Excel 2007] Navigate through the following excel menu options to reduce the level of security in executing macros : Excel Options –> Trust Centre –> Trust Centre Settings –> Macro Settings –> Enable all macros
6. AND
7. Excel Options –> Trust Centre –> Trust Centre Settings –> ActiveX Settings –> Enable all controls without restriction and without prompting
8. Save the excel-utility and re-open it.
9. [Microsoft Office Excel 2010] When you open the EXCEL-UTILITY, the yellow Message Bar appears with a shield icon and the Enable Content button. Click on the Enable Content to enable the macros.
10. Fill in your name and address and other details in personal information column.
11. Clearly mention the ward/circle for filing; since I reside in Bangalore, I have given it as Bangalore Circle. You can find your own from this following link.
12. In the section Return filed under Section, fill in “11-u/s 139(1)“.
13. In ” income & deductions” section of the excel sheet, field1 namely, Income from Salary / Pension (Ensure to fill Sch TDS1) can be filled using field 6 in the form 16 namely “Income chargeable under the head ‘Salaries’(3-5)“
14. If you have a home loan then, Income from one House Property should be filled with Loss From House Property value from your Form 16.
15. If you have any other Source of income then you have to mention the same in the next row i.e. Income from Other Sources (Ensure to fill Sch TDS2).
16. Fill the next section namely Dedcutions under Chapter VI A (Section) referring to section with the same name from form16. It is a one to one correspondence between the fields.
17. Move to next worksheet i.e. TDS, where in you mention the details of your employer as given in Form 16 and also the Income chargeable under the head Salaries will be the amount that is obtained from the First worksheet Row 7. Total Income (4 – 6).
18. Once that is done, complete the Details of Advance Tax and Self Assessment Tax Payments referring to your Form 16 namely from the ANNEXURE-B section DETAILS OF TAX DEDUCTED AND DEPOSITED IN THE CENTRAL GOVERNMENT ACCOUNT THROUGH CHALLAN.
19. Lastly fill the Tax paid and Verification worksheet. Once everything is done. Validate the utility by pressing the Validate button. If you have done everything correctly, then there should be no issues. If you have made any error, please correct the same.
20. Click on Calculate Tax in the first worksheet and Generate Xml file.

Now only two steps are remaining for you to complete the e-filing of the returns.
Once you have generated the XML file, login to the portal. Then in the left, you can find the Submit returns; click the select assessment year, then AY 11 -12. You will land in this page.  Select ITR-1 and say No for digitally signing the file.
Once done, upload the file and voila, it is all done.
You will get an acknowledgment from the IT- Department in your email that you have registered. It should be instantaneous. If you don’t get it in some time, please wait for an hour or so and still if you don’t get the same then my suggestion would be to re-upload the xml file.
Last and important step for filing the income tax returns is as follows:
Since you have not digitally signed the file, you have to send the acknowledgment back to IT office. Please furnish the signed and verified Form ITR-V to the Income-tax Department by mailing it to
Income Tax Department – CPC,
Post Bag No – 1 , Electronic City Post Office, Bangalore – 560100, Karnataka.
Please send it by ORDINARY POST OR SPEEDPOST ONLY within a period of 120 days from the date of transmitting the data electronically.
ITR-V sent by Registered Post or Courier will not be accepted. Form ITR-V shall not be received in any other office of the Income-tax Department or in any other manner.
Once you have sent the ITR-V, you can check the status of the same using the following link.
Hope this helps and please spread the word so that many can benefit from the same. Thank you.