Saturday, July 1, 2023

Income Tax Return E Filing for Asst Year 2023-24 Made Easy –Part 6

 Filing Form 10E Online

·         To file Form 10E online, follow these steps:

a.     Log in to www.incometax.gov.in.

b.    After logging in, click on the tab "e-File" and then select "Income Tax Forms" followed by "File Income Tax Forms."

c.     On the landing page, choose the relevant options.


Claiming Refund for Excess Tax Paid due to Unconsidered Deductions

·         If you failed to submit rent receipts and proof of tax-saving investments to your employer, resulting in non-consideration of House Rent Allowance (HRA) exemption and certain deductions, you can still claim a refund for the excess tax paid.

·         Even if these exemptions and deductions were not considered by your employer in Form 16, you can claim them in your income tax return. The excess tax deducted by your employer can be claimed as a refund.

 Ineligibility for Section 80GG Deduction with HRA Component

·         If you are a salaried individual living in a rented premise and your CTC includes a House Rent Allowance (HRA) component that is less than the actual rent paid, you cannot claim a deduction under Section 80GG.

·         Section 80GG explicitly denies the deduction to individuals receiving any income falling under Section 10(13A) (House Rent Allowance). Since your salary structure already contains an HRA component, you are not eligible for claiming a deduction under Section 80GG.

Claiming Deduction for Donations under Section 80G

·         To claim a deduction for donations made to organizations approved under Section 80G, provide the donation details in "Schedule 80G" in the applicable Income Tax Return (ITR) form.

·          

·         "Schedule 80G" consists of four tables (Table A, B, C, and D) corresponding to different categories of NGOs/charitable institutions.

·          

·         While filling the tables, provide the name and address of the done, PAN of the done, total donation amount (breakup of cash and other modes), and eligible amount of the donation (amount eligible for deduction).

·         In the ITR forms for Assessment Year 2023-24, a new column in 'Table D' requires the disclosure of the ARN (Donation Reference Number) for donations made to entities where a 50% deduction is allowed. Obtain the ARN from the donation certificate issued in Form 10BE by the done institution and mention it in the ITR.

·            Additionally, mention the total deduction claimed under Section 80G separately in Schedule VI-A if you are filing ITR-2 or ITR-3.

 Furnishing PAN of Landlord for HRA Exemption

·         If the annual rent paid by an employee exceeds Rs. 100,000, it is mandatory to report the PAN of the landlord to the employer.

·       If the landlord does not have a PAN, the employee should file a declaration with the employee, including the landlord's name and address, stating the absence of a PAN.

 Set-Off of Losses

Set-Off of Loss from House Property against Salary Income

·         If you have earned a salary income of Rs. 800,000 and incurred a loss of Rs. 300,000 from a house property, you can set off such a loss against your salary income.

   According to Section 71 of the Income Tax Act, losses from house property can be set off against any other income.

·         However, there is a limit to the set-off of losses from house property. You can only set off a maximum loss of Rs. 200,000 against your salary income in any assessment year.

  In this case, you can adjust a loss of Rs. 200,000 against your salary income, and the remaining loss of Rs. 100,000 can be carried forward for set-off in subsequent years.

Set-Off of Long-Term Capital Loss from Sale of Listed Equity Shares

·         If you have incurred a long-term capital loss of Rs. 70,000 from the sale of listed equity shares, you can set off and carry forward this loss.

   The tax on long-term capital gains from the transfer of listed equity shares is levied at a concessional rate of 10% under Section 112A if the gain exceeds Rs. 1 lakh.

 The new Section 112A specifies the taxability of long-term capital gains above Rs. 1 lakh. Since gains up to Rs. 1 lakh are not taxable they are not considered exempt income.

 Therefore, any long-term capital loss arising from the sale of listed equity shares can be set off against taxable gains and carried forward for future set-off.

Income Tax Return E Filing for Asst Year 2023-24 Made Easy –Part 5

 Capital Gains

Treatment of Profit from Sale of Listed Shares

·         The CBDT has provided guidelines through Circular No. 6/2016 regarding the taxation of surplus generated from the sale of listed shares or securities.

·         If the taxpayer treats the shares as stock-in-trade, the income from their transfer will be considered as business income, regardless of the holding period.

·         If the taxpayer wants to treat the income as capital gains for listed shares held for more than 12 months, the Assessing Officer should not dispute it. However, this treatment should remain consistent in subsequent assessment years.

·         These guidelines aim to reduce litigation and maintain consistency in the treatment of income from share and securities transfers.

      Treatment of Profit from Intra-Day Trading

·         Intra-day trading is considered speculative business, and the resulting gain or loss is treated as speculative gain or loss.

·         Speculative gains are taxed at normal rates, and speculative losses can only be set off against speculative profits.

Tax Calculation for Long-Term Capital Gains with Section 112A and Section 80C Deduction

·         If you have long-term capital gains taxable at 10% under Section 112A and have made an eligible investment of Rs. 1 lakh for Section 80C deductions, the tax calculation is as follows:

a.       Total income (long-term capital gains in excess of Rs. 1,00,000): Rs. 9,00,000

b.       Less: maximum amount not chargeable to tax: Rs. 2,50,000

c.       Gross total income: Rs. 6,50,000

d.       Tax rate under Section 112A: 10%

e.       Tax payable (after cess): Rs. 67,600

 

Details of Capital Gains in ITR for Transferred Shares

·         For Assessment Year 2020-21, the CBDT clarified that scrip-wise details are required for shares or units eligible for grandfathering.

·         Grandfathering allows exemption for gains made on listed shares/specified units up to 31-01-2018.

·         For AY 2023-24, it is inferred that scrip-wise details are not required for gains not eligible for grandfathering.

        Reporting Property and Buyer Information for Capital Gains on Foreign Property

·         Schedule CG of ITR requires the taxpayer to provide details of transferred immovable properties, regardless of whether they are in India or abroad.

·         The schedule asks for the buyer's information, such as their name, PAN/Aadhar No., address of the property, date of purchase and sale, country, and zip code.

·         Quoting the PAN of the buyer is mandatory only if tax is deducted under section 194-IA or mentioned in the sale documents.

Tax Payment, TDS, TCS, and Refund

Claiming Tax Deducted in Advance on Subsequent Year's Income

·         Certain TDS provisions require tax deduction at source when making payments or crediting income, including advance payments.

·         The ITR forms have columns to fill in information about tax deducted in previous years, but the credit for such tax can only be claimed in the future year.

·         You cannot claim the credit of TDS for income that is taxable in the subsequent year.

·         The TDS credit can be carried forward to the subsequent year and claimed when the income is offered for taxation.

Correcting Bank Account Number for Tax Refund

·         If your income tax refund failed due to an incorrect bank account number, you can submit the correct bank account details for refund re-issue.

·         Follow these steps to apply for refund re-issue:

a.       Log in to www.incometax.gov.in.

b.       Go to 'Services' and select 'Refund Re-issue'.

c.       Choose 'Create Refund Re-Issue Request'.

d.       Select the record for which you want to submit the request.

e.       Provide the bank account where you want to receive the refund.

f.        Click on the 'Proceed to Verification' button.

Dealing with TDS Mismatch

·         There are cases where the credit for TDS claimed in the return matches the balance in Form 26AS, but the Assessing Officer still raises a demand for the differential TDS amount.

·         The CBDT has identified common mistakes leading to tax credit mismatches, such as incorrect TAN of the deductor, filing information in wrong TDS schedules, or including tax deducted by one deductor in the amount deducted by another.

·         Taxpayers are advised to verify if the demand is due to such tax credit mismatches and submit rectification requests with correct TDS/tax claims to correct these demands.

·         Rectification requests should be submitted to the jurisdictional Assessing Officer or through the e-filing portal based on the processing authority.

·         If the TDS mismatch is due to an error in the TDS return filed by the deductor, the deductor should rectify the TDS return.

Claiming TDS Credit in ITR when Deductor Didn't Deposit TDS

·         If a deductor fails to deposit TDS, the taxpayer should request the deductor to deposit the TDS with the government and file a TDS statement. However, the taxpayer cannot legally enforce the deductor to do so.

·         In such cases, the taxpayer can submit TDS proof to the tax department.

·         The ITR forms do not allow attachment of supporting documents for the TDS claim. It is advisable to file the ITR, claim TDS credit, and wait for the processing.

·         If a notice of TDS mismatch is received, the taxpayer can file a reply and submit supporting documents, such as salary slips and bank statements showing net salary/other income after TDS deduction.

·         The Assessing Officer may allow TDS credit and cancel the demand raised by the CPC if the documents are correct. If not, the taxpayer can approach the court.

·         Section 205 of the Income Tax Act prevents direct demand against the taxpayer if tax has been deducted at source, providing relief to the taxpayer in case of a tax credit mismatch.

Avoiding Deduction of Tax on Interest Income (Form 15H and Form 15G)

·         If you are a senior citizen and have a bank fixed deposit, you can file a self-declaration to the bank in Form 15H to avoid the deduction of tax on interest income.

 

·         If you are not a senior citizen, you can file a self-declaration in Form 15G for the same purpose.

Avoiding Tax Deduction on Interest Income from Saving Deposits

·         If you earn interest income of Rs. 40,000 or more from saving deposits, tax will be deducted from the interest payable on time deposits exceeding this threshold.

 

·         However, any interest payable in respect of saving deposits will not attract any TDS.

Dealing with Outstanding Tax Demand

·         If your income tax return has been processed, and it shows an "Outstanding Tax Demand," you can respond to it online through the e-filing website.

 

·         Here are the steps to follow:

a.       Log in to the e-filing portal.

b.       Click on "Pending Actions" and then select "Response to Outstanding Demand" to see the list of outstanding demands.

c.       If you want to pay the demand, click "Pay Now" to make the payment.

d.       On the "Response to Outstanding Amount" page, click "Submit Response" to provide a response to the outstanding demand.

e.       Depending on the scenario, you can choose the relevant section:

                                             I.            If the demand is correct, but you haven't paid the tax, you can confirm that the demand is correct and proceed to make the tax payment.

                                           II.            If the demand is correct, and you have already paid the tax, you can add the details of the challan to provide proof of payment.

                                         III.            If you disagree with the demand (in full or part), you can add reasons for disagreement and submit the response.

a.       After submission, you will receive a Transaction ID for future reference.

Adjusting Tax Refund against Pending Tax Demand

·         The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has empowered the Centralized Processing Centre (CPC) to adjust tax refunds against pending tax demands.

 

·         If there is a tax demand against an individual for a particular assessment year, the refund claimed by that individual for the next assessment year can be adjusted against the pending tax demand.

Late Filing Fee for Income Tax Return

·         A late filing fee under Section 234F is levied if the taxpayer does not file the income tax return by the due dates specified in Section 139(1).

 

·         The late filing fee is Rs. 5,000 if the return is furnished after the due date specified under Section 139(1). However, if the total income of the person does not exceed Rs. 5 lakhs, the late filing fee is Rs. 1,000.

 

·         The late filing fee does not apply to taxpayers where return filing is not mandatory, and the taxpayer voluntarily files the return of income.

Getting Tax Refund in Foreign Bank Account for Non-Residents

·         Non-resident taxpayers filing an income tax return in India can receive their tax refunds in their foreign bank accounts.

 

·         Non-residents need to provide the SWIFT code of their foreign bank account, the name of the bank, and the International Bank Account Number (IBAN) in the ITR form.

Claiming Relief under Section 89 (Form 10E)

·         If you are a government employee and have received arrears of salary based on the recommendations of the 7th Pay Commission, you need to file Form 10E online on the e-filing website to claim relief under Section 89.

 

·         Filing Form 10E is mandatory. If you claim relief under Section 89 without filing Form 10E, you will receive a notice from the Income-tax Department stating that the relief has not been allowed because the online form was not filed.

   Make sure to file Form 10E online before filing your income tax return. If your employer fails to provide relief under Section 89 and deducts excess tax, you can claim that relief in your return of income and seek a refund of the excess tax deducted. Again, filing Form 10E online is mandatory in this case as well.

 

Income Tax Return E Filing for Asst Year 2023-24 Made Easy –Part 4

 

Filing a revised return for a change in accounting method or disclosure

If you have filed an income tax return with income computed as per the mercantile method of accounting but later realize the need to file a revised return with income computed as per the cash method of accounting, you cannot do so. The option to file a revised return is only available if there is an omission or wrong statement in the original return. A change in the accounting method does not fall under these categories, so you cannot change the method by filing a revised return.

Changing ITR form while filing a revised return

Yes, you can change the ITR form while filing a revised return. The Income-tax Act does not prohibit the filing of a revised return in a different form. If you initially filed ITR-1 and later realize the need to disclose additional income, such as lottery income, you can file a revised return using ITR-2 or the appropriate form for the revised disclosure.

Submitting multiple rectification requests

If you have already filed a rectification request under Section 154 for an error in your processed return and want to raise another rectification request for a different error, you cannot do so until the Income-tax Department processes your previous request. You need to wait for the processing of the previous rectification request before filing a new one.

Furnishing ITR for financial transactions reported in SFT

Filing an Income-tax return is mandatory based on the criteria mentioned in Section 139 of the Income-tax Act. If a person's case does not fall under any of these criteria, they are not required to file a return, even if they have entered into a financial transaction reported in the Statement of Financial Transaction (SFT).

Correcting an invalid return

If your return has been declared invalid, it is considered as if you haven't filed a return at all. In such a case, you can furnish a new return if the time limit for filing the original/belated return has not expired. However, if the time limit has expired, you cannot file a return for that assessment year. The Assessing Officer may proceed to make a best judgment assessment under Section 144. Alternatively, you can approach the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) to seek condonation of delay in filing the return.

Annual Information Statement (AIS)

The government has expanded the scope of Form 26AS to include information about various transactions made by a person throughout the year. Rule 31AB has been omitted, and a new Rule 114-I has been introduced to upload the Annual Information Statement (AIS) in Form No. 26AS in the registered account of the assessee. The AIS consists of the following information:

·         Information relating to TDS and TCS

·         Information relating to Specified Financial Transactions (SFT)

·         Information relating to the payment of taxes

·         Information relating to demand and refund

·         Information relating to pending proceedings

·         Information relating to completed proceedings

·         Information received from any officer, authority, or body performing any functions under any law or information received under an agreement referred to under section 90 or section 90A or information received from any other person to the extent it may be deemed fit in the interest of the revenue.

All the relevant information available in AIS is automatically pre-filled in the relevant ITR Form.

Can a taxpayer access the information available in the Annual Information Statement (AIS)?

An Assessee can access AIS information by logging into his income-tax e-filing account. If he feels that the information furnished in AIS is incorrect, duplicate, or relates to any other person etc., he can submit his feedback thereon. An assessee can access and respond to AIS information from the income-tax e-filing portal. Alternatively, he can also use an offline utility.

How to access the Annual Information Statement (AIS) online?

·         The following are the steps to access the AIS information online:

 

Step 1: Log in to the Income-tax e-filing website at https://www.incometax.gov.in/ If you are a new user, you will be required to first register on the e-filing portal.

 

Step 2: After log-in, click on Services > Annual Information Statement (AIS)

Step 3: A message shall appear that will prompt you to click on 'proceed' to redirect to the AIS homepage.

Step 4: The next screen provides the instructions relating to the Annual Information Statement (AIS) and Taxpayer Information Summary (TIS). TIS displays the information available in AIS category-wise. It shows the original and revised values (i.e., value processed after the taxpayer's feedback). The revised values in TIS are used for pre-filling of return

Step 5: Click on the next tab of 'AIS'. On the redirected screen, two tiles appear - Taxpayer Information Summary (TIS) and Annual Information Statement (AIS). Select the relevant financial year from the drop-down and click on the AIS tile to view the information.

Step 6: On the next screen, the information available in AIS is displayed in Part A and Part B. Part A contains the general information about a taxpayer (i.e., PAN, Aadhar, Name, Date of Birth, Mobile Number, E-mail Id, and Address). Part B contains the comprehensive information of a taxpayer for the selected financial year as uploaded by the prescribed income-tax authority. The information in Part B is divided into the following categories:

o   TDS/TCS Information

o   SFT Information

o   Payment of Taxes

o   Demand and Refund

o   Other Information

 

Step 7: The information available in AIS can be downloaded in CSV, JSON, or PDF format. The user will have to download the transactions in CSV format for every category of transaction separately. In contrast, the entire AIS can be downloaded only in PDF or JSON. If you select the PDF format, the downloaded PDF will be password protected. To open the file, you will need to enter the combination of the PAN (in lower case) and the date of birth in case of an individual taxpayer or the date of incorporation/formation for the non-individual taxpayer in the format DDMMYYYY without any space. For example, if the PAN is AAAAA1234A and the date of birth is 21st January 1991, then your password will be aaaaa1234a21011991

What should I do if the information in AIS is not correct or does not belong to me?

·         If a taxpayer feels that the information furnished in AIS is incorrect, duplicate, or relates to any other person, etc., he can submit his feedback thereon. Response to AIS information can be made online directly from the income-tax e-filing portal or offline utility.

How to submit feedback on AIS Information (online)?

Step 1: Visit the Income-tax e-filing portal and access AIS information.

Step 2: On accessing AIS, the assessee will find the comprehensive information for the selected financial year under Part B in the following tabs:

TDS/TCS Information

SFT Information

Payment of Taxes

Demand and Refund

Other Information

Step 3: Click on the relevant tab to view the source-wise information.

 

Step 4: Click on the left-hand icon to expand the source-wise information to view transaction-level information.

Step 5: Click on the "Optional" tab in the feedback column to provide and submit feedback on the concerned transaction. An assessee can also submit feedback on multiple transactions in bulk. Feedback options include confirming the information is correct, not fully correct, related to another PAN/year, duplicate/included in other information, denied, or providing customized feedback based on the information category. If the transaction relates to an income, an additional option, "Income is not taxable," shall appear in the feedback options drop-down list.

Step 6: Once the feedback is submitted, a success message shall appear indicating that the Taxpayer Information Summary (TIS) will be updated accordingly. Further, the feedback may be shared with an information source for comments/responses. The assessee can download the acknowledgement receipt from the activity history.

Income Tax Return E Filing for Asst Year 2023-24 Made Easy –Part 3

 When is it mandatory for a non-resident to file a return of income?

If a non-resident person has income that is taxable in India, they must file an Income-tax return based on the provisions applicable to a resident assessee. However, there are specific circumstances where a non-resident may be exempt from filing a return of income. These circumstances include:

·         Non-resident Indian

A non-resident Indian is not required to file a return of income if their total income consists of investment income from a foreign exchange asset or long-term capital gains from such assets, and tax has been deducted from such income.

·         Non-resident sportsperson

A non-resident and non-citizen sports person, such as an athlete, is exempt from filing a return if their income consists of income from participation in any game or sport in India, advertisement income, or income from contributing articles relating to any game or sport in India in newspapers, journals, or magazines. Tax must be deducted from such income.

·         Non-resident sports association

A non-resident sports association or institution is not required to file a return if its income consists of any amount guaranteed to be paid or payable in relation to any game or sport played in India, and tax has been deducted from such income.

·         Non-resident entertainer

A non-resident and non-citizen entertainer is exempt from filing a return if            their income consists of income received or receivable from their performance in India, and tax has been deducted from such income.

·         Non-residents having specified income

A non-resident person, including a non-resident foreign company, is not required to file a return if their total income consists of specified incomes such as interest on bonds, dividends, interest received from the government or Indian concern, and other specified incomes. Tax must be deducted from these incomes.

·         A foreign company whose POEM is in India

A foreign company that is deemed a resident in India is not required to file a return if its total income consists of dividend income, interest received from the government or Indian concern, interest received from an Infrastructure Debt Fund, and other specified incomes. Tax must be deducted from these incomes.

·         Non-residents having income from an investment fund located in IFSC

A non-resident (including a foreign company) receiving income from an Investment Fund in an International Financial Services Centre (IFSC) in India is exempt from filing a return if certain conditions are fulfilled. These conditions include earning income only from the IFSC-based Investment Fund, tax deduction on the income, and not being issued a notice to file a return.

·         Non-resident or foreign co. having income from investment in a specified fund

A non-resident or foreign company is exempt from filing a return if they have earned income in India from an investment made in a specified fund as per Section 10(4D), and certain conditions are met. These conditions include earning income only from the specified fund, tax deduction on the income, and not being issued a notice to file a return.

·         Eligible foreign investor

A non-resident eligible foreign investor is exempt from filing a return if they operate in accordance with SEBI's circular, make transactions in specified capital assets listed on a recognized stock exchange located in any IFSC, earn income only from the transfer of such assets, and meet certain other requirements.

How to furnish a Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) in the column of "residential   status" in the ITR form if the same wasn't allotted in the resident country?

If a non-resident person has not been allotted a Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) by their resident country, they can mention their passport number in.

               Furnishing Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) in the ITR form

To provide your Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) in the "residential status" column of the ITR form, follow these steps:

1.     Starting from the Assessment Year 2019-20, in addition to mentioning your residential status, you are required to provide additional information about your residential status, such as the number of days you stayed in India and the jurisdiction of your residence.

 

2.     If you are a non-resident and your resident country hasn't assigned you a TIN, you can enter your passport number instead of the TIN.

 

3.     The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has clarified that if a non-resident person does not have a TIN from their resident country, they can mention their passport number in place of the TIN.

 

Filing ITR after claiming capital gain exemption

If you are a housewife and have earned a long-term capital gain of Rs. 30 lakhs during the year, but you have invested the capital gain in a new house and claimed an exemption under Section 54, you still need to file an Income-tax return. This is because your total income before claiming the capital gain exemption exceeds the maximum amount not chargeable to tax. Section 139 of the Income-tax Act mandates filing returns when the total income exceeds the maximum exemption limit before claiming capital gain exemption.

Registering on the e-filing portal without an Indian mobile number

To register on the e-filing portal of the Income-tax Department without an Indian mobile number, follow these steps:

1.     The registration process requires you to provide a mobile number and email ID.

 

2.     While an Indian mobile number is commonly used, it is not mandatory.

 

3.     You can register with a mobile number from a foreign country.

 

4.     The Income-tax Department will send an OTP (One-time Password) to the primary mobile number and email ID provided during registration.

 

5.     Enter the OTP received on the mobile number and email ID to complete the account creation process on the e-filing portal.