Outlook Money OLM - FEBRUARY 2018 | Page 34

Tax Planning Go With Your Now, you can choose from a gamut of tax filing apps and websites to file your returns quickly and with expert assistance, says Anagh Pal I-T Returns F iling income tax returns has become a lot easier with a host of websites and apps making the dreary task of filling out forms a breeze. But some people still find it difficult to navigate these sites. Don’t be intimidated with the online process, as chartered accountants (CA) or E-CAs, as they’re known, can now virtually guide you to make e-filing easy. Many tax filing websites not only allow self-filing, they also have dedicated teams of CAs to provide end-to-end solutions, right from preparing returns to maximising deductions to getting e-verification from the I-T department for accessing refunds. A team of experts is available to clear doubts and guide customers at all times. Self-help All one needs to do is log onto incometaxindiaefiling.gov.in, the income tax department’s official website; it is free of charge. One can also use one of the many tax filing portals available for self filing. In such portals, salaried persons need to sign up and upload their Forms 16. They have to select assessment year and let the platform automatically prepare their form. The software will fill income source as salary and other income information, such as rent, interest receipts and details of deductions like 80C investments, will have to be filled by the filer. One can review the return form before submitting to the website and the tax payer will receive an acknowledgment number. Non-salaried or a business person who does not have a Form 16, will need to enter details like total sales and other expenses. Why file returns through an online tax filing portal? Easy to use and intuitive interface Fast, easy and convenient 34 Constant support through mails, calls and chat Expert assistance pro- vided where required Outlook Money February 2018 www.outlookmoney.com Inbuilt calculators and blogs Different plans to choose from based on your needs Your data remains secure and confidential