Most of us have been busy collecting the documents required to do our annual tax calculations. The time is here to use these documents to prepare the Income Tax Return (ITR) and file it with the Income Tax Department (ITD). With an intent to collect more information from the taxpayers and enable system-assisted processing of returns, ITRs have been made more comprehensive and detailed. While this has made the work of ITD relatively easier, taxpayers may have difficulty fill the ITR forms by themselves and thus, feel the need to contact professionals like CAs for help.
However, with the advent of technology, several websites have emerged as helping hands for taxpayers to enable them to file their ITRs in a cost-effective manner. Here are top 5 websites for filing ITR online in India:
MyITReturn
MyITReturn is the leading ITR e-filing website in India with more than 18 lakh users. The first Income-tax return in India was filed using their software, which had been developed for the Income Tax Department itself. Besides their website, the portal also helps over 200,000 users calculate, pay and file their tax return using their mobile App for Android and iOS, making this process very handy and convenient.
Apart from English, users also have an option to use their services in over 9 Indian languages (Hindi, Gujarati, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Bengali and Punjabi). The portal offers free e-filing facility to salaried employees with income less than Rs. 2.50 lakhs. Taxpayers with higher income have paid plans for them.
ClearTax
ClearTax is one of the leading ITR e-filing websites in India helping more than 15 lakh taxpayers file their ITRs. With a very user-friendly web interface, it is easier for salaried assessees and freelancers/ business persons with presumptive income to file their returns for free. It has also got the facility of auto-importing the information from your Form 16/Form 26AS (Tax Credit Statement) and prepares your tax return, with guided assistance through the filing process.
Further, in case you feel the need for professional assistance in filing your returns, the plans start from as low as Rs. 499. Adding convenience and instant support for their users, they offer support over email and phone as well. ClearTax is a registered e-Return Intermediary with the Income Tax Department and hence, you can file the returns directly through their portal without even logging into your Income Tax Account.
H&R Block
H&R Block is the world’s largest Individual tax filing company filing over 2.5 crore returns annually. The portal allows you to prepare your ITR by yourself in an easy and simple-to-use web interface. Adding to the convenience, it also allows the facility to auto-read your Form 16 to populate the fields related to salary income and the related TDS in your ITR.
Besides this, it offers live chat and call support through the Income Tax Return e-filing process even in the free package. Apart from the free return filing facility, paid plans start from Rs. 499. A dedicated tax expert will prepare you IT returns on the basis of the documents provided by you and also e-file your ITR for you once you have reviewed, approved and submitted a request for e-filing.
TaxSmile
TaxSmile allows you to prepare your ITR in an easy-to-understand Q&A format, and it is fairly easy prepare your ITR by yourself. The first thing you’ll notice about this portal is a prominent sticky window with an email address for instant support. Having a dedicated support helpline available for free users gives Taxsmile an advantage over other websites. It offers free return preparation and filing facility for taxpayers having net taxable income less than or equal to Rs. 5 lakhs.
For taxpayers with higher incomes, paid plans start from Rs. 249. Further, the portal allows you to prepare your tax computation for free, and you need to pay only when you e-file. Just like ClearTax, TaxSmile is also a registered e-Return Intermediary with the Income Tax Department and hence, you can file the returns directly through their portal without even logging into your Income Tax Account.
TaxSpanner
While all the websites shared above offer free services, albeit, for smaller taxpayers, TaxSpanner only offers paid services to its users. Do-it-Yourself plans start from as low as Rs. 249 while plans for assisted tax return filing start from Rs. 499. The interface is easy to understand and the return preparation is pretty simple as well.
After you prepare the ITR, Taxspanner performs a review and reminds you of all the missing pieces of information. TaxSpanner enables e-filing of IT returns to the ITD server through authorized e-return intermediary. Live support on the portal adds to its advantage.
With easier return preparation facilities on the portals shared above, the ITR filing process is not complicated anymore and can be done easily from the comfort of your home.
Do remember to file your returns by 31st July.
Article was originally published by Simardeep Singh in Money View blog here.
