When
filing tax returns is mentioned, many people assume that this is a
laborious process best handled by a chartered accountant. But as with
many other government services, even tax filing is simpler when you do
it online. Whether you are a self-employed person who needs a CA's help
to file
taxes or a salaried employee who can file taxes on your own, you
can use these services to quickly file your tax returns online. The
deadline for filing your IT returns this year has been extended to
August 31, so you should get started with this soon.
Official Income Tax department website
Unlike
last year, this time the income tax department's
website
isn't so intimidating. The website's design has improved and it now
lets you quickly file your tax returns. This is especially true for
salaried employees who just have to download one form, and then
copy-paste all the details from the Form-16 that their employers
provide. If your tax filing is more complicated than this though, then
the website isn't as good an option. But if you know which forms to
download and how to go about the process, then just click on one of the
ITR links under the Downloads section on the right. You can download the
form, fill up the details, create an account and submit your tax
returns on the site.
Third party websites
Several private firms let you file tax returns online but before you use
them you should keep a few things in mind. The first is that you are
handing over your income details to private companies and even though
these firms claim that they won't share this data with anyone, there is
always a chance that your data could be exposed. Secondly, some of these
websites charge for their services - even if you're filing the returns
yourself - and this isn't really a good deal. Some do offer the services
of a CA for a fee, which is much more reasonable. Finally, there are
some websites that also offer detailed guides about the filing process,
and we'd strongly recommend going through all the material they have on
offer.
ClearTax
One of our picks last year,
ClearTax
remains a good option for filing your tax returns. They have detailed
guides that explain the process and their design is great. If your
company gives you a PDF of Form-16, you can upload it to the site and
the relevant details are automatically pulled from the file. This makes
the filing process really fast and you don't have to pay for
self-filing. ClearTax also offers a CA's help, with plans starting at
Rs. 599, which seems pretty reasonable to use, and that's why it's our
top pick.
Taxspanner
Taxspanner
doesn't offer a free tier but if you're going to need CA services
anyway, then you might want to check this site out. It's not really a
good option if you're doing the filing on your own though, because
you'll have to pay a minimum of Rs. 249 to use this site. However, we
liked Taxspanner for its good design and easy to follow tutorials, and
it also allows you to hire a dedicated CA from the site, for Rs. 4,499.
Obviously not for everyone, but if you have to hire a full time CA and
don't know where to go, then this looks to be a good option.
Other services
By now, there are a lot of websites that allow you to file your tax
returns online. By and large, we didn't see too many standout features
to really pick one over the other, but if you're not interested in
paying the fees that Taxspanner involves, and want to see what other
options are there aside from ClearTax, then check out these three sites:
H&R Block
H&R Block
has good design, a free tier, tutorials and offers CA assisted
services; it looks like a good alternative to ClearTax if you're looking
for one.
MyTaxCafe
MyTaxCafe
is pretty similar, with a well-designed website that makes it easy to
file your IT returns. However, it lacks the feature to upload your
Form-16 as a PDF.
MyITReturn
MyITReturn
also has a nice, clean interface, so it could be a good option if
you're filing your returns yourself. It might also be helpful for people
who work as freelancers or have otherwise earned money from outside
India, as it has a special paid tier for those who have income from
outside India.
How did you file your income tax returns? How was
your experience with the services mentioned above? Let us know via the
comments.