Step 2

Choose the right Income Tax Form

The taxpayer must first ascertain what ITR form they must fill out before proceeding to file returns. You can either file your returns online or offline. Only two forms, ITR 1 and ITR 4 are available for tax payers online. All other income tax forms must be uploaded offline (generating XML and uploading) .

Download ITR utility from Income Tax Portal

Visit the site www.incometax.gov.in and click on ‘Downloads’ from the top menu bar.

Choose the assessment year and download the offline utility software, i.e. Microsoft Excel or Java, or JSON utility based on your preference. The excel and java utility are discontinued by the income tax department from AY 2020-21

step 3

Fill in your details in the Downloaded File

Upon downloading the offline utility, fill in the relevant details of your income, and check the tax payable or the refund receivable as per the calculations of the utility. The details of income tax challan can be filled in the downloaded form.

Validate the Information Entered

You can see a few buttons on the right-hand side of the downloaded form. Click on the ‘Validate’ button to ensure all the required information is filled.

step 4

onvert the file to XML Format

Upon successfully validating, click on the ‘Generate XML’ button on the right-hand side of the file to convert the file into XML file format.

Upload the XML file on the Income Tax Portal

Now, log in to the income tax e-filing portal and click on the ‘e-File’ tab to select the ‘Income Tax Return’ option.

Provide the necessary details such as PAN, assessment year, ITR form number, and the submission mode. Remember to choose the option ‘Upload XML’ from the drop down corresponding to the field name ‘Submission Mode’ as given in the image below.

Now, attach the XML file from your computer and click on the ‘Submit’ button.

Choose one of the available verification modes—Aadhaar OTP, electronic verification code (EVC), or sending a manually signed copy of ITR-V to CPC, Bengaluru.