How to File Income Tax return without Form-16
Paying income tax is the duty of each earning citizen of the country. It’s quite simple. To break it down, a certain percentage of your salary is deducted, and this amount is deposited with the central government. The tricky part is filling your income tax. While for an employer things are simplified with the provision of Form 16, the self-employed must look for an alternative.
So, what is Form 16? It is a certificate furnished by the employer legitimizing the deduction of TDS (Tax deducted at source) from the employee’s salary and confirming its deposition with the authorities. An individual, even if employed, may have other sources of income, such as rent received, business, interest. There is, of course, the possibility of the employer not providing the Form 16 due to some unforeseen reasons. It is the responsibility of the individual to file all of this before the due date. So, how does one file income tax without a Form 16?
Here’s your step by step guide :-
• STEP 1: Payslips to the rescue In the absence of form 16, payslips come the handiest. Collect your payslips from over the year. Put together your net salary. If you have switched jobs, make sure to include the pay slips from each of the employers. Not all of your CTC is liable to tax deduction. Make sure to exclude the non-deductible portions from your income.
• STEP 2: Verify with Form 26AS. Form 26AS is a tax statement that has all the tax-related information associated with a PAN clearly mentioned. Your second step involves calculating your TDS. Download the Form 26AS and check if your digits match. In case of any discrepancies, bring them to notice immediately. This is crucial as there is a good possibility of the tax deducted not being deposited to the government.
• STEP 3: Don’t lose out on deductions. If you have a House Rent Allowance (HRA) make sure you submit your rent receipts to the payroll department. Also, a number of investments are tax deductible. These include Employee Provident Fund, Life Insurance, Public Provident Fund under section 80C, interest on educational loan under section 80E, medical insurance under 80D etc. Get the investment proofs for each and calculate the aggregate. Put the digits down under the proper headings in the ITR.
• STEP 4: Other sources of income. If you have cash inflow from sources other than your salary as an employee, mention them under taxable incomes. These include housing rents, interest from banks, gift money etc. Don’t leave these out or make an attempt to cover them up.
• STEP 5: Additional Tax. In case, you notice that the tax payable by you as per your calculations is less than that mentioned in form 26AS, pay the additional amount online.
• STEP 6: Almost done Now. That all your figures match, file your income tax. This can be done online without much hassle. Several websites provide e-File facilities. ITR comes to use, especially when applying for loans or carrying forward capital losses. So, although filling income tax may seem cumbersome, it must be settled before the due date.