Ready To File Income Tax Return? How To Prepare And Submit It Online

The Income Tax Department has extended the due date for assessees to file their income tax return for financial year 2018-19 (assessment year 2019-20). Now, those originally required to file their income tax returns by July 31 will have to do so by August 31. "The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) extends the 'due date' for filing of Income Tax Returns from July 31, 2019 to August 31, 2019 in respect of the said categories of taxpayers," the Ministry of Finance said in a statement on July 23. This gives the income tax assessees an extra month to file their income tax return. The Income Tax Department has, on its website (incometaxindia.gov.in), laid out a step-by-step guide for assessees to prepare and submit their income tax return (ITR) online. (Also read: 10 things to know before filing income tax return)

Here's a step-by-step guide to prepare and submit an income tax return (ITR) online:

1. First, the user is required to log in to the Income Tax Department's e-filing website, incometaxindiaefiling.gov.in. Details such as user ID, password and date of birth need to be furnished by the user for this step.

(Also read: All you need to know about income tax return form 1 Sahaj)

2. Once logged in, the user can proceed to the "e-file" option and click on the "prepare and submit ITR online" link. Only ITRs 1 and 4S can be filled online, according to the taxman.

3. The user is then required to select the relevant form (ITR 1 or ITR 4S) and the assessment year to proceed.

(Also read: Wondering which form to use for filing ITR? Find out here)

4. The user is required to fill in the details and click on the "submit" button to proceed.

5. After this step, the user is required to upload the digital signature certificate (DSC), if applicable. The user must ensure that the DSC is registered with the e-filing portal.

6. The user can proceed by clicking on the "submit" button.

7. On a successful submission, the form ITR-V is displayed in case a DSC is not used.

(Also read: Did you know missing income tax deadline attracts up to Rs 10,000 penalty?)

In this case, the user can proceed by clicking on the link and downloading the ITR-V form. The ITR-V is also sent to the registered email of the user. Uploading the ITR with the DSC completes the return filing process.

In case the return is not uploaded with the DSC, the ITR-V form should be printed, signed and submitted to the Centralized Processing Centre (CPC) within 120 days from the date of e-filing. The return is processed only upon receipt of a signed ITR-V, according to the taxman.