How To Get Income Tax Return Copy Online

As an Indian citizen, you know how crucial it is to have the right Income Tax Return (ITR) copies after filing the Income Tax return. If you are new to ITR filing and are unaware of how to get an Income Tax Return copy online, this article will help. Read on to learn more about Income Tax Return copies, their importance, and how you can get one online.

An Income Tax Return (ITR) copy is a form which provides information about your total income and tax for a particular year and the same is to be filed with the Income-tax Department. When you have filed a return, you receive an ITR acknowledgement receipt (ITR-V).

The Income Tax department generates ITR and ITR-V  against each e-filed return without adding a digital signature. Once it is generated, you can download and print the copy. You must sign ITR-V and send it to the Centralised Processing Centre, Bengaluru, within 120 days, or you may e-verify the Income Tax Return using Aadhaar OTP or Electronic Verification Code (EVC) using a Bank account/Demat account/Bank ATM or Net Banking or Digital Signature Certificate (DSC).

Once you do this, the e-filing of your Income Tax Return is confirmed and authenticated, and the income tax return processing by the Income Tax Department will begin.

Do note that you must keep a copy of these documents even after the Income Tax Department completes the ITR processing. It comes in handy for various other procedures.

Before moving on to how to get filed ITR copy online, understand why having this document is crucial. Here are the reasons:

• Loan application: Many lenders will require you to submit ITR copies of the last 2-3 years as income proof before sanctioning the loan amount.
• Insurance policies: If you seek a high-value insurance policy, you must submit ITR copies to assure your insurance provider of your capability to pay premiums.
• Visa application: ITR copies are the only acceptable income proof when applying for a visa. Embassies require these documents to ensure you have the financial standing to return to India.
• Attending to tax notice: If the Income Tax department sends you a notice for the past year, you can verify the same with your ITR records to submit an appropriate response to the tax department.

Downloading your ITR copies is now quite straightforward. You can follow the steps below to get a copy of your ITR online:

• Step 1: Visit the official income tax e-filing portal here and click 'Login.'
• Step 2: Here, enter your user ID, password, and security access message, if any, to sign in.
• Step 3: When redirected to the next page, click on the tab e-File> Income Tax Returns> View Filed Returns.
• Step 4: On the next page, you can see all the details of your previously filed e-returns, including the filing date, filing section,  acknowledgement number, and more.
• Step 5: Identify the year you wish to obtain the ITR and the ITR-V. Next, click 'Download Form'  to get your Income Tax Return (ITR) and click 'Download Receipt' to obtain your Income Tax Return acknowledgement (ITR-V). Your ITR and ITR-V will be downloaded on your device.

That is it! Now, you can download your ITR and ITR-V copies from the comfort of your home at your convenience. The IT Department also sends the ITR-V to your registered email address. If you cannot follow this procedure, you can print that copy when you receive it.

Since you now know how to get your ITR and ITR-V copies online, make sure that you download the copies and maintain a record of your income tax e-filings. This is especially true if you are an independent professional, business, or freelancer who might not have salary slips as income proof. Regardless of your profession, this information will come in handy to create a body of proof for your income tax filing.

You can save tax with Tax Saving FD. Calculate your returns with the FD Calculator.

Read more about the income tax filing mistakes you need to avoid here.