Belated income tax returns must be submitted by December 31st. December 31, 2023, is your last chance to file your ITR if you haven’t already, but doing so will result in penalties and interest. It is crucial to comprehend the ramifications and the need of timely filing as a result.
How to File Belated ITR Online
1. The official website, https://www.incometax.gov.in/iec/foportal/, must be viewed first.
2. Next, use your password and user ID (PAN or Aadhaar) to log in with your credentials.
3. Next, select “e-file” from the home page, followed by “income tax returns” and “file income tax return.”
4. You will need to choose the assessment year (AY 2023–24) when a new webpage opens in this window.
5. Next select the mode of filing, i.e., online and offline.
6. Choose online method of filing a belated ITR and select the type of ITR – 139(4) Belated ITR.
7. Click on continue and a new webpage will open.
8. Next select ‘Start New filing’. If there is any saved ITR draft, it will be shown here as well.
9. Select your status as ‘Individual’ and click on ‘continue’.
10. Choose the ITR form that corresponds with your income.
11. Next, choose the rationale for filing an ITR. For reference, you must choose “Taxable income more than exemption limit” in this case.
12. After that, a new page with pre-filled information about you, your gross total income, taxes paid, and your total tax liability will appear.
13. To view your personal information, including name, address, and contact information, click the personal information column below. Make sure “Filing Section – 139(4)” is chosen while checking.
14. Next, provide the gross taxable income data.
15. Finally, press the “Submit” button.
What Happens If You Don’t File ITR
If you file your ITR at all, there may be serious repercussions. After that, taxpayers will not be able to roll over losses from the current assessment year, and non-compliance may result in fines. Depending on the degree of non-compliance, fines may be as high as 200 percent of the assessed tax.
Late Filing Fee And Interest Charges
July 31, 2023, was the first deadline for submitting income tax returns for the assessment year 2023–2024, or fiscal year 2022–2023. In order to file their ITRs, taxpayers who missed this deadline now have till December 31.
Regretfully, all taxpayers—individuals, corporations, those subject to audits, and those not—are subject to the December 31 deadline. Individual taxpayers, on the other hand, will incur a late filing fee if they do not submit their forms by the deadline. The penalty for those who missed the deadline is Rs 5,000. Taxpayers will only be required to pay a lower penalty of Rs 1,000 if their total income is less than Rs 5 lakh.
Additionally, taxpayers will incur interest under section 234A if they file their return after the deadline. The amount of unpaid tax is used to calculate this interest, which is calculated at a rate of one percent for each month or portion of a month.