Form 16 is an important document for salaried employees as they need to submit it when filing their Income Tax Returns (ITR). Also referred to as a salary certificate, it is issued by the employers. It confirms that TDS has been deducted and passed on to the collecting authorities.
Read on to learn how to file ITR with Form 16 and how to download it.
You can file your Income Tax Returns with Form 16 either offline (Java Utility/Excel Utility) or online (directly on the e-filing portal). Here are the steps on how to file ITR with Form 16 via both modes.
Follow these steps to file your ITR with Form 16 offline:
Step 1: Visit the Income Tax e-Filing portal
Step 2: Download the required form
Step 3: Fill out the form and keep supporting documents ready
Step 4: Compute and pay your tax liability, if any
Step 5: Validate your details and generate a .JSON file
Step 6: Submit the file through the offline utility
Step 7: e-verify your return
Here is how to file income tax return with Form 16 online:
Step 1: Get Form 16 from your employer
Step 2: Log in to your account on the official portal
Step 3: Navigate to the ‘File Income Tax Returns’ section under ‘e-File’
Step 4: Select the ‘Assessment Year’ and ‘Online’ as mode of filing
Step 5: Click on your status and choose your ITR form
Step 6: Choose the reason for filing the ITR
Step 7: Wait for the portal to fetch your details with Form 16
Step 8: Validate the pre-filled information
Step 9: Pay the required tax
Only employers can download and fill Form 16 online through the TRACES website. Here are the steps for it:
Step 1: Log in using the User ID, Password, and PAN for the taxpayer
Step 2: Select ‘Form 16’ under the ‘Downloads’ tab
If you are wondering how to fill Form 16, remember that only employers can generate and issue Form 16 online. Employees can view or download Form 16 which has been sent by an employer.
Form 16 is to be issued by an employer only if TDS has been deducted. If there is no TDS deducted, there is no need for an employer to issue Form 16.
Filling out Form 16 manually is not encouraged. Post-digitisation, employers tend to issue the form online.
Once you receive Form 16, ensure that all details mentioned in the document are correct. Most importantly, you must cross-check the PAN. If there are errors in Form 16, you must inform the organisation/company’s HR team and have it rectified.