The Income Tax Department has released the Income Tax Return utility ITR-1 and ITR-4 in JSON format for the AY 2021-22. The utilities for the remaining Income Tax Returns forms yet to be released by the department. This year utility has been released in JSON format only. Excel and Java utilities have been suspended from this year.
The Department has also released the Step-by-step guide to download and install the offline utility.
Step by Step Guide – Download & Install Offline Utility
Step-1:-
Once you access the e-filing portal. You can download the Utility under: ‘Downloads -> Offline Utilities -> Income Tax Return Preparation Utilities’.
Note the System Requirements:-
- OS – Windows 7 or later are supported
- Processor – Intel Pentium 4 processor or later that’s SSE2 capable or AMD K10 or above core architecture
- RAM – 1.5 GB of RAM or more
- HDD – 500 MB or more of free space
Step-2:-
On click of link for the Utility presented against ITR-1 or ITR-4, a ZIP file will start getting downloaded on your system.
Open the Utility from the extracted folder.
Step-3:-
After you Extract the downloaded utility as a ZIP file, open the Utility from the extracted folder. In case, you receive this message, you click the “Run Anyway” option in the dialogue box.
Step-4:-
Once you click on “Run Anyway”, your utility will start installing, after which you can proceed with filing your ITR.
Step-5:-
As soon as you install the utility, you will be landed on the Homepage.
Click on “Continue” to fill your Income-tax Return for AY 2021-22.
Few things to know before you start using the Utility:-
- This Offline Utility is enabled only for ITR-1 and ITR-4. Other ITRs will be added to the utility in subsequent releases.
- The Utility is based on the new technology “JSON”.
- It is enabled to import and pre-fill the data from the e-filing portal. You can fill in the balance data. You can also edit the profile data other than PAN data in the utility, however, it is suggested to edit the same in your Profile at the e-filing website and regenerate prefill data.
- The facility to upload ITR at the e-filing portal is not enabled. You can fill and save it either within the utility or export the output JSON file to your system.
- Once the filing is enabled, you can upload the same at e-filing portal.
Step-6:-
You will find 3 tabs:-
Returns:- If you are filling the return for the first time, click on “File returns” in this tab.
Draft version of returns: – If you have already started to file your return, you can see the draft version of your returns in this tab and click on “edit”.
Pre-filled Data: – It will show you all pre-filled ITR data you had earlier imported into the utility.
Step-7:-
After click on “File returns”, select the radio button to “Import pre-filled data”. On click of this option, the prefilled data
already saved by you on your system in JSON format can be imported to prefill the information in the income tax return.
Step-8:-
Enter the “PAN” for whom you want to fill the return and select the “Assessment Year” and click on “Proceed”.
Assessment Year 2021-22 can only be selected.
Step-9:-
Pre-filled JSON can be downloaded post login to the e-Filing portal from:
‘My Account -> ‘Download Pre-Filled for AY 2021-22’ and can be imported to the utility for prefilling the personal and other available details.
Attach the pre-filled JSON file from your system and click on “proceed”.
Step-10:-
On click of Proceed in earlier screen, you will be navigated to “Income Tax Returns” screen, where you can see the Basic pre-filled details from the imported JSON file.
Click on “File Return” to continue.
Step-11:-
Select the Status applicable to you and click on “Continue”.
The status will be pre-filled based on your last year’s data and will be editable.
Step-12:-
Select the ITR type which you want to file from the dropdown and “Proceed”.
A user-friendly questionnaire to identify ITR applicable to you will be available in subsequent releases of the offline utility.
Step-13:-
Click on “Let’s get started” to start filling your return.
Step-14:-
Fill in the applicable and mandatory fields of the ITR form -> Validate all the tabs of the ITR form and Tax will be calculated.
Step-15:-
After confirming all the schedules, you can Preview and submit your Return.
Step-16:-
You can either “Download” or “Print” the preview by clicking on the respective buttons.
You can download the Preview on your system.
It will be downloaded in pdf format.
Step-17:-
Click on “Proceed to validation”, to validate the Return.
Step-18:-
All the errors need to be validated by the user after that he can “Download JSON”.
Just click on the error, you will be navigated to the field related to that error.
Notes:-
- Data will be refreshed on a real-time basis.
- Tax will be calculated on a real-time basis.
- Data will be Auto Saved.
- The downloaded JSON file can be generated and saved on the system for uploading it on the e-filing portal (post enablement of the functionality)
