Income Tax Return (ITR) is a document filed by taxpayers in India to declare their income, deductions, and tax liabilities to the Income Tax Department. Generally, Form 16 is issued by the employer to their employees, which serves as proof of income earned and tax deducted at source (TDS) during the financial year. However, not having Form 16 does not prevent you from filing your ITR. In this blog, we will discuss how to file ITR without Form 16 in India.
Collect Income Details
The first step to filing ITR without Form 16 is to collect all the necessary income details. If you are a salaried employee, you can gather your payslips, bank statements, and Form 26AS. Form 26AS is a consolidated statement that shows all your tax-related information, including TDS deducted by your employer.
If you are a freelancer or self-employed, you will need to compile your income details by gathering all your invoices and receipts. You can also refer to your bank statements and receipts of expenses incurred during the financial year.
Calculate Total Income
After collecting all the necessary details, the next step is to calculate your total income. You can do this by adding up all your income sources, such as salary, business income, rental income, and interest income. After calculating your total income, you can deduct eligible deductions, such as investments made under Section 80C, 80D, etc.
File ITR
Once you have calculated your total income and deducted eligible deductions, you can proceed to file your ITR. There are two ways to file ITR in India - online and offline. Online filing can be done on the Income Tax Department's e-filing portal, while offline filing can be done by submitting a physical copy of the ITR to the income tax office.
When filing ITR online, you will need to create an account on the e-filing portal and upload your ITR in XML format. If you are filing ITR offline, you can download the ITR form from the Income Tax Department's website, fill it out, and submit it to the income tax office.
In conclusion, Form 16 is not mandatory to file ITR in India. You can gather your income details, calculate your total income, and file your ITR using the online or offline method. It is advisable to keep all the necessary documents and receipts in case of any audit or scrutiny by the Income Tax Department.
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