ITR : Pre-fill Income Tax Return

Friends,   Income Tax Department has provided free facility/Software to prepare online Income Tax Return. Many users avoid to use these utilities due to type Personal Details again and again every year.  Private softwares are also available in market on payment basis which generate basic data in seconds each year.    

            To keep in mind these ideas,  now Income Tax department has also updated their utilities and provided such facility in software so that basic data like name, pan number , date of birth etc and Tds Details  deducted by employer/others can be inserted automatically through pre-fill XML file which can be downloaded just after login at https://incometaxindiaefiling.gov.in.  I am really shocked to view the data/idea provided by Income Tax Department.   To know more detail regarding Pre-fill xml file in Income Tax Return, explanation are given below :-

Download Income Tax Return and Upload XML

To file an Income Tax Return electronically, you should download the Income Tax Return (ITR)

Utility applicable, fill and generate an XML. This XML should be uploaded in the application post

LOGIN.

You can also pre-fill personal and tax information, a new feature in this application.

Steps to Download ITR

1. On home page, GO TO 'Downloads' section and select the applicable Income Tax Return Form of the desired Assessment Year OR Login to e-Filing application and GO TO 'Downloads'-->'Income Tax Return Forms' and select applicable Income Tax Return Form of the desired Assessment Year. 
2. Download the excel utility of the Income Tax Return (ITR). 
3. Fill the excel utility and Validate. (Please refer the "Steps to pre-fill in Income Tax Return" as mentioned below) 
4. Generate an XML file and save in desired path/destination in your desktop/system. 
5. LOGIN to e-Filing application and GO TO --> e-File --> Upload Return. 
6. Select the Income Tax Return Form and the Assessment Year. 
7. Browse and Select the XML file 
8. Upload Digital Signature Certificate, if available and applicable. 
9. Click 'SUBMIT'. 
10. On successful upload, Acknowledgement details would be displayed. Click the link to view or generate a printout of Acknowledgement/ITR-V Form. 

Steps to pre-fill in Income Tax Return

1. LOGIN to e-Filing application and GO TO 'Downloads' --> 'Income Tax Return Forms' 
2. Download the excel utility of the selected Income Tax Return. 
3. GO TO 'Downloads' --> 'Download Pre-fill XML' and download. 
4. Open the excel utility.
   
   
   
5. Click the button 'Import Personal/Tax Details from XML'. An option to BROWSE a file is displayed. 
6. Click on 'BROWSE' and select the path where the downloaded Pre-Fill XML file is stored. 
7. Click the SUBMIT button 
8. The Personal and Tax information is pre-filled in the respective fields of the excel utility (ITR). You can edit the Tax information, if needed. 

NOTE: The pre-fill option is available only for Assessment Year 2012-13