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How a small AIS check can save you from a tax notice

How a small AIS check can save you from a tax notice

India Today22-07-2025
It's tax season again and crores of taxpayers are getting ready to file their Income Tax Returns (ITR) for the financial year 2024–25 (assessment year 2025–26). But before you hit that 'Submit' button, here's one important step you shouldn't skip — checking your Annual Information Statement (AIS).The Income Tax Department has made the AIS a must-check document for every taxpayer. Unlike Form 26AS, which mostly shows details of tax deducted at source (TDS) and tax collected at source (TCS), the AIS gives a full picture of your financial activity. It includes income from your salary, savings interest, dividends, stock trades, mutual funds, high-value spends, and even money sent abroad.advertisementWHY IT MATTERSIf you skip checking your AIS, you might end up missing some income details. This can lead to a mismatch between what you file and what the tax department already knows, and that can easily get you a notice later. By cross-checking your AIS, you make sure all the numbers match, avoiding unnecessary trouble.HOW TO CHECK YOUR AIS
It's simple. Log in to the Income Tax Department's e-filing website www.incometax.gov.in using your PAN or Aadhaar and password.Click on the 'Services' tab, find 'Annual Information Statement (AIS)' and hit 'Proceed'. You can also go to the 'e-File' menu, click 'Income Tax Return' and pick 'View AIS'.The AIS will show all reported income details. If you want to download it as a PDF, you'll need a password, your PAN in lowercase, followed by your date of birth in DDMMYYYY format.WHAT IF THERE'S A MISTAKE?Mistakes happen. But the good thing is you can fix them. The AIS has an option to give feedback.Just pick the transaction with the error, click the 'Optional' button, select the right feedback and submit it. You'll get a receipt, and any updates will show up in your Taxpayer Information Summary (TIS).Simply put, a quick look at your AIS today can help you file an error-free return and stay worry-free about tax notices later.- Ends
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Income Tax: Avoid these 4 common mistakes that taxpayers make while filing ITR
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Error in ITR-2 online utility: CA highlights technical bug which may lead to taxpayers with capital gains income, carry forward loss getting scrutiny notices later
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ET Online CAs highlight about technical bugs on the utility due to which taxpayers with capital gains income, carry forward loss can get scrutiny notices later Chartered Accountant Aditi Bhardwaj has highlighted an error in the ITR-2 online filing utility on the e-filing portal. More specifically, there is an inconsistency in values in the Schedule Brought Forward Loss Adjustment (BFLA) and Schedule Carry Forward Loss (CFL) of the ITR-2 form. If this error is not fixed at once, then taxpayers filing ITR-2 online might encounter problems with their ITR getting rejected or adjusted under Section 143(1). Bhardwaj said on X (formerly Twitter): 'Error in Utility ITR 2: The assessee has reported Long-Term Capital Gains (LTCG) of Rs 1,44,108 during the year, which is set off against a short-term capital loss of Rs 6,585, resulting in net LTCG of Rs 1,37,523. This is further set off against a brought forward loss of Rs 48,233 from AY 2023–24, leaving a balance of Rs 89,290, which is exempt under section 112A. The BFLA schedule reflects this set-off of Rs 48,233 correctly. However, the CFL schedule continues to show Rs 48,233 as a carried forward loss, instead of reducing it to zero. This leads to a validation error during filing. Unlike previous assessment years, the utility currently does not provide a 'Set Off' button, which would enable manual activation of the adjustment. Additionally, while the BFLA - Utility form view correctly displays the row for LTCG taxable @ 12.5%, this row is completely missing in the preview or final PDF version of the return. The set-off details reflected in the utility are not carried forward into the preview, which appears to be a system error or rendering issue. You may remember Aditi Bhardwaj had earlier pointed out an error in calculating Section 234C interest in the Income Tax Return Utility on X (formerly Twitter). ET Wealth Online has reached out to many Chartered Accountants to find out if Bhardwaj is correct. They said: Chartered Accountant (Dr.) Suresh Surana says: Bhardwaj is right. In the given case, there is an inconsistency in the online filing utility, specifically in the integration between Schedule Brought Forward Loss Adjustment (BFLA) and Schedule Carry Forward Loss (CFL). Chartered Accountant Abhishek Soni, co-founder, Tax2Win, says: We have reviewed a similar case in the ITR-2 utility with the same conditions, including LTCG, STCL set-off, and brought forward losses. However, we did not encounter the error mentioned in the CFL schedule or the discrepancy in the preview/PDF format. The Income Tax Department said to Bhardwaj: 'Dear @CAAditiBhardwaj, We believe our team has been in touch with you regarding the issue. They are looking into this.' Also read: ITR filing 2025: Who can file ITR-2, who cannot file it for FY 2024-25 (AY 2025-26)? What is the error with ITR-2 online utility? Surana explains: Section 70 and 74 of the Income Tax Act,1961 provides that, Short term capital loss (STCL) can be set off against both STCG and LTCG whereas Long-Term Capital Loss (LTCL) can be set off only against LTCG, and unabsorbed losses may be carried forward for up to 8 years, subject to certain conditions. In the given case, there is an inconsistency in the online filing utility, specifically in the integration between Schedule Brought Forward Loss Adjustment (BFLA) and Schedule Carry Forward Loss (CFL). The taxpayer has a brought forward a capital loss of Rs 48,233 from AY 2023–24, which has been correctly adjusted against the remaining LTCG in Schedule BFLA. Post adjustment of the current year, STCL the entire brought forward loss also stands fully utilized. 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