Pay Income Tax Online: Step by Step

A large number of taxpayers are not comfortable with paying taxes as it is complicated and time-consuming. Things become all the more complicated when it is time to pay additional dues. But there is no need to worry, as things have become simple, with sufficient measures taken by the Income Tax Department. With improved facilities dues can be paid quickly without much effort. To make taxpayers aware of it the IT department keeps sending notices and reminders to people against whom taxes are due. The IT department does this to inform people about their tax liability so that they can pay it in time to avoid penalty.

Here is a step by step procedure to help people pay their due taxes

• Step 1 - Login: To begin with, visit the official website of the income tax department (TIN NSDL website).
• Step 2 - E-payment: Click on the ‘e-payment’ section.
• Step 3 - Challan number 280: Next you should click ‘Challan 280’ in order to pay your due income taxes.
• Step 4 - Form Fill up: Have all the essential details ready to fill the form that includes Permanent Account Number, assessment year, name, address, your phone number and email id.
• Step 5 - Type of Tax: in the 5th step, select the kind of tax applicable. The type of tax is generally advance tax or tax on regular assessment. Here you should choose ‘tax on regular assessment’ as you have got intimation from the Income Tax Department to pay additional taxes.
• Step 6 - Bank: in the 6th step choose the bank through which you would prefer to pay the due income taxes.
• Step 7 - Online Payment: after choosing the bank click ‘proceed’ button that takes you to the online payment portal.
• Step 8 - Payment Gateway: Different banks have different payment gateways that work differently. Follow the procedures to complete the payment accordingly.
• Step 9 - Receipt of payment: Once you make the payment a receipt will be generated. Save a soft copy of this form for later reference and communication with the Income Tax Department.

Apart from the online tax payment which is very easy, there is also a provision of offline tax payment. For this, you should visit a designated banks and pay the due amount in cash or cheque. Taxpayers should collect the tax challan from the IT office, fill it and submit it along with the required amount.

Is it possible to pay the unpaid income tax online?

Yes, the income tax department has made excellent provision for the taxpayers who wish to pay the unpaid income tax online. To do this visit the Income Tax Department’s online platform - http://www.tin-nsdl.com.

How to pay income tax via online banking?

Paying income tax through online banking is very easy. You can do this in few simple steps

• To begin with, visit the online platform - http://www.tin-nsdl.com
• Find the ‘Services’ section and click on ‘e-payment’ to pay taxes online. Alternatively, you can also click on the tab ‘e-payment: Pay Taxes Online’.
• Having clicked the above-mentioned link now select the challan that is relevant for your income category from ITNS 280, ITNS 281, ITNS 282, ITNS 283, ITNS 284 or Form 26 QB demand payment (for TDS on property sale) as required.
• After selecting the correct challan, enter the details of the PAN / TAN and other essential challan details like accounting head under which payment has to be made. The address of the taxpayer and the bank via which payment has to be made should also be provided.
• After submission of all the required details, a confirmation screen will appear. If PAN / TAN is verified as per the ITD PAN / TAN master, the full name of the taxpayer will appear on the confirmation screen.
• After confirmation, you will be redirected to choose bank’s payment page. Complete the payment using net banking.
• You are required to login to your bank’s net-banking interface with your user id and password to complete the payment process.
• Once your payment is confirmed, you will receive a challan receipt with details of CIN, transaction details and bank’s name. Save a soft copy of it for future reference.

Check the income tax refund status online?

The refund process for online income tax is lengthy and it may take around two to six months.

However, you can check the income tax refund status online by following some simple steps

• To being with Log on to the NSDL-TIN website
• Submit your PAN number and assessment year
• The status of your online income tax refund will be displayed on the screen

There could be different kinds of statuses that include

• Refund Status – Expired
• Refund Status – Refund Returned
• Refund Status – Processed through direct credit mode but failed
• Refund Status – Paid (Received the ECS refund advice but account not credited)
• Refund Status – Adjusted against outstanding demand from previous year
• Refund Status – Processed through NECS/NEFT and failed

What is the last date to pay income tax online?

Here is the schedule for the payment of advance taxes of income tax for individual and firms

• 1st Payment of 30% - 15th September
• 2nd Payment of 60% - 15th December
• 3rd Payment of 100% - 15th March

Here is the schedule for the payment of advance taxes of income tax for companies

• 1st Payment of 15% - 15th June
• 2nd Payment of 45% - 15th September
• 3rd Payment of 75% - 15th December
• 4th Payment of 100% - 15th March

Pay income tax online through debit/credit card

Apart from the net-banking, you can also pay income tax online through debit or credit card. Provisions for it has been given on the Income Tax Department official website. Furnish your details and you will be redirected to the bank’s website for completing the payment process.

Things to remember while paying Dues

There are certain things which need to be kept in mind while paying dues

• PAN: Make sure that Permanent Account Number you have entered is correct.
• Verification: Verify the complete form and correct the mistakes, if any.
• Calculation: The amount to be paid should be checked.
• Receipt: Once you have paid the tax, a receipt will be generated. Save a soft copy of it as the challan identification number on it is essential for the future correspondence with the IT department.