TaxSpanner: Frequently Asked Questions

Using TaxSpanner

Ques: How do I use TaxSpanner to prepare my return?
Ans: Follow the process below to prepare your return:
1. Select either TaxSpanner Quick, TaxSpanner Advanced or TaxSpanner Professional.
2. You can proceed even without registering.
3. Enter your information based on easy, interview-style questions. If you don't have any information handy, you can skip it.
4. Preview your income tax return (ITR1, ITR2 or ITR4). TaxSpanner automatically selects the return form for you.
5. TaxSpanner will perform a review and will remind of all the missing pieces of information. Enter them.
6. Make payment.
7. Review your draft ITR generated by TaxSpanner.
8. E-file through Income Tax Department approved e-Return Intermediary by clicking "Efile My Return" button on the last page. Or, download and print your final ITR and submit it at the nearest income tax office.
Ques: What are the unique things about TaxSpanner?
Ans:
1. We do not ask you for payment until you are completely satisfied.
2. We let you explore the complete portal without seeking personal details upfront.
3. No pop-ups or advertisements or spam.
4. We e-file your return through approved e-return intermediary.
5. We use SSL encryption to keep your information highly secure.
Ques: Why does TaxSpanner not provide the service of physical filing of return?
Ans: We strive to provide flawless user experience at TaxSpanner. While we guarantee 100% accuracy and total satisfaction for TaxSpanner.com service, we have not found logistics of handling physical returns which can guarantee as flawless an experience as the TaxSpanner website. Therefore, we do not provide physical filing service.
Ques: When will I be able to efile my return?
Ans: E-filing is essentially another mode of filing your income tax return; in addition to the popular mode of printing and submitting your return at the income tax counters. Starting April 10, 2008, TaxSpanner has started providing e-filing of returns to the income tax department server through authorized e-return intermediary.

Tax Planning for AY2010-11

Ques: What is Tax Planning?
Ans: The purpose of tax planning is to provide an online tool to the salaried employees so that they can instantly understand and compute the tax impact of various financial actions such as salary composition, house property income, home loan, investments, sale/purchase of assets, gifts, and interest-bearing deposits.
Ques: When should I plan my taxes?
Ans: Though you can plan your taxes through out the year, employees generally make the 80C investments from December to March every year. The other tax planning decisions such as house property, asset sale/purchase are made through out the year.
Ques: If I purchase Tax Planning, will I be able to e-file my return?
Ans: Yes. E-filing is included as a default feature.

Digital Signature

Ques: What are the benefits of efiling with digital signature certificate (DSC)?
Ans: If you efile your return without digital signatures, then you have to post/mail one-page efiling acknowledgment (ITR-V) at the income tax PO Box. If you efile your return along with your digital signature, then you do not need to deposit ITR-V.
Ques: Why should I buy MTNL DSC through TaxSpanner?
Ans: MTNL is one of the most trusted names in India. With trust, comes confidence and security. You can relax at your homes or offices while e-filing your ITR through TaxSpanner.Com. We have tied up with MTNL so that you get 2-yr DSC at the most attractive price, along with 3-yrs of return filing at TaxSpanner.Com.
Ques: DSC has a validity of 2 yrs. How can it be used to file return for 3 years?
Ans: Assuming you purchase the DSC in May 2009, then your DSC is valid till May 2011. You can efile your ITR for AY 2009-10, 2010-11, and 2011-12, if you file your third year's return by May 2011.
Ques: What is the procedure for obtaining DSC?
Ans: Follow these steps to purchase Digital Signature Certificate:
- Download DSC Application Form by Clicking Here. Print all 4 pages.
- Fill the DSC Application Form. Fields marked by * are compulsory.
- Follow the instructions on page 2. For any query, email at dsc.support@spanacross.com. Mention your TaxSpanner.Com login-id in the email.
- Do not forget to attach the 3 documents as mentioned in step 5 of instructions.
- Please ensure that you sign pages 1, 2, and 4.
- Courier the complete application form and documents to this collection address.
  TaxSpanner.Com, G-12 Mall Apts., Mall Road, New Delhi 110054, India.
- Once you have couriered the documents, send email to dsc.support@spanacross.com stating that you have sent the courier.
- On receiving all the documents, we will do registration on your behalf and issue DSC.

E-Filing and ITR-V

Ques: What is the difference between efiling without digital signature certificate (DSC) and efiling with DSC?
Ans: When you e-file your return, you receive an acknowledgment from income tax department in your Email. This acknowledgment is a 1-page PDF file called ITR-V (ITR Verification). If you efile your return without digital signatures, then you have to mail (normal post or speed post only, courier is not accepted) this one-page signed efiling acknowledgment (ITR-V) to the income tax department's PO Box address: "Income Tax Department - CPC, Post Box No - 1, Electronic City Post Office, Bangalore - 560100, Karnataka, India."

Please note that as per CBDT Circular No. 3/2009 (Dated May 21, 2009), No Form ITR-V shall be received in any other office of the Income-tax Department or in any other manner.

If you efile your return along with your digital signature, then you do not need to post signed ITR-V.
Ques: What is the content of ITR-V Email received from Income Tax Department?
Ans: You will receive an email in below format (the text can vary slightly):

From: donotreply@incometaxindia.gov.in
Subject: Confirmation message for Successful Efiling Return IT Acknowledgement - ITR-V Ack No: nnnnnnnnnnnnnn for PAN XXXXXNNNNX
Text: Dear XXXXXNNNNX, Thank you for Filing Return with the Electronic Filing of Income Tax Returns Website. Please find your upload details (and other details) below.

Please find attached the IT Acknowledgement - ITR-V form for PAN no XXXXXNNNNX and Acknowledge Number nnnnnnnnnnnnnn for the year 2009. Please furnish the Form ITR-V to the Income-tax Department by mailing it to "Income Tax Department - CPC, Post Box No - 1, Electronic City Post Office, Bangalore - 560100, Karnataka" within one hundred and twenty days after the date of transmitting the data electronically. Form ITR-V shall not be received in any other office of the Income-tax Department or in any other manner. The receipt of this ITR-V at ITD-CPC will be sent to you at this e-mail address.

Regards,
Administrator.
Ques: The ITR-V pdf file received in email is password protected. How do I open it?
Ans:Please note that the pdf document is password protected to ensure it is accessed by the appropriate user. The password is a combination of the PAN number (lowercase alphabet) and the date of birth in the format ddmmyyyy.

For example, if the PAN number is AAAAP2222A and the date of birth is 10-Jan-2008, then the password will be aaaap2222a10012008

In case you are unable to open the document, please contact Efiling Income Tax Administrator at ask@incometaxindia.gov.in providing the document along with pan number and assessment year.
Ques: What is the time limit to deposit signed ITR-V?
Ans: a. The signed ITR-V form should be mailed to the income tax PO Box within one hundred and twenty days of e-filing, so that the date of e-filing is deemed to be the date of furnishing the return.
b. In case Form ITR-V is furnished after one hundred and twenty days (or not furnished), it will be deemed that the return has never been filed. You have to e-file again, followed by mailing signed ITR-V within 120 days.
Ques: Does TaxSpanner provide ITR-V deposit service?
Ans: Yes, we offer complimentary ITR-V deposit service to customers who purchase TaxSpanner at MRP and to the employees of our corporate clients. All you need to do is courier two signed copies of ITR-V to below address.

#335, Temple Tree
1st Main, 7th Block,
Koramangala, Bangalore 560095
Ques: What precautions should I take while mailing the signed ITR-V?
Ans: Please note the following:
a. Since the Form ITR-V is bar-coded, you are advised not to fold the same and post it in A4 size envelope.
b. Upon receipt of the Form ITR-V, the CPC shall send an e-mail acknowledging the receipt of Form ITR-V. If you do not receive the email, contact TaxSpanner Support.
c. No Form ITR-V shall be received in any other office of the Income-tax Department or in any other manner. So, please make sure to post it only to the above mentioned address.
Ques: I have not received the acknowledgment email from Income Tax Department confirming the receipt of my signed ITR-V?
Ans: Please take the following actions:
a. Contact Efiling Income Tax Administrator at ask@incometaxindia.gov.in. You can also call Income Tax Department at 080-43456700 between 9:30 AM to 6 PM between Monday to Friday for ITR V receipt status.
b. Login to https://incometaxindiaefiling.gov.in/portal/index.do Please check "My Account" -> "E-filing Process Status" for status of receipt of ITR-V at CPC, Bangalore.
c. If it has been more than 3 weeks since you posted your signed ITR-V, please post another copy immediately to Income Tax Department. Or, you can courier it to TaxSpanner Bangalore office and we will post it to the CPC.

Promotions

Ques: Will TaxSpanner introduce the File Fast promotion again?
Ans: Traditionally, users prepare their returns in the last few days of the due date. We also tend to do that :-). To encourage early filing of returns, TaxSpanner ran a special File Fast promotion last year. We may run this promotion this year. This year, we are running promotional discount scheme for PNB and ICICI Net Banking customers.
Ques: When does TaxSpanner come up with promotions?
Ans: Pricing is an integral and confidential part of TaxSpanner business strategy. We do not disclose our price moves in advance.

Referral Program

Ques: How does TaxSpanner Referral Program work?
Ans: TaxSpanner pays a referral fee of Rs. 50 if you refer TaxSpanner service to your friend or colleague. You must be a registered user (i.e., with a valid login/email id) at www.taxspanner.com in order to be eligible for this program. Whenever an individual mentions your TaxSpanner login id while paying for TaxSpanner service, you become eligible to receive the referral fee if that individual's payment is successful. The complete details of the referral program are available in the License Agreement.
Ques: How many referrals can I give?
Ans: There is no limit on the number of referrals that you can give.
Ques: How and when does TaxSpanner pay the referral fee?
Ans: TaxSpanner will send an email to you asking for your details, such as name, and address. After receiving the valid information, TaxSpanner will issue an account payee cheque for the amount payable. Referral fee will be paid within ninety days of an eligible referral.
Ques: Is it possible that I do not receive the referral amount?
Ans: There are some basic conditions that should be fulfilled before we make the payment.
1. You must be above 18 years of age.
2. The person who has provided your email id must not have asked for a refund.
Ques: When does the referral program end?
Ans: The referral program was till July 31st, 2008. Any referrals after this date will not be eligible. We have not yet launched the referral program for 2009.

Saving Information

Ques: Why does TaxSpanner allow users to browse without registering?
Ans: If you can visit a shop and inspect its wares without any compulsion to buy, why not do the same on a website? TaxSpanner strives to provide a similar experience to the ones in real life. Hence, there is no compulsion to pay or to share your private data unless you are completely satisfied of the TaxSpanner service.
Ques: Why does TaxSpanner not flag an error for incomplete information?
Ans: One of the key features of TaxSpanner is that we do not stop you at every step asking for missing information. We understand that not all information is handy at times, plus if you are exploring the website you might not want to all information. We too find it a nuisance.
We will remind you of the missing information during the Return Review process. Note, you can revisit any page any number of times and fill or modify your information rather than wait for the review.
Ques: Does TaxSpanner save all my information?
Ans: TaxSpanner saves all your information at every click. If you have created a login id you can logon at any time and access all your data.
If you are using TaxSpanner as a guest user (i.e., without creating a login), then your data is saved as long as your session is alive. A session expires when you close the browser, or if your session is inactive for 20 minutes. To save all your data from a guest session, click 'Register Me' link at the top right hand corner to create your login.

Support

Ques: What can I contact TaxSpanner support for?
Ans: You should contact TaxSpanner support for:
- Questions regarding tax computation
- TaxSpanner features
- Payment related issues
- Any other feedback regarding TaxSpanner
Ques: How soon can I expect a reply from TaxSpanner Support?
Ans: We provide a 24 hour response time for all queries.

Return Preparation

Ques: I am an NRI. Can I use TaxSpanner?
Ans: Yes. NRIs can prepare and file returns using TaxSpanner.
Ques: Which income tax return forms does TaxSpanner support?
Ans: TaxSpanner supports the new income tax return forms Saral II (ITR1), ITR2 and ITR4. Saral 2D, and Form 2F are not applicable for filing returns from Financial Year 2007-2008 onwards.
Ques: What features are not supported by TaxSpanner?
Ans: Please visit the page What is not included in TaxSpanner? for a list of features that are currently not supported by TaxSpanner.

How to E-File

Ques: How can I Efile my return?
Ans: You have two options to E-file your return:
1. Procedure to E-file at TaxSpanner.Com through E-Return Intermediary
  - Authorize upload of your E-return
    Click the "Efile My Return" button on the last screen of TaxSpanner application.
  - Receive ITR-V in email.
    You will receive one-page acknowledgment of your e-filing (named ITR-V) in your email.
    You have to sign and post/mail a signed copy of ITR-V to the income tax PO Box.
2. Procedure to E-file Yourself
  - Download your E-return
    Download your electronic return (XML file) from TaxSpanner and save it on your computer.
  - Upload your E-return
    Upload the saved XML file on Income Tax department website (www.incometaxindiaefiling.gov.in). If you have DSC (Digital Signature Certificate), attach DSC along with your XML file.
    If you already have a username/password on Income Tax department website, login using that. Else, create your login using your name, date of birth and PAN.
  - Receive ITR-V in email.
    You will receive one-page acknowledgment of your e-filing (named ITR-V) in your email. If you attached your DSC with the e-return, simply save your ITR-V. You do not need to do anything else.
    If you did not attach your DSC with the e-return, then you have to sign and post/mail one copy of ITR-V to the income tax PO Box.
Ques: How can I file my paper return?
Ans: TaxSpanner will provide your completed income tax return as a PDF file. You have to print your income tax return, sign it, and submit it at the nearest income tax office.

Security

Ques: How does TaxSpanner protect your online security?
Ans: Keeping financial and personal information about you secure and confidential is one of our most important responsibilities. We take the following steps to protect our systems and their interaction with you:
1. All your data is located in secure servers, which can only be accessed by TaxSpanner staff.
2. Encrypting the transmission of data makes it difficult to intercept sensitive information as it travels between two parties. We encrypt the dedicated lines that connect our systems, and we use Secure Socket Layer (SSL) technology to encrypt the connection that we make with you over the Internet.
3. Time-out Feature. As an added precaution, sessions will timeout if they are inactive for 20 minutes or more.
Ques: What can I do to protect my online security?
Ans: While TaxSpanner seeks to protect your information on our systems, it is very important that you take precautions to protect yourself and the information you share over the Internet. Below are some recommendations that you can use to protect yourself online.

Your password:
1. Memorize your password and do not write it down in un-secure place.
2. Regularly change your password. This is the most effective way to increase your security.
3. Do not share or reveal your password to anyone. [Note: TaxSpanner will never ask you for your password.].
4. Select a password that cannot be easily guessed by someone else.
5. Do not associate your password with anything personal such as names, birth dates, phone numbers, or other familiar words.
6. You may set your password at least 6 characters in length (any characters). For security purposes, a password length of 6 or more characters is strongly recommended.
Other ways:
1. Remember to sign off of TaxSpanner once you have completed your session. TaxSpanner provides a Logout link in the upper right hand corner of your screen.
2. Only provide your login id and password when your browser indicates an encrypted connection. An encrypted connection is normally indicated by an "https://" in your browsers address bar in front of the address of the page you are visiting.

Capital Gains

Ques: My stock transactions are stored in a spreadsheet? How can I add them into TaxSpanner?
Ans: TaxSpanner does not support uploading of data from spreadsheets at the moment. However, you can enter as many transactions in the Capital Gains section.