To streamline the income tax payment procedure and address any errors in income tax challans promptly, the Income Tax Department has introduced a user-friendly online Challan Correction feature on the Income Tax Return (ITR) portal, asreported on the ET portal. This feature is designed to enhance efficiency and accuracy in the income tax payment process.
Taxpayers can make use of this new feature within a seven-day timeframe starting from the date of their income tax payment. However, once this window expires, taxpayers will need to revert to the conventional offline method for making corrections.
The online Challan Correction feature is applicable to challans related to the Assessment Year (AY) 2020-21 (Financial Year 2019-20) and all subsequent years. This implies that individuals who are paying taxes for AY 2020-21 and beyond can rectify specific errors through the online platform, thereby eliminating the necessity of physically visiting income tax offices.
Taxpayers can make use of the 'Challan Correction' option to amend three crucial details in their income tax challans:
- Assessment Year
- Major heads (e.g., code 0021 for individual income tax)
- Minor heads (e.g., advance tax)
As per the e-filing website for income tax, “Challan correction requests can be submitted only for minor heads: 100 (Advance tax), 300 (self-assessment tax), and 400 (demand payment as regular assessment tax) and for their corresponding major heads through the e-filing portal.”
Instructions for using the challan correction feature on the ITR filing portal
Before using the online “Challan Correction” feature, taxpayers should ensure they meet the following prerequisites:
- Registration on the e-filing ITR portal is mandatory
- The challan requiring correction should not have been used in the process of filing the ITR
- There should be no outstanding challan correction requests.
Follow these steps to rectify a challan online:
Step 1: Access the e-filing ITR portal and log in.
Step 2: On the newly opened webpage, choose "Create Challan Correction Request."
Step 3: Select the relevant option that necessitates correction:
a) Modification of the assessment year
b) Alteration of the applicable tax (Major head)
c) Adjustment of the payment type (Minor head)
Step 4: Furnish the essential details of the income tax challan requiring correction, such as the assessment year or Challan Identification Number (CIN).
Step 5: Depending on your chosen option, a new webpage will be generated. If you have provided a CIN number, the corresponding challan details will be presented. Alternatively, if you have selected an assessment year (AY), a list of all challans associated with that AY will be displayed. You can then pick the specific challan that requires correction.
Step 6: Input the accurate details for the selected option.
Step 7: Validate the correction in the tax challan through one of the following methods: Aadhaar OTP, digital signature certificate (DSC), or electronic verification code (EVC) via net banking, Demat, or bank account. Once the correction is successfully e-verified, the income tax e-filing website will present a confirmation message along with the transaction ID. Ensure to retain the transaction ID for monitoring the progress of your correction request.
Monitoring the progress of challan correction
To verify the status of the tax challan correction, log in to the ITR portal, and click on the 'Challan Correction' option within the services tab. This page will furnish you with the latest information regarding the status of your correction request.
