Does the IT department correct information on you? Verify your status before filling your returns.

You foresee the filing returns deadline, get your act together and begin e-filing your returns, but are awakened to a little shock - an error in processing. Don't question your Man Friday or doubt your own numbers, the fault may lie in your own information that lies with the Income-Tax Department. You may not be able to file your returns for this year if your Permanent Account Number (PAN) or Date of Birth (DoB) stored in the IT Department database is incorrect.

The IT Department recently updated the website and servers of incometaxindiaefiling.gov.in. Some serious efforts were made by the department to complete the new settings this year. Now, there are more checks which help an assessee to file his/her return in a convenient way.

What's new? The XML file which gets uploaded on the department's server while filing a return is first verified against its PAN. If there is a mismatch in the PAN and DoB as per the database available to Income-tax Department, an error will reflect in return. The check is also there for PAN which in case any filer enters in-correctly, the department server gives 'PAN does not exist' error.

What should you do?

If a filer gets an error about the DoB mismatch, he should recheck if he has correctly provided the information or not. In case the filer is using an Excel template from the Income-tax Department, he has to correct the DoB in the respective cell and re-generate the XML to upload the same on the DIT server again. If the filer is using any vendor's E-filing software or portal, he has to follow the protocol as per the software to get his details corrected.

Error despite all details correct?

If the filer has correctly provided his PAN and DoB details and still there is an error of mismatch, there is a probability that incorrect record is being maintained in the database of Income-tax Department for that filer. The filer is required to check with the Department as to what exact DoB exists in the database. The filer can change the DoB in his return filing as per the database and file. However, it is recommended that one should get one's records correctly updated in the Income-tax Department before filing.

To get the details corrected, the filer has to apply for a PAN Correction (Form - 49B) with National Securities Depository Limited (NSDL). The NSDL will send the updated information to the Income-tax Department and then the records should get rectified for the filer. PAN Correction can be done from any PAN Center available nearby or from online portals.

How to verify PAN and DoB before filing return?

Generally, if a filer is able to create his account in the Income-tax Department website with correct details, it means that there is no mismatch. The filer should enter the same details while preparing his ITR in the Excel template and generate XML. In case the filer unable to create an account with correct details, there is some issue.

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