In my case, I keep things deliberately simple.

I have only 2–4 mutual funds and a limited number of stocks, mostly through the same broker. I have 1 term insurance policy and 2 health insurance policies.

I’ve also had just one credit card since 2003, which I rarely use.

So, for me, the best way to keep track of finances is to keep the number of financial products minimal and simple in the first place.

The fewer accounts, policies, investments and cards you have, the easier it is to track everything, review your finances and avoid unnecessary complexity.

Financial simplicity itself can be a good financial strategy.

One spreadsheet? Multiple apps? A financial advisor? Or do you simply keep everything separately?

I'm wondering whether there is a practical way to get a consolidated view of personal finances.

However, Form 12BB itself is not a mandatory Income-tax return form. It is essentially a declaration of eligible claims such as HRA, home-loan interest, and specified deductions to your employer.

If you have no such claims to declare, you generally don't need to submit Form 12BB.

Since you’ve already started Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana, you could consider complementing it with a systematic SIP in a diversified index/flexi-cap fund. A combination of equity-oriented investments for growth and SSY/debt instruments for stability can provide a reasonable balance between risk and returns.

Rather than chasing specific funds based on past performance, I’d suggest focusing on asset allocation, low costs, consistency, and disciplined annual reviews. With an 18-year horizon, staying invested and increasing the SIP periodically may have a greater impact on the final corpus than trying to identify the “best” fund every year.

Also, keep the child’s education goal separate from short-term market movements and gradually shift from equity to safer assets as the goal approaches.

A. Compare the original filed ITR-2 - Download/view the filed ITR-2 for AY 2026-27 and look at the corresponding Part B / Total Income computation.
B. Check the complete 143(1) computation - Don't stop at Row 16. Check the subsequent figures. If those are all correct, the Row 16 taxpayer-column anomaly is overwhelmingly likely to be a presentation/population issue rather than a tax computation issue.
C. Check the portal's demand/refund status - If the portal shows no outstanding demand, and your refund (if any) is correctly determined, I would retain the intimation and leave it alone.

Hope this helps.

1. Is this normal? On the face of it, this discrepancy appears to be a defect/bug
2. Is it ok to dismiss / ignore it?   
3. Else, what steps to be taken...?

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Sl.No. Particulars                Reporting Heads                                                                                                          Amount in ₹
                                                                                                                                                           ------------------------------------------------
                                                                                                                                                            As provided by     As Computed u/s
                                                                                                                                                            Taxpayer              143(1)
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12      CHAPTER VI-A        Deductions Under Chapter VI-A 0 0
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13                                       Total Income                                                                         XXXXXX              XXXXXX
14                                       Income which is included in 13 and chargeable to tax at special rates   0                           0
15                                       Net agricultural income/ any other income for rate purpose                    0                           0
16                                       Aggregate Income                                                          0                           XXXXXX
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👉 If your total EPF service period across all employers is more than 5 years, EPF withdrawal is generally tax-exempt, subject to meeting the applicable conditions. In such a case, TDS may not be applicable merely because the withdrawal amount exceeds ₹4 lakhs.

👉 Form 121 is generally meant for declaring that your tax liability is NIL and to avoid TDS where applicable. Whether you need to submit Form 121 depends on your specific EPF withdrawal case and EPFO requirements.

👉 Before proceeding, please verify your total eligible service period in your EPF records/passbook and the reason for withdrawal. If the cumulative service is indeed more than 5 years, the tax treatment may be different from someone withdrawing before completing 5 years of service.

👉 However, one important point is that if your EPF account continues to earn interest during a non-contributory period (when no PF contributions are being made), such interest may be taxable as per the applicable tax provisions.

Related reference:

• https://www.relakhs.com/epf-interest-income-withdrawals-taxation/
• https://www.relakhs.com/epf-ppf-nps-withdrawals-tax-rules/

Shift focus to broader Equity Mutual Funds
Instead of ELSS, you can consider:

• Nifty 50 / Sensex Index Funds
• Flexi-cap funds
• Multi-cap Asset Funds

Sample approach for 12–15 years

• 60–70% → Equity Mutual Funds (for growth)
• 20–30% → Debt options (PPF, EPF, etc.)
• 10% → Cash/short-term debt (for stability)

Since you have two goals:

• Daughter’s education (time-bound)
• Retirement (long-term, flexible)

👉 Try to separate investments mentally (or via different funds/SIPs) for each goal. This gives better clarity and avoids compromising one goal for another.

👉 Also, first estimate the required corpus for both goals and then work backwards to determine how much you need to invest periodically.

• If the required SIP feels high initially, you can start with a comfortable amount and gradually increase contributions (step-up SIP)
• Review your portfolio periodically and rebalance your equity–debt allocation based on performance and time horizon

You may go through my articles for more information;

• https://www.relakhs.com/best-mutual-funds-2026-equity-funds-analysis/
• https://www.relakhs.com/engineering-vs-medicine-the-eternal-dilemma-in-your-childs-education/
• https://www.relakhs.com/inflation-assumptions-financial-planning-india/