How to eVerify Income Tax Returns (ITR) of Previous Assessment Years?

The Central Board of Direct Taxes has issued a notification during last year (2015) regarding the usage of Electronic Verification code for verifying the Income Tax Returns (ITRs) that are filed electronically.  If you everify Income Tax Returns using EVC, there is no need to mail (by post) the physical copy of ITR V to CPC Bangalore.

But, is it possible to electronically verify previous years Income Tax Return? Let’s say, you have electronically filed your ITR for Assessment Year 2009-10, but failed to send ITR-V in time (or) your post has not been delivered at CPC. In such a scenario, your ITR is treated as invalid.

Your tax return is considered as valid only if the Income Tax Department receives your ITR-V. So, the status of your 2009-10 ITR should have been shown as ‘Return uploaded’ on e-Filing website.

Good news! The Income Tax Department has extended the time limit to everify income tax returns for the past 6 years, which is from AY 2009-10 to AY 2014-15. The last date to verify your old ITRs is 31st August, 2016.

If you have any ITR (2009 to 2015) which has been pending for verification, you may receive an SMS like the one below from the ITD-CPC;

” ITRV of Ack No 123456789 for PAN*******, AY 2009-10 not received at CPC Bengaluru. Please validate your e-return through EVC or submit ITRV on or before 31-08-2016.”

If you have filed your previous years’ Tax returns electronically, your ITR can be verified by generating EVC or through your Aadhar OTP. Else, you have to submit a signed ITR-V (hard-copy) to CPC, Bengaluru.

How to eVerify Income Tax Returns for past 6 years?

Below is the procedure to electronically verify your ITR of previous assessment years;

• Visit Income Tax Department’s (ITD) e-Filing Website and click on ‘Login Here‘.
• Under ‘Dashboard’, click on ‘View Returns / Forms’.
• You can view the list of all ITRs that have been uploaded by you. In the below image, you can find that the status of ITR 2009-2010 (AY) is shown as ‘Return uploaded’ where-as other ITRs have been processed. This means that the ITRV of 2009-10 has not reached the CPC and the tax return is yet to be processed. To verify income tax returns of previous assessment years, click on ‘Click here to view your Returns pending for e-Verification‘.
• Select the respective previous AY ITR which has to be verified. 
• You can select option 2 or option 3 to generate EVC. If you select Option 2, EVC can be generated through net banking, Bank Account number, Demat Account number or registered email-id & mobile number. (Read : Detailed guide on ‘How to generate Electronic Verification Code (EVC) through various modes?‘)
• You may select option 3 to verify ITR through Aadhaar OTP (one time password). You will receive OTP to your mobile number which is linked to your Aadhar. Kindly enter that OTP to verify your ITR.
• If you click on option 1 or Option 2, you have to enter EVC code to everify Income Tax Returns.
• Once your ITR is verified, you will get the below message. The same is sent to your email-id too.
• You may now go back to Dashboard and check if your ITR is ‘successfully e-verified’ or not.
• You may kindly wait for few weeks and then check the status of your ITR. Ideally it should show as ‘ITR Processed‘.

Read : Detailed guide on ‘How to generate Electronic Verification Code (EVC) through various modes?‘

(Image courtesy of Mister GC at FreeDigitalPhotos.net) (Post Published on : 16-June-2016)