New Delhi: The Income Tax Department has said that it has identified certain mismatches between third party information on interest and dividend income, and the Income Tax Return (ITR) filed by taxpayers and in many cases, taxpayers have not even filed their ITR.

References have come to the notice of the Income Tax Department (ITD) regarding apprehensions about a recent communication sent to taxpayers pertaining to mismatch of transaction amount shown in Income Tax Return (ITR) filed and information available with the ITD. The Department has taken note of the same & has issued a press release clarifying the issue. 

Mismatch Of Transaction Amount Shown In ITR: Income Tax Department Offers The Following Solution For Taxpayers 

The Tax Department said that in order to reconcile the mismatch, an on-screen functionality has been made available in the Compliance portal of the e-filing website  https://eportal.incometax.gov.in  for taxpayers to provide their response. At present, the information mismatches relating to Financial Years 2021-22 and 2022-23 have been displayed on the Compliance portal. The taxpayers are also being made aware of the mismatch through SMS and emails as per details available with the Department. 

Those taxpayers who have already registered on the e-filing website, can navigate to Compliance portal directly after logging into their account. Details of mismatches identified will be available under the ‘e-Verification’ tab.

Taxpayers who are not registered on the e-filing website have to register themselves on the e-filing website to view the mismatch. For registration, the “Register” button on the e-filing website can be clicked and the relevant details can be provided therein. After successful registration, the e-filing account can be logged into and the Compliance portal can be navigated to view the mismatches.

The on-screen functionality is self-contained and will allow the taxpayers to reconcile the mismatch on the portal itself by furnishing their response.  No document is required to be furnished. This is a pro-active step taken by the Department to reach out to the taxpayers and provide them an opportunity to respond to the communication in a structured manner. The Income Tax department has clarified that the said communication is not a notice.

What If The Taxpayer Has Disclosed The Interest Income In The ITR Under The Line Item ‘Others’?

The Tax department said that in case the taxpayer has disclosed the interest income in the ITR under the line item ‘Others’ in the Schedule OS, she or he need not respond to the mismatch pertaining to the interest income. The said mismatch shall be resolved on its own and will be reflected in the portal as ‘Completed’.

The taxpayers who are unable to explain the mismatch may consider the option of furnishing an Updated Income Tax Return if eligible, to make good any under reporting of income.