1What do I use to log in to the e-filing portal?
Your PAN is your user ID, combined with your password and an OTP sent to your registered mobile or email. Keep your contact details current so OTPs and department messages reach you.
The income tax e-filing portal is where almost everything happens — filing returns, viewing your tax credits, responding to notices and tracking refunds. Knowing your way around it saves time and mistakes. Here's a practical guide.
Reviewed by CA Harika Chebolu, FCA · Last updated 2026-06-15
Quick answer
Register, log in, check your pre-filled data and AIS, file and e-verify — all in one place. Here's how to navigate the income tax e-filing portal.
Your login is built around your PAN, which doubles as your user ID. First-time users register with their PAN and contact details; thereafter you log in with your password and a one-time password sent to your registered mobile or email. Keep your contact details current on the portal so these OTPs and any department messages actually reach you.
Before filing anything, open your Annual Information Statement (AIS), which shows the full view of income the department has on record, and Form 26AS, which shows your tax credits. Reconcile both against your own records — every income they list should be reported, and every TDS credit should be claimed. Doing this first prevents mismatches that trigger queries.
When you start a return the portal pre-fills a lot — salary, interest, TDS and personal details. Treat this as a draft, not gospel: check each figure against your documents, add anything missing, and correct anything wrong. Select the assessment year and the regime, and the portal will compute the tax. Remember the slab structure behind it — for instance the new regime gives NIL tax up to Rs 12,00,000 of total income and a Rs 75,000 standard deduction on salary.
If tax is still payable after TDS, pay it as self-assessment tax through the portal's payment options before submitting, so the challan reflects in your return. Then confirm the computation and submit. The portal also lets you pay advance tax during the year — useful if your tax payable after TDS is Rs 10,000 or more, where instalments fall due across the year.
Filing isn't complete until you e-verify — most easily via Aadhaar OTP or net banking, within the prescribed window. After that, the same portal lets you track your refund status, download filed returns, respond to any notices and view your filing history. Bookmark it and check in periodically rather than only at filing time.
Your PAN is your user ID, combined with your password and an OTP sent to your registered mobile or email. Keep your contact details current so OTPs and department messages reach you.
Treat them as a draft, not gospel — verify each figure against your documents, add anything missing and correct anything wrong. The portal pre-fills salary, interest and TDS, but the responsibility for accuracy is yours.
Yes — you can pay self-assessment tax before submitting your return, and advance tax during the year, directly through the portal. Advance tax applies where your tax payable after TDS is Rs 10,000 or more.
Find the portal confusing or just short on time? Write to the firm and we'll handle your filing, verification and any notices end to end.