The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has released the list of validation rules for Income Tax returns form ITR-1. Released rules can be accessed in a portable document format (pdf) file and it contains the list of category defects:
1. Category A defect rules – Under Category A defect, Return will not be allowed to be uploaded. Error message will be displayed.
2. Category D defect rules – Under Category B defect, Return data will be allowed to be uploaded but the taxpayer uploading the return will be informed of a possibility of some of the deduction or claim not to be allowed or entertained unless the return is accompanied by the respective claim forms or particulars.
Income Tax validation rules
The Income Tax Department has provided free return preparation software in downloads page which are fully compliant with data quality requirements. However, there are certain commercially available software or websites that offer return preparation facilities as well. In order to ensure the data quality of ITRs prepared through such commercially available software, various types of validation rules are being deployed in the e-Filing portal, so that the data which is being uploaded are accurate and compliant to the validation rules to a large extent. The taxpayers are advised to review these validation rules to ensure that the software used by them is compliant with these requirements, to avoid rejection of return due to poor data quality or mistakes in the return.
The software providers are strictly advised to adhere to these rules to avoid inconvenience to the taxpayers, who may use their software. Software providers may please note that these validation rules will be strictly monitored and enforced, and each rule will have to be complied strictly. In case of violations, the concerned return preparation utility/ software is liable to be blacklisted without any notice and such blacklisting will be published on the efiling website. No return using blacklisted software will be permitted to be uploaded till the time the software provider is able to provide details of correction in software. This may cause avoidable inconvenience to the taxpayers and loss of reputation to software providers for which the Income Tax Department will not be responsible.
The Portable Document Format (pdf) can be downloaded by clicking on the below button: