The last date of filing returns for the FY 2009-10 has just passed. It is possible that some of us may not have been able to file returns before the last date. What happens then?

The Income-Tax Act allows individuals to file belated returns. Income-tax returns can be filed any time before the expiry of two years from the end of the financial year in which the income has been earned.

For FY10, returns can be filed before March 2012. However, if returns are not filed within two years, the income-tax department does not allow you to file returns at all and the income earned will be treated as concealed income chargeable to tax.

Filing returns in the assessment year

If you do not have any outstanding tax liability i.e. tax payable, then you can file returns any time before 31st March, 2011 without any penalty.

If you have an outstanding tax liability, and you file your returns before March 31, 2011, a penalty of one per cent per month will be levied on the outstanding tax amount payable.

Illustration: Manoj has an outstanding tax liability of Rs. 20,000 and has missed the income-tax filing due date. If he files his tax returns before March 31, 2011, i.e. on January 1, 2011, in addition to the tax liability of Rs 20,000 payable, he will have to pay a penalty of Rs 1,800 which totals up to Rs 21,800 along with his taxes.

Filing returns after the assessment year
Even if there is no outstanding income-tax liability, if you file your returns after the end of the assessment year, a penalty of Rs. 5,000 is levied.

If there is an outstanding income-tax liability and returns are filed after the assessment year, in addition to the penalty of one per cent per month on the outstanding tax liability, a penalty of Rs 5,000 will be levied.

Illustration: If Manoj ends up filing his income-tax returns on June 30, 2011, his tax liability would be a sum total of Rs 20,000, a penalty of Rs 5,000 and an interest penalty of Rs 3,000 which totals up to Rs 28,000.
So even if you have missed your income-tax return filing date, in order to limit the financial impact on yourself especially if you have an outstanding tax liability, it is essential you file returns before the end of the assessment year.

So do not relax after having missed the date. If you delay it beyond the end of the assessment year, you will face the maximum penalty — a flat amount of Rs 5,000 and then penal interest of one per cent per month on the outstanding tax amount if there is any.

Impact of filing returns late
Although the income-tax authorities allow individuals to file delayed returns, individuals do not enjoy all the benefits enjoyed by those filing returns before the due date. They include:

* Losses on account of transfer of capital assets or business loss cannot be set-off or carried forward. Thus you will lose a chance to set off the loss against income in the next year.

* Income-tax returns that you file cannot be revised later.

* In case you are eligible for a refund, you may end up losing interest due on the refund amount.

Thus not filing income- tax returns in time have financial implications especially if you have losses which could be carried forward.

Even if you do not have losses to carry forward and you miss the deadline, make sure you do not procrastinate especially if you have a tax liability outstanding as you pay a penal interest on the same.

File your tax returns even if it is a belated return as soon as possible because it is a constitutional obligation. Better late than never. You don’t want the tax man knocking at your doors for not filing returns.

(The writer is CEO of bankbazaar.com. He can be contacted at adhil.shetty@bankbazaar.com)