CBDT launches Aayekar Setu: Here's how the app will help you resolve your I-T issues

Income tax department has taken a step towards making your tax life easy. It has launched a mobile app, Ayakar Setu, which facilitates easier tax payment, grievance redressal and many other difficult tax-related issues of the common man.

With the app, you can pretty much do anything related to tax from anywhere. The department also launched a new desktop service corresponding to the app.

It is a single window providing all tax services to various types of taxpayers. The app is available only on Android 5.0 and versions upwards as of now will also allow you to apply for permanent account number (PAN). You can also link their 12-digit Aadhaar with PAN card via the app.

Here’s a list of everything that you can do with the app:

1) A chatbot will answer your queries from Monday to Friday between 10AM to 6PM.

2) It lets you locate your nearest tax preparer, provided your location setting is on. You can get a name, email ID, and contact details of TRPs alongwith her location on Google Map.

3) It also contains information about all the tax payment service (TPS) offices across India. You can locate the nearby TPS office through this feature.

4) Your return preparation is made easy via this app. You can file revised returns, check the status of your returns, check the ITR-V receipt status, e-verify returns, check outstanding tax demand status and submit a response to outstanding tax demand notice. You can even send a request for refund reissue.

5) The app also allows you to register a legal heir for a deceased assessee. Of course, there’s a long procedure for that, but the app does give you the facility.

6) You can process your PAN/TAN requests. For instance, you can request reissuance of PAN, apply for correction in PAN, verify your PAN, link your PAN and Aadhaar and even surrender your duplicate PAN in case you have one.

7) TAN data can be changed within seconds. You can also register your TAN online right in the app itself.

8) There are tax tools which provide quick calculation on mere input of basic information available with taxpayers. For instance, you can calculate the taxable value of perquisites in case your employer provides rent-free accommodation or calculate the taxable and exempt portion of children’s education and hostel allowance, given to you by your employer. There are other calculators which can be used to compute advance tax, TDS and the like.

9) To make tax payment, you get filtered results based on your requirement. For instance, you can pay tax, file rectification for tax credit, get your tax credit statement, make a challan status inquiry and make correction in challan.

10) If you are a tax deductor, the app allows your to file TDS returns, check TDS rates, know the relevant forms, e-pay TDs/TCS, also tells you how to go about paying TDS on sale of a property.

11) If you are a tax deductee, you get to check your TDS status and rates, get tax credit statement, also check for any mismatch as well as do Form 16/16A verification.

12) You can also submit your grievances as well as check the status, check TDS mismatch, initiate PAN migration (when you relocate your permanent address from one state to another, you need to migrate your PAN).

13) Tax Gyaan is a game which will help you learn about income tax. There are four levels, beginner, normal, hard, and difficult.

This is the first mobile app by the CBDT and can be downloaded by giving missed calls to 7306525252 or by visiting the Google app store.

The features that we checked worked seamlessly. But most of the times the app redirects you to the website. It would have been better if everything was done in the app itself without the user leaving the app and getting directed to the website. Of course, there’s scope for a lot of improvement, but all in all, it’s a good initiative.