Filing an Income Tax Return can often turn hectic and tiresome for some new taxpayers. So, in order to help taxpayers with filing of Income Tax Returns, the Income Tax department had in November 2022, launched an enhanced form of customer support service called co-browsing where the department’s agents guide income tax filer in filing his/her income tax.
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So, lets get into the details of the service.
Co-browsing, also known as collaborative browsing allows help desk agents of the Income Tax department to collaborate with the taxpayer in real-time. The agents can view the screen of the taxpayer while he/she is filing IT Returns and support and guide them in case they have any issue with the ITR forms.
Who should use this feature?
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This feature is suitable for those types of income tax filers who are do-it-yourself (DIY) tax filers and have an intermediate or advanced level income tax knowledge.
In this, the help desk agents of the income tax department will help the taxpayers understand which financial transaction should be mentioned in a specific column of ITR form. Through this, the taxpayers would be able to avoid mistakes like filling incorrect information in the ITR form resulting in a notice from the Income Tax department.
How much will taxpayers have to pay for this feature?
It is being provided free of cost by the income tax department and taxpayers will not have to pay anything for this.
How to use co-browsing function on ITR portal?
Step 1: Go to the ITR portal: https://www.incometax.gov.in/iec/foportal/
Step 2: Login to your income tax account by entering user ID (PAN) and password.
Step 3: Once logged in, scroll to the bottom of the webpage. On the right hand side, you will see the ‘Co-Browse Help’ option . Click on this option.
Step 4: A small dialogue box will appear. The box will have information about co-browsing and how you can use it. Click on ‘Agree’.
Step 5: After clicking on ‘agree’, click on the ‘Get live help’ red button on the bottom right-hand side. This button will appear only if you have agreed in the above step.
Step 6: A disclaimer box will open which states the the income tax agent will guide you and will not be able to see open tabs on browser and sensitive information like passwords. You need to click on the ‘Agree’ button.
Step 7: Once agreed another dialog box will appear. This will have your four-digit pin.
Step 8: A helpdesk agent will call on registered mobile number and confirm the pin and confirm the pin. Once it is done, the help desk agent will appear on the screen.
