As the final deadline for filing belated income tax returns (ITR) ends on December 31, those who haven’t filed their ITRs yet should hurry. Senior citizens or those who aren’t tech savvy could use the co-browsing feature for real time assistance in filing ITR.
Co-browsing means collaborative browsing but not the same as screen sharing. Instead, the feature allows a taxpayer to share his ITR web page with an income tax agent in real-time for personalised support. In a screen-sharing mode, the person on the other end can see the entire screen. However, in a co-browsing mode, it is not possible.
“Co-browsing provides a much more private and secure experience for the taxpayer as the agent can only view the active window,” the IT department said in its FAQ segment.
"Co-browsing is a welcome feature, enabled by the Income-tax Department. An online real-time assistance is always appreciated rather than resolving the queries in a traditional ticket system manner," said Abhishek Y. Bhavsar, an Ahmedabad-based chartered accountant.
The feature can help you in the following ways:
● Free Personalised Support: First, one must log in to the ITR portal and click the ‘co-browsing’ button. After this, the income tax agent will receive a call, and CRM will pop up. Then, the agent will connect with the taxpayer and guide him through the ITR filing process. However, at any point, if the taxpayer clicks on the stop button, the agent’s session will close, and they will not be able to see the shared screen.
Sujit Bangar, the founder of Taxbuddy.com, a tax filing assistance company, said the most significant advantage of co-browsing is real-time support, replacing the traditional way of visiting tax consultant offices.
● Compatible With Most Laptops: No hardware and software installation or plugins are required for taxpayers to use this feature. They will only need a reliable internet connection. The process is quick and easy.
● No Information Leakage: Co-browsing does not provide access to the entire computer. The income tax agent can only view the active window open with the taxpayer. Also, the taxpayer must provide a PIN code to the agent to start the session.
“Co-browsing will be of great help to ITR filing customers who lack taxation knowledge and are not tech-savvy,” said Bangar.
• Co-browsing is merely a guidance tool and cannot help someone looking for specialised tax planning guidance and other legal matters on income tax.
Bhavsar said the co-browsing feature is a support facility enabled by the I-T department to ease technical struggles faced by taxpayers.
“However, reporting the necessary information in ITR/statutory forms would be required to be taken by the taxpayer only, and the agent may not be able to help the taxpayer take such legal positions,” added Bhavsar.
● Co-browsing support is limited to assistance during ITR return filing.
Bangar said one of the common problems, yet to be solved, is the need for more support after the ITR filing process, post their real-time session.
So, if a senior citizen or any other person requires technical assistance during ITR filing, co-browsing could be of immense help. However, it may not be of much use for tax planning, special taxation or legal compliance-related issues, or post-return filing assistance. In such a case, they can contact a chartered accountant or a tax consultant.
