Decision Guide · Income Tax
ITR filing: online CA-assisted vs doing it yourself (India)
Filing an income tax return in India has two honest routes. You can file it yourself for free on the government portal, or you can pay an online service where a chartered accountant files it for you. Neither is automatically the right answer. It depends on how complex your income is, how much time you have, and how much a mistake would cost you. This guide sets out exactly when the free do-it-yourself route is fine and when assisted filing earns its fee, so you can decide on facts rather than fear.
- DIY is fine for a simple salaried return where your AIS matches your records and you have time to file.
- Assisted is worth it for capital gains, business income, multiple employers, foreign income, or a notice.
- Judge services on four things: who files, price transparency, turnaround, and whether a reviewer checks the draft.
- The portal is free: incometax.gov.in, with AIS and Form 26AS pre-fill.
- Claw Tax: a verified CA files at a fixed published price with a reviewer check; salaried ITR from Rs 499.
01The two routes, in plain terms
There are only two real ways to file your ITR, and it helps to be clear about what each one is.
Do it yourself on the government portal
The Income Tax Department runs a free e-filing portal at incometax.gov.in. You log in with your PAN, your salary and interest data is largely pre-filled from the Annual Information Statement (AIS) and Form 26AS, you pick the right ITR form, confirm the numbers, and e-verify. For a straightforward salaried return this can take under an hour and costs nothing.
Use an online CA-assisted service
Here a tax professional or chartered accountant prepares and files the return for you at a price. Some services are software-led, where you enter data and a tool files it; others are CA-led, where a qualified person actually reviews and files. The key question to ask any service is simple: who signs off on the return, a form or a person?
Free does not mean easy for everyone
The portal being free is real and worth saying plainly. But free only helps if you are confident picking the right form, reading your AIS, and claiming the right deductions. If you are not, a wrong free filing can cost more than an assisted one.
02When doing it yourself is fine
Be honest with yourself. For many people the free portal is genuinely enough. Doing it yourself is sensible when:
- You have one salary, and maybe some bank interest, with Form 16 in hand.
- Your AIS and Form 26AS match your own records, with nothing unexpected.
- You are claiming only standard, well-understood deductions.
- You are comfortable choosing between the old and new tax regimes, and you understand which ITR form applies to you.
- You have the time to file before the due date, usually 31 July for individuals not subject to audit.
If that is you, filing on the portal yourself is the cheaper and perfectly valid choice. You do not need to pay anyone.
03When CA-assisted filing is worth it
Assisted filing earns its fee when the return stops being simple. Paying for help makes sense when:
- You have capital gains from shares, mutual funds, crypto or property, where the computation and the right form are easy to get wrong.
- You have income from more than one employer, or you changed jobs during the year.
- You run a business or profession, or have freelance and professional income.
- You have foreign income or assets, or you are a non-resident with Indian income.
- You received a notice, or a past return had a mismatch you want handled properly.
- You simply do not have the time, and the cost of a late or wrong filing (interest, penalty, lost refund) outweighs the fee.
The real question is not "can I file it myself", it is "what does a mistake on this particular return cost me".
For the capital-gains case specifically, see ITR for capital gains, assisted versus DIY.
04The criteria that actually matter
If you do decide to pay, judge services on checkable things, not on marketing. Four criteria matter most.
| What to check | Why it matters | Good sign |
|---|---|---|
| Who actually files | A qualified CA catches issues a form cannot | A verified CA, not just a self-serve tool |
| Price transparency | Avoids surprise fees at the end | A fixed, published price before you pay |
| Turnaround | The due date does not wait | A clear timeline, usually a few days |
| Review step | A second check catches errors before filing | A separate reviewer reads the draft |
Rank any option on these, not on an unproven claim that it is "the best".
05What the main services offer
The Indian market has several well-known options, and it is fair to describe them plainly.
- ClearTax and Quicko are strong software-led platforms with good self-filing tools and large user bases; assisted plans are available on top.
- Tax2win and TaxBuddy offer CA-assisted filing with a focus on individuals and salaried taxpayers.
- IndiaFilings and Vakilsearch cover a broad range of filings and registrations, with ITR as one of many services.
Each is a reasonable choice for the right person. What varies between them is exactly the four criteria above: whether a person or a tool files, whether the price is fixed and published, how fast, and whether anyone reviews the draft before it goes in.
06How Claw Tax helps
Claw Tax and Accounts is an online tax, GST and accounting service for India that connects you with a verified chartered accountant at a fixed, published price, with a Claw reviewer checking every filing before it is submitted.
If your return is a single Form 16 and nothing unusual, file it free on the portal; that is the honest advice. Assisted filing is for when the return is complex or the downside of an error is real. For that case, Claw Tax and Accounts puts a verified chartered accountant on the filing at a fixed published price (salaried ITR from Rs 499, capital-gains ITR from Rs 2,499), a Claw reviewer checks the draft before you approve, and you e-verify with OTP. You also get reminders before the next due date, so a deadline does not catch you out.
To understand the wider assisted-versus-DIY trade-off across tax tasks, see online CA versus doing it yourself. This is general information, not tax advice; a verified CA handles your specifics.
07Frequently asked questions
Is it mandatory to use a CA to file my ITR in India?
No. Most individuals can file their own return for free on the government portal at incometax.gov.in. A CA is not legally required for a simple return. You may choose assisted filing for convenience or when the return is complex, but it is a choice, not a legal requirement.
Is filing ITR myself on the portal safe and valid?
Yes. A return you file and e-verify yourself on the official portal is fully valid. The portal pre-fills much of your data from the AIS and Form 26AS. The risk with DIY is not validity but accuracy: picking the wrong form, missing a deduction, or mis-reporting capital gains.
When should I pay for CA-assisted filing instead?
Pay for help when the return is not simple: capital gains, business or freelance income, more than one employer, foreign income or assets, a past mismatch, or a notice. Also pay for it when you are short on time and a late or wrong filing would cost you interest, penalty or a lost refund.
How much does assisted ITR filing cost?
It varies by service and complexity. Some platforms charge per plan, some per return. Claw Tax publishes fixed prices, for example a salaried ITR from Rs 499 and a capital-gains ITR from Rs 2,499, so you know the cost before you pay. Always check the current published price of any service before committing.
What is the difference between a software filing and a CA filing?
A software or self-serve filing means you enter the data and a tool prepares and files the return; the accuracy depends on your inputs. A CA filing means a qualified chartered accountant reviews your documents, prepares the return, and takes responsibility for the professional work. The practical question to ask any service is whether a person or a form signs off.
What happens if I miss the ITR due date?
A late return can attract a late-filing fee and interest on any tax due, and you may lose the ability to carry forward certain losses. The due date for most individuals not subject to audit is usually 31 July, as notified each year. If you are at risk of missing it, that is one of the clearest cases for assisted filing with reminders.