Introduction
An electronic signature that is used to verify electronic documents is known as a digital signature. You can do the e filing of income tax return with ease and security thanks to a digital signature. A digital signature has the same legal significance as a traditional or normal signature, as stated by the IT Act of 2000. It is used to certify the paperwork for your tax return and prevents fraud. Find out everything you need to know about digital signatures by reading on.
Digital Signature Components
To understand how a digital signature works, one must first understand the parts included in a digital signature:
Name
The name of the person who will use a digital signature or grant permission for a document to use for various purposes, such as sending papers to the right people, is the most significant aspect of the signature. A digital signature also decreases the possibility of fraud being committed in his name by another person with the same identity.
The Public Key
Every digital signature is coupled with a unique public key. This key encrypts and secures a document during the authorization process. It is quite significant in the verification process. Each digital signature also has an expiration date, defined by the associated public key. The public key specifies the time period a digital signature validates. The key may also be used to reset the digital signature if necessary.
Serial Number
Another important component is that it serves as an identification number for a digital signature. This number is critical for ensuring the practicality of an electronic signature. The certifying authority that issues the digital certificate uses the serial number.
Personal Details
A digital signature contains important information in addition to the full name, such as the contact number (mobile, home, and office telephone numbers), email address, residence location, and office address, which can all be used to locate and contact the individual. This data is encoded and can’t be perused by any other person, guaranteeing the client’s security.
The Benefits of Having a Digital Signature
Some of the benefits of having a digital signature are as follows:
- It can’t be tempered or changed in any way.
- It is a paperless solution that is good for the environment.
- Digitally signed documents may be readily monitored.
- You are not needed to authenticate the return using an Aadhar-based OTP or provide a signed physical copy of ITR – V to the CPC department in Bangalore.
There are many benefits of having a digital signature, you can avail of these benefits optimally by hiring an online tax consultant who can advise you on the best method.
Steps for Registering for a Digital Signature
Here are the steps to be followed for digital signature when ITR tax filing digitally:
Step 1
Create an account on the Income Tax Department’s e-filing site.
Step 2
Log in to the registered account on the e-filing website using the required password and user id.
Step 3
Once endorsed in, go to the ‘My Record’ tab and pick the ‘Update Advanced Authentication’ choice.
Step 4
The ‘Store Certificate’ file download procedure must begin automatically. The digital signature’s copy is kept locally on your machine.
Step 5
You must now return to the homepage and click ‘Upload your USB Token’. This takes you to the following screen, where you may pick the USB Token Certificate and then click the ‘Browse’ option. When you click this button, a window appears in which you must pick a downloaded file.
Step 6
Select this file and then press the ‘Okay’ button. After that, en
ter the ‘PIN code’, which is the Token’s password, and then click ‘Sign’.
Conclusion
The idea, advantages, and procedure of using a digital signature to e-filing of income tax returns are all covered in this article. It is compulsory for specific classes of citizens and discretionary for other people. A valid DSC must be obtained from a certifying authority and registered on the e-filing portal before being used as a digital signature. The DSC can then be used to upload and sign your return, resulting in an instant acknowledgment. Using a digital signature will not alter or steal your data. As a result, e-filing income tax returns is a smart move when using a digital signature.
