Every deductor who withholds tax at source must deposit that amount with the government within a fixed timeline, and the entire process is now handled electronically through the Income Tax e-filing portal. The old NSDL/OLTAS challan route has been largely replaced by the e-Pay Tax service, which pairs the familiar Challan ITNS 281 with a…
E-invoicing under GST requires notified businesses to report their B2B invoices to the government’s Invoice Registration Portal (IRP) before issuing them to customers. The portal validates each document, assigns a unique Invoice Reference Number (IRN) and returns a digitally signed invoice with a QR code. This guide explains, current as of 2026, who must comply,…
Professional tax is a state levy on income earned through employment, trade, callings and professions, and in Maharashtra it is governed by the Maharashtra State Tax on Professions, Trades, Callings and Employments Act, 1975. Almost every business, professional and employer operating in the state comes into contact with it through two distinct certificates: the Professional…
A Permanent Account Number (PAN) is a ten-character alphanumeric identifier issued by the Income Tax Department, and it remains mandatory for filing returns, opening bank accounts, and carrying out most significant financial transactions in India. As of 2026, an individual can obtain a PAN through three online channels: the Protean eGov (formerly NSDL) portal, the…
A Permanent Account Number (PAN) card is now available in a fully digital form known as the e-PAN, a password-protected PDF that carries the same legal validity as the physical card. If you have already been allotted a PAN, you can download the e-PAN online in a few minutes without visiting any office. This guide…
Your Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) account holds a meaningful part of your retirement savings, and the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) makes it simple to review the balance at any time. As of 2026, you can check your PF balance through four reliable channels: the EPFO member passbook portal, the UMANG mobile app, an SMS,…
Choosing the right bank account is one of the first practical decisions any individual, professional, or business makes, yet it is often made without much thought. In India, banks offer several distinct account types, each designed for a specific purpose, transaction pattern, and category of holder. This guide explains the main types of bank accounts…
A statutory audit is an examination of a company’s financial statements that is required by law, carried out by an independent chartered accountant to confirm that the accounts present a true and fair view of the entity’s financial position. In India, the requirement flows mainly from the Companies Act, 2013, though other statutes impose their…
After you submit a GST registration application on the official GST portal, the next natural question is where the application stands. The portal lets you follow every stage of processing using the Application Reference Number (ARN) or, in some cases, the Temporary Reference Number (TRN). This guide explains how to track your GST registration status…
A walkthrough of the GST portal dashboard after login — returns, ledgers, notices and the services menu — plus what to do when the dashboard will not load or your password is rejected.