The service-specific risk to address first
Omitted interest, securities transactions or incomplete verification can undermine an otherwise filed return.
A salaried Mumbai employee with share sales and freelance income needs more than a Form 16 upload.
Mistake 1: assuming the same rule applies to everyone
Choose return treatment from the full income profile and applicable tax year, not salary alone.
Entity type, business activities, transaction facts and the relevant period can change the answer. Before using a checklist or a headline rule, ask which facts make it applicable to you. Verify current official requirements rather than copying an old article.
Mistake 2: sending records that do not reconcile
Collect salary and tax-credit records, bank interest, investment and capital-gain statements and other income evidence.
Flag mismatches and missing items before the adviser starts. Never overwrite an original record simply to make totals match. Preserve an explanation of corrections so the final position can be traced back to its evidence.
Mistake 3: confusing one task with full compliance
Clarify whether capital gains, business schedules, foreign assets and follow-up queries are included.
An incorporation, registration, return or report is a particular deliverable. Other permissions, recurring obligations and implementation work may remain. Ask for a written list of what the engagement does not cover.
What to do if work is already wrong
Preserve the original submission or report and ask for an assessment of the available correction route. Do not submit a duplicate application or ignore a communication without checking the consequences. Identify the issue, relevant period and supporting evidence.
Will the final computation and mismatches be explained before I authorise submission?
Retain computation, return acknowledgement, verification evidence and the supporting documents.
How to use this resource
