What tax-planning checks should I complete before 31 March?
Tax liability is easier to manage when income, TDS/TCS, advance tax, self-assessment tax, AIS and actual cash flows are reviewed throughout the year. Reconcile AIS and Form 26AS with your own records before treating the estimate as final.
Quick Answer
In practical terms, Tax liability is easier to manage when income, TDS/TCS, advance tax, self-assessment tax, AIS and actual cash flows are reviewed throughout the year. Reconcile AIS and Form 26AS with your own records before treating the estimate as final. This answer is specific to “What tax-planning checks should I complete before 31 March”.
How to approach this decision
Reconcile AIS and Form 26AS with your own records before treating the estimate as final.
What should I check before deciding?
- Use the correct tax year and applicable Act. AY 2026-27 remains under the Income-tax Act, 1961, while Tax Year 2026-27 is governed by the Income-tax Act, 2025.
- List every relevant income head, deduction, tax already paid and transaction that could change the outcome.
- Separate tax savings from non-tax considerations such as liquidity, risk, lock-in, financing cost and investment suitability.
- Keep source documents so the decision can be reproduced when preparing the return.
Practical example: Suppose a taxpayer is considering this decision during Tax Year 2026-27. They should compare the tax outcome under the applicable rules, but also consider cash flow, investment or transaction consequences, documentation and any compliance step triggered by the decision.
How EZTax can help
EZTax can help organize income and tax information, compare relevant tax outcomes and support the taxpayer through filing and compliance workflows. Depending on the situation, the useful starting point may be the EZTax tax calculator / tool, the relevant question pages, or the filing workflow where detailed records need to be reconciled.
Related EZTax questions
- How should I plan advance tax when income is uneven?
- How should I plan advance tax when I sell investments?
- How should I plan advance tax after receiving a large bonus?
- How should I plan advance tax for capital gains?
- How should I plan self-assessment tax before filing?
