This glitch in online tax filing system is leaving expatriates in a fix

A glitch in online tax filing system in India may land expatriates in trouble. They won’t be able to file their income tax return online in time as the software is asking for a UID, or Aadhaar number.

Many expats can’t file their tax returns as the process won’t be complete without an Aadhaar number.

Even though the Indian government had notified that the foreign citizens are not required to obtain Aadhaar card for tax filing purpose, they are still facing issues.

"In several cases, the income tax e-filing system is not allowing expatriates to upload their returns without Aadhaar as they have been tagged as Indian citizens in the income tax database," Amit Maheshwari, partner at Ashok Maheshwary & Associates LLP, told ET.

In some cases, expats are asked to provide their foreign bank account when that's not required as per the law.

NRIs, too, "are unable to upload their tax returns when they mention their country of residence", a person told ET. Several representations on the issue have been made to the government in the last couple of weeks.

In this backdrop, expats and NRIs want the government to extend the deadline for filing the returns.