What should you check before choosing a CA for ITR filing?
Before you hand over Form 16, bank statements and your PAN, run through these six checks. They apply to any preparer, local or online.
1. Credentials you can verify
Only a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) can call themselves a Chartered Accountant. Ask for the reviewing CA's membership number and check it with ICAI. A preparer is free to be a tax practitioner without being a CA. That is legal. But the service should say clearly who prepares and who reviews.
2. Fee told upfront
The fee should be fixed and told before you share documents. Ask what is included: one revision, notice support, a capital gains schedule, foreign assets. A fee linked to your refund amount is a warning sign. It rewards the preparer for inflating claims.
Most 143(1) adjustments come from a mismatch between the return and the Annual Information Statement. A careful preparer downloads your AIS, TIS and Form 26AS and matches each line. Ask directly: "Will you check my AIS before filing?" If the answer is vague, look elsewhere. Our AIS and 26AS guide shows what each section means.
4. Who files, and from which login
The return should be filed in your own name, from your own e-filing account or through an authorised e-return intermediary, and verified by you. You should receive the acknowledgement (ITR-V) and the full return copy. If the preparer cannot tell you how the return will be filed, stop there.
5. How your data is handled
Your Form 16, PAN, Aadhaar and bank details are sensitive. Ask where documents are kept, who sees them, and whether you can ask for deletion. Share OTPs only during a live call when you know what each one is for.
6. Support after filing
Many problems surface months later: a 143(1) intimation, a defective return notice under 139(9), or a refund adjusted against an old demand under section 245. Ask whether the same team will read the notice with you. Reply work is often priced separately, which is fine, as long as you know it in advance. See our notice reply service for what that involves.
If you are comparing options for a ca for itr filing near me search, put these six questions to each one. Their answers tell you more than their address.