What is tax audit?

The dictionary meaning of the term “audit” is check, review, inspection, etc. There are various types of audits prescribed under different laws like company law requires a company audit, cost accounting law requires a cost audit, etc. The Income-tax Law requires the taxpayer to get the audit of the accounts of his business/profession from the view point of Income-tax Law.

Section 44AB gives the provisions relating to the class of taxpayers who are required to get their accounts audited from a chartered accountant. The audit under section 44AB aims to ascertain the compliance of various provisions of the Income-tax Law and the fulfillment of other requirements of the Income-tax Law. The audit conducted by the chartered accountant of the accounts of the taxpayer in pursuance of the requirement of section 44AB is called tax audit.

The chartered accountant conducting the tax audit is required to give his findings, observation, etc., in the form of audit report. The report of tax audit is to be given by the chartered accountant in Form Nos. 3CA/3CB and 3CD.

What is the objective of tax audit?

One of the objectives of tax audit is to ascertain/derive/report the requirements of Form Nos. 3CA/3CB and 3CD. Apart from reporting requirements of Form Nos. 3CA/3CB and 3CD, a proper audit for tax purposes would ensure that the books of account and other records are properly maintained, that they faithfully reflect the income of the taxpayer and claims for deduction are correctly made by him. Such audit would also help in checking fraudulent practices. It can also facilitate the administration of tax laws by a proper presentation of accounts before the tax authorities and considerably save the time of Assessing Officers in carrying out routine verifications, like checking correctness of totals and verifying whether purchases and sales are properly vouched for or not. The time of the Assessing Officers saved could be utilised for attending to more important and investigational aspects of a case.

As per section 44AB, who is compulsorily required to get his accounts audited, i.e., who is covered by tax audit?

As per section 44AB, following persons are compulsorily required to get their accounts audited :

1. A person carrying on business, if his total sales, turnover or gross receipts (as the case may be) in business for the year exceed or exceeds Rs. 1 crore.
2. A person carrying on profession, if his gross receipts in profession for the year exceed Rs. 25 lakhs.
3. A person who is eligible to opt for the presumptive taxation scheme of section 44AD but he does not opt for the same and claims the profits or gains for such business to be lower than the profits and gains computed as per the presumptive taxation scheme of section 44AD and his income exceeds the amount which is not chargeable to tax.
4. A person who is eligible to opt for the presumptive taxation scheme of sections 44AE but he does not opt for the same and claims the profits or gains for such business to be lower than the profits and gains computed as per the presumptive taxation scheme of sections 44AEE.
5. A person who is eligible to opt for the taxation scheme prescribed under section 44BB or section 44BBB but he does not opt for the same and claims the profits or gains for such business to be lower than the profits and gains computed as per the taxation scheme of these sections.

If a person is required by or under any other law to get his accounts audited, then is it compulsory for him to once again get his accounts audited to comply with the requirement of section 44AB?

Persons like company or co-operative society are required to get their accounts audited under their respective law. Section 44AB provides that, if a person is required by or under any other law to get his accounts audited, then he need not again get his accounts audited to comply with the requirement of section 44AB. Is such a case, it shall be sufficient if such person gets the accounts of such business or profession audited under such law and obtains the report of the audit as required under such other law and also a report by the chartered accountant in the form prescribed under section 44AB, i.e., Form No. 3CA and Form 3CD (refer to next FAQ for relevance of these forms).

What are Form Nos. 3CA/3CB and 3CD?

The report of the tax audit conducted by the chartered accountant is to be furnished in the prescribed form. The form prescribed for audit report in respect of audit conducted under section 44AB is Form No. 3CB and the prescribed particulars are to be reported in Form No. 3CD.

In case of persons covered under previous FAQ, i.e., who are required to get their accounts audited by or under any other law, the form prescribed for audit report is Form No. 3CA and the prescribed particulars are to be reported in Form No. 3CD.

What is the due date by which a taxpayer should get his accounts audited?

A person covered by section 44AB should get his accounts audited and should obtain the audit report on or before the due date of filing of the return of income, i.e., on or before 30th September of the relevant assessment year, e.g., Tax audit report for the financial year 2013-14 corresponding to the assessment year 2014-15 should be obtained on or before 30th September, 2014.

In case of a taxpayer who is required to furnish a report in Form No. 3CEB under section 92 in respect of any international transaction or specified domestic transaction, the due date of filing the return of income is 30th November of the relevant assessment year.

The tax audit report is to be electronically filed by the chartered accountant to the Income-tax Department. After filing of report by the chartered accountant, the taxpayer has to approve the report from his e-fling account with Income-tax Department (i.e., at www.incometaxindiaefiling.gov.in).

What is the penalty for not getting the accounts audited as required by section 44AB?

According to section 271B, if any person who is required to comply with section 44AB fails to get his accounts audited in respect of any year or years as required under section 44AB, the Assessing Officer may impose a penalty. The penalty shall be lower of the following amounts:

(a) 0.5% of the total sales, turnover or gross receipts, as the case may be, in business, or of the gross receipts in profession, in such year or years.

(b) Rs. 1,50,000.

However, according to section 273B, no penalty shall be imposed if reasonable cause for such failure is proved.