How to Register in Income Tax Portal Online | Steps and Documents Required
You received your first Form 16, and now everyone is telling you to file your ITR. But when you open the portal, you realise you cannot even begin because you are not registered. Now, how do you register in income tax portal?
Let us see!
How to Register in Income Tax Portal (Individuals / HUF)
To create an account on the national income tax e-filing website, you need to visit the Income Tax e-Filing portal, click on Register, enter and validate your PAN, fill in your basic and contact details, verify using mobile and email OTP, and finally set a secure password to complete the registration.
The initial registration process for individual taxpayers on the Income Tax Department e-Filing portal is an online and free procedure.
Before starting the registration process, keep the following details ready:
- Valid PAN (Permanent Account Number): This acts as your primary tax identifier.
- Aadhaar Number: Mandatory for linking with PAN to enable full access to services.
- Active Mobile Number and Email ID: Required for OTP verification during registration.
- Current Residential Address: To be entered accurately as part of your profile details.
Step-by-step guide for registering on the government income tax portal online.
Here are the simple steps to create an income tax account.
Step 1: Visit the Income Tax e-Filing portal homepage and click on Register to begin the process of how to create income tax account.
Step 2: Select Register as Taxpayer, enter your PAN, and click Validate. If the PAN is already registered or invalid, an error message will appear. Confirm Aadhaar validation if prompted.
Step 3: Enter your Name, Date of Birth, Gender (if applicable), and Residential Status exactly as per PAN, then click Continue.
Step 4: Provide your mobile number, email ID, and address on the Contact Details page and click Continue.
Step 5: Enter the two separate 6-digit OTPs received on your mobile and email, then click Continue. The OTP is valid for 15 minutes, and you get 3 attempts.
Step 6: Review your details carefully and click Confirm to proceed.
Step 7: Create a secure password between 8 and 14 characters,s including uppercase, lowercase, numbers, and special characters, add a personalised message, and click Register.
Step 8: Once registration is successful, click Proceed to Login and access your account.
If you also need to register DSC in the income tax portal, you can do it after logging in by going to Profile > Register Digital Signature Certificate (DSC) and completing the verification process.
Registered and ready to file? Do not stop there. Explore tax-saving investments under Section 80C, 80D, and beyond to cut down your tax outgo for 2026 before the deadline hits.
Once your basic account is set up, most individual taxpayers are good to go. But if you are a business owner, CA, or company representative who needs to digitally sign documents on the portal, there is one more step worth knowing: registering your Digital Signature Certificate (DSC).
How to Register DSC in the Income Tax Portal
The Register Digital Signature Certificate (DSC) service is available for all registered users of the Income Tax e-Filing portal. You can use it to register DSC, re-register expired DSC, re-register valid DSC, or register DSC of the Principal Contact.
Before you begin: Ensure you are a registered user, have installed the emsigner utility, plugged in your DSC USB token (Class 2 or Class 3), and that your DSC is active and not revoked.
Step 1: Log in to the Income Tax e-Filing portal using your user ID and password.
Step 2: From the Dashboard, go to My Profile.
Step 3: On the Profile page, click Register DSC from the left panel.
Step 4: Confirm that you have downloaded and installed the emsigner utility, then click Continue. If not installed, download it from Home > Download > DSC Management Utility (emBridge).
Step 5: Select your Provider, choose the Certificate, enter the Provider Password, and click Sign. After successful validation, a confirmation message will appear, and you can return to the Dashboard.
Register DSC in Income Tax Portal- Special Scenarios
If your registered DSC has expired, a message will prompt you to re-register, and you can follow the same steps above.
If your DSC is already registered and valid, you can either view details or choose to register a new DSC by repeating the process.
If you need to register DSC of the Principal Contact, log in with the respective PAN credentials and follow the same steps from login to signing.
This completes the process to register DSC in the income tax portal quickly and securely.
Registering on the income tax portal is a one-time process that takes under 15 minutes if you have your PAN, Aadhaar, and contact details ready.
Also check-
How to Link Aadhaar with UAN Online Through EPFO Portal and UMANG App
Quick Steps to Link PAN With Bank Account Online and Offline
Register in Income Tax Portal – FAQs
Visit the official Income Tax e-Filing portal, click Register, and enter your PAN to validate. Complete the process by filling in your basic details and contact information, then verify them using the OTPs sent to your mobile number and email ID.
Click Register on the homepage and select the appropriate user category such as Individual, HUF, or Others. Enter your PAN or TAN where applicable, validate it, provide the required legal details, and complete identity verification through OTP authentication.
After registering, click Login on the homepage and enter your PAN as the User ID. Confirm your Secure Access Message, enter the password created during registration, and click Continue to access your dashboard.
Your User ID is automatically assigned as your PAN once it is validated during registration. You create your password in the final step of registration, ensuring it is between 8 and 14 characters and includes uppercase letters, lowercase letters, numbers, and a special character.
Click Register on the portal and validate your active PAN. After completing registration and verifying your contact details through OTP, your PAN becomes your permanent e-filing User ID.
Your e-Filing username is your PAN, which you already have. You set your password during the online registration process after verifying your identity through mobile and email OTPs.
