Submitting a return on income tax is a legal obligation for every TIN (Tax Identification Number) holder, regardless of taxability. Even individuals with no income or taxable earnings must file returns to inform the government of Bangladesh about their financial status. For those whose income falls within the tax-free limit, submitting this declaration incurs no tax liability. That’s where the return without payments comes in, submitted digitally, making the process easier than ever. Let’s explore how to submit zero income tax return online in Bangladesh seamlessly and effectively. What is a Zero Return? Filing a return without tax payment is commonly known as a “zero return”. It applies to cases where the declared income falls within the tax-free threshold. In such instances, exemptions, rebates, or advance tax payments may reduce the taxable amount to zero. Even when no tax is due, filing a return without tax payment is mandatory to declare income, expenses, assets, and liabilities, ensuring compliance and accurate record-keeping. Who is Eligible for Zero Return Filing? TIN-holding citizens whose annual income falls within the tax-free limit are eligible to file a zero return. The income thresholds per annum (in a fiscal year) are as follows: - Women and individuals aged 65 or above: Up to BDT 4,00,000- Third gender and persons with disabilities: Less than BDT 4,75,000- Gazetted war-wounded freedom fighters: Up to BDT 5,00,000- All other individuals: Not exceeding BDT 3,50,000. Read more: e-TIN: Online registration process in Bangladesh Online Method of Filing Zero-Income Tax Return General Method To begin the process, first log in to the National Board of Revenue (NBR) e-return platform (https://etaxnbr.gov.bd/#/auth/sign-in). Before proceeding, ensure all relevant documents related to income, expenditure, debts, and assets are prepared. This will not only ensure the accuracy of the information but also expedite the entire process. According to the traditional rules of digital services, zero returns can be filed either as a single-page or multiple-page return, depending on the level of detail required. In the case of a single-page return, all income, expenditure, and assets must be recorded briefly. This format does not automatically calculate values based on the provided information, so all details must be entered manually. In the case of taxable income, the specific tax amount must also be entered manually. Generally, the tax payable is determined based on total income, and tax rebates are deducted. When the tax payable for the return is zero, no further calculations are necessary, and the tax payable remains zero. For detailed returns, calculations are automatically determined according to the information provided. Read more: How to submit income tax returns online The first question on the form is crucial, as it determines whether taxable income exists. Based on the answer, relevant sections for providing additional details will either be enabled or disabled. If there is no income, select the tab ‘No’, which will deactivate all income heads. If the income amount is not taxable or subject to exemptions or rebates, a return without payments is applicable. In that case, select ‘Yes’. Other options on the Assessment page should be filled out in the same manner as for any return. After clicking the tab ‘Save and Continue’, an additional Information page will appear. If ‘No’ was selected for taxable income, the 'No' option will be automatically specified in the rebate section. As a result, several options for minimum tax calculation will not appear. Only shareholders of a company and IT10B categories will be listed. Appropriate information for each of these categories must be provided. For individuals with assets and debts, submitting IT10B is required. After completing this section, click the tab ‘Save and Continue’. The expense calculation page will then appear, along with additional tabs on the right side: Tax and Payment, and Return Review. If IT10B was kept active on the previous page, Assets and Liabilities will be listed as a new tab. After filling out the entire form, click ‘Proceed to Online Return’. Next, review the page, and select the tab ‘Submit Return’. Now, the process will be completed. Read more: How to Deactivate TIN in Bangladesh: A Comprehensive Guide How to Submit Zero Return in Sanchayapatra To begin the process, select the detailed return option. When asked whether there is taxable income, choose ‘Yes’. This will activate the ‘Income from Financial Assets’ option under ‘Heads of Income’, which should then be selected. Consequently, the rebate option will become active on the subsequent ‘Additional Information’ page. To claim the rebate, choose ‘Yes’ in this section. Additionally, the IT10B category should remain active. On the ‘Income’ page, other general tabs like ‘Expenditure’ and ‘Rebate’ will be visible. The main task on this page is to provide information related to the profit from the Sanchayapatra (savings certificate). On the ‘Tax Rebate’ page, select ‘Approved Savings Certificate’ under the Investment category and enter the savings certificate details. The rebate determined for the savings certificate investment will automatically display. The maximum rebate for savings certificates is BDT 500,000, even if the investment exceeds this amount. On the following page, the expense calculation will be displayed. Here, the Tax Deducted at Source (TDS) from the profit earned on the savings certificates should be entered. The total TDS must be placed in the ‘Payment of Tax at Source’ box. This amount includes the quantity that was earlier entered on the savings certificates under the ‘Income’ page. Read more: How to Buy Sanchayapatra in Bangladesh: A Beginner's Guide Since the IT10B category remains active, the ‘Assets and Liabilities’ section will appear as usual. In this section, the ‘Financial Assets’ option will be available, where the Sanchayapatra information must be entered again. Next, provide the source amount of funds used for purchasing all assets, including the savings certificates. To ensure accurate calculations, the amounts for ‘Fund Outflow’ and ‘Source of Funds’ should match. After completing this, click on the tab ‘Save and Continue’ to move to the ‘Tax and Payment’ page, where the final tax payable will be automatically calculated. To verify the tax deducted at source, answer ‘Yes’ to the question regarding whether tax has been paid at source during the current financial year. Then, by selecting ‘Yes’ for the ‘Tax Payment Update Status’ option, the ledger page will appear. From the left-hand menu, navigate to ‘Savings Certificate’ under ‘Claim Source Tax’. On this page, re-enter the Sanchayapatra details, including the TDS. After saving, this information will appear below in the at-a-glance TDS list. Next, go to ‘Tax Payment Status’ at the bottom of the left-hand menu, where the updated source tax status will be visible. Click on ‘Go to e-Return’ at the bottom right to return to the previous ‘Tax and Payment’ page. At this point, the final tax payable section will show as zero. After confirming that all information is correct, click on the tab ‘Proceed to Online Return’. The entire return will be displayed on the next page. Review all information again, then select ‘Submit Return’ to complete the process. Summing Up The process of submitting Zero Income Tax Return Online in Bangladesh begins with preparation – gathering the necessary documents makes the process flawless and faster. Every detail must be consistent to avoid errors. Tax rebates, exemptions, and advance tax payments must be updated to ensure the final payment is generated accurately. Since all TDS and rebates are stored in the user’s account, adjusting calculations with previous data becomes hassle-free. Read more: Sanchayapatra at Maturity: Encashment or Renewal of Bangladesh’s National Savings Certificate

As part of the digitalization plan in Bangladesh, the traditional TIN certificate was updated and converted into e-TIN Certificate in 2013. The term ‘TIN certificate’ is familiar to almost everyone, including regular taxpayers in Bangladesh. Citizens of Bangladesh need TIN certificates and TIN numbers to start businesses, get tax rebates and more. Let’s take a look at how to register for an e-TIN certificate online in Bangladesh. Who can get a TIN certificate in Bangladesh? As per National Board of Revenue rules, if you earn around BDT 16,000 per month, you must have TIN. Apart from this, unemployed persons, including homemakers, can get TIN if needed. If you have something that requires a TIN, such as car ownership or membership in an organization, you must have a TIN certificate even if you have no taxable income. However, men do not have to pay tax if their income does not exceed BDT 2,50,000 per year. For women of all ages and all citizens above 65 years of age that income limit is BDT 3,50,000. Citizens with disabilities do not have to pay tax if their income does not exceed BDT 4,25,000 per year. If your income is below the tax limit, you have to submit a zero return showing TIN. Read Smart NID Card in Bangladesh: Online Application Process, Documents Needed, Fees Benefits or uses of the e-TIN certificate The first benefit of having a TIN is that you will be registered as a taxpayer. Then pay taxes up to your income limit, with which the government will run the country. Long ago, when things like income tax or value-added tax did not exist, the government used to collect tax from the land. But now, due to the diversity of people’s income, the government has to collect money to run the country through income tax. By collecting an e-TIN number, you will be a proud taxpayer. If you have a TIN registration number, the bank will deduct a 10% tax from your savings. If not, then 15% will be deducted. Suppose you get a gift or prize money from somewhere, which is given to you through the bank, even, in that case, TIN holders will get a 10% tax deduction, and for those who do not have TIN, 15% will be deducted. Although an e-TIN certificate is not required to open a bank account, if you take a bank loan, TIN is needed. The government provides different benefits and incentives to different professionals or small entrepreneurs at different times, none of which are available without TIN. Read Bangladesh Smart National ID Card Correction Process How to get an e-TIN certificate online in Bangladesh? To get a TIN certificate, first go to this link: https://www.incometax.gov.bd/Registration/ and provide all the necessary information in the boxes. You will need to provide a user id, password, security question, answer, mobile number, and email address. After that, provide a captcha and click on verify button. NBR will send an SMS with a code to the given mobile number. Now you have to type the code on the e-TIN activation page and click on the Activate button. Then on the next page, click on TIN registration/re-registration. A new page will appear. Here you have to provide all the important information and proceed by clicking the next button. In the Taxpayer Type section, select Individual/Expatriate/Company – whichever is applicable. Those who didn’t have a teen certificate earlier will select new registration, and for those who had, there will be a re-registration option. Read How to Get E-Passport in Bangladesh: Things you need to know Then enter the old TIN number and proceed to the next page. Now enter all the information about the taxpayer’s income, such as occupation, source of income, and place, and go to the next page. After that, all the personal details like name, address, national identity card number, VAT registration number (if any), etc., need to provide correctly and confirmed. The e-TIN will be ready in no time. All the information, including photos, will automatically be verified using the national identity card number. The prepared TIN certificate can be printed immediately. Or it can be saved as a PDF, which can be printed later. So, you just got your TIN certificate. You don’t need to pay any penny to complete the whole process. Read E-Passport for Children in Bangladesh: Application process and necessary documents How to recover an e-TIN ID? If your TIN certificate is lost, you can recover it online using your user ID and password. Since we log in to the portal once in a while, it is normal that you may have forgotten your ID and password too. Don’t worry; you can recover those too. To recover your user ID or password, go to https://www.incometax.gov.bd/TIN Home and click on Forgot Password. Next, select Forgot My User Name and Forgot My Password. On the next page, you will need to provide the mobile number you used to register the TIN certificate. After that, you will be asked the security question you used during the registration. If your answer is correct, you will get a 4-digit code on your mobile via SMS. Put the code and verify your mobile number. In the next step, enter the 4-digit code received on the mobile and re-enter your mobile number and submit. You will see the user ID of your TIN account as soon as you submit it. To recover the password, click on Forgot Password menu again and select the Forgot My Password option and click on the Next button. Enter the User ID found in the previous step and put the Verification Letters, and click Next. You will receive 4-digit verification to your mobile via SMS. Enter the verification code and click Recover My Account. Next, you will see a page to change the password. Enter a new password here with at least 4 Letters/Numbers. In many cases, some people do the TIN registration through someone else. Because of this, they might have registered TIN with their mobile number. In this case, you can contact that person and take his help. Moreover, you can call the helpline of NBR and inform them about your problem and know the username of the e-TIN website. NBR Helpline: 09611-777111 or 333. Read Birth Registration in Bangladesh: Application Process, essential papers If this is also not possible, contact the tax office with a photocopy of your TIN number, if known, and one copy of your National Identity Card. Final Words Whether you are an employee, businessman, or professional, a TIN certificate is a must for you. However, many people are yet to get familiar with obtaining a TIN certificate online and think it is a complicated process. Getting a TIN certificate is a very simple task. No need to go to any office for this. You can just go to the NBR website and fill in the necessary information, such as your mobile number and national identity card, and you can get the e-TIN number at home. So far, this article provides detailed guidelines for getting an e-TIN certificate online in Bangladesh. Hope it helps! Read Changing/ Correcting Information in SSC and HSC Certificate