indian financial year runs from 1 april to 31 march accordingly the incometax return is to be prepared and filed for the relevant financial year 31st march is an important date as it marks the end of a financial year the last few weeks are when we rush for the documentsinvestment proofs based on which we compute our tax liabilitythe incometax department has done away with the requirement of filing any supporting documents like investment proofs etc along with the return of income it is however prudent to collect the same before the end of the financial year and keep them in records for future reference these would also be required in case your return is picked up for assessmenthere are ten things to do before march 31 2009 ie before the current financial year ends 1 submit to your employer the proof of investmentsexpenses that you have incurred to claim deduction under section 80c these includes receipt for insurance premium paid deposits made in your public provident fund account investment made in equitylinked savings schemes national savings certificates purchased childrens tuition fees paid etc your employer would require the details and the documentary proof to provide you the deduction under section 80c 2 if you are claiming deduction for house rent allowance then ensure that you have submitted the necessary details and proofs like rent receipt etc to your employer for claiming the benefit 3 collect all your bank statements and tax deducted at source tds certificates if any from your bank this will help you to compute interest income on bank deposits and pay balance tax if any4 if you have a running home loan you must collect the certificate of repayment of principal amount and the interest paid during the financial year from the bankfinancial institution from which you have taken the housing loan you are required to provide a computation to your employer specifying the income under the head house property along with the proof of interest and principal repayment to claim deduction5 in case you have changed employment during the financial year and not collected your form 16 then you should collect the same now 6 if you have made a donation to any charitable organization during the year then ensure that you collect a valid receipt to claim deduction us 80g7 if you are claiming deduction under section 80d for payment of health insurance premium for self and family then ensure that you have obtained receipt for the premium paid8 if you are claiming deduction for interest on educational loan then ensure that you have the necessary records to substantiate the same9 if you have soldtransferred any asset like house property shares mutual funds etc then compute the capital gains and check the exemptions available to you a distinction is to be made between long term and short term capital gains10 compute your tax for the year and assess whether you are required to pay any balance taxthese are few of the important steps