Jio Finance ₹24 ITR filing vs free Income Tax portal e-filing: Compared for self-filers

In this Income Tax Return (ITR) filing season, Jio Finance has made headlines by launching a ₹24 self-filing plan in association with TaxBuddy. This plan doesn't include support from a Chartered Accountant (CA) and is suitable for taxpayers who do not require expert assistance. Given this, is it worthwhile to file your ITR with the Jio Finance app when you can do it for free on the Income Tax e-filing portal?

With the ITR filing deadline for AY 2025-26 (FY 2024-25) approaching on September 15, 2025, this article compares both options on five key parameters to help you make a more informed decision.

ITR filing fee

Return filing on the Income Tax e-filing portal is free. All you need to do on the e-filing portal is log in and start filing returns on your own without paying any charges.

On the Jio Finance App, the ITR filing by yourself requires you to pay ₹24. This fee is currently cheaper than all the fintech platforms offering tax-filing services.

Suitable for

Self-filing on the Income Tax e-filing portal is suitable for taxpayers who do not need any expert support, or in other words, assistance from chartered accountants.

Most of the taxpayers with less complex income sources and deductions, or small taxpayers, or those with Nil taxable income, can easily file their returns online for free on the Income Tax portal. All your financial data is already pre-filled on the e-filing portal. You only need to verify those numbers and complete the process.

On the Jio Finance app, you may need to upload your Form 16 and other documents to kickstart the tax-filing process. The ₹24 plan may be suitable only for those planning to file Nil ITR or ITR-1.

The ₹24 plan may not be suitable for those with business or professional income, capital gains and losses, and foreign income, as they often require support from chartered accountants to avoid any mistake.

Self-filing ITR: Jio Finance vs free Income Tax portal

ITR filing complexity

In terms of tax-filing complexity, Jio Finance app may seem less daunting for self-filers compared to the Income Tax portal. It can help you track your return and refund status. The app also provides a tax-planner tool, guidance on every step of the filing process, and help optimise deductions for maximum tax saving. To make the most of these facilities, you need to spend some time on the app and read.

However, if you can spend some time navigating the Income Tax e-filing portal and carefully review the prompts and guidance provided during the filing process, it could be just as easy as using any tax-filing app. Moreover, you don't need to upload your Form 16 on the e-filing portal.

Expert assistance/CA support

The ₹24 plan on the Jio Finance app doesn't provide expert assistance. You need to pay a higher amount to get CA support. The platform is currently charging ₹999 for ITR filing with expert assistance.

On the Income Tax portal, you also do not get any CA support. However, the Income Tax department has developed its portal in a way to make the ITR process easy, especially for self-filers.

Data safety

The Income Tax e-filing portal is safe as it is run by the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT under the Finance Ministry, which, anyway, has access to all your financial data.

Since the launch of Jio Finance's ₹24 tax filing service, there have been social media rumours that the platform may use this service to acquire users' data for cross-selling other products in the future. However, the company has clarified that none of the ITR-related information of taxpayers will be stored with Jio Finance. The information will be processed by TaxBuddy, which is a registered e-return intermediary (ERI) approved by the Income Tax Department. TaxBuddy uses data with the user's consent.

As per the Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023, companies can only collect relevant personal data, explain why they need it, and also delete it when no longer needed. However, this provision is yet to be fully implemented, leading to ambiguities around how long digital platforms can hold your data and whether they can repurpose it for cross-selling other products and services.