How to Resolve “Allowances Exempt u/s 10” Attention Message on myITreturn.com?

While filing your Income-tax Return on myITreturn.com, you may see the following attention message:

“This section is applicable to you only when you have any value entered in your Salary record for Allowances Exempt u/s 10.” 

This message appears when you try to open the detailed Allowances Exempt u/s 10 section, but the corresponding amount in your Salary record is blank or entered as ₹0.

Why does this message appear?

The detailed Section 10 allowance page becomes applicable only after an exempt allowance amount is entered in the relevant Salary record.

You may receive this message when:

• The Allowances Exempt Under Section 10 field contains ₹0.
• The field has been left blank.
• You opened the allowance-details section before completing the Salary record.
• An exempt allowance appears in your Form 16 but has not been entered on myITreturn.com.
• You edited the Salary record but did not save the changes.

How to resolve the message

Step 1: Click “Go to Salary Page”

On the attention message, click GO TO SALARY PAGE.

You will be redirected to the Salary record in which the exempt-allowance amount must be entered.

Step 2: Locate the Section 10 allowance field

Scroll to the Salary/Pension details section and locate:

Allowances Exempt Under Section 10

On myITreturn.com, this field refers to the exempt allowances reported in Point No. 2 of Form 16, Part B.

Step 3: Check your Form 16

Open the Form 16 issued by your employer and check whether an amount has been reported under allowances exempt under Section 10.

Depending on your circumstances, such allowances may include:

• House Rent Allowance, where eligible;
• Leave Travel Concession or Leave Travel Assistance, where eligible;
• Prescribed allowances under Section 10(14);
• Other salary-related amounts that qualify for exemption under Section 10.

Eligibility depends on the nature of the allowance, the applicable conditions and the tax regime selected by you.

Step 4: Follow the option applicable to you

Case 1: Your Form 16 contains an exempt allowance

Enter the total eligible exempt amount in the Allowances Exempt Under Section 10 field.

1. Verify the amount with Point No. 2 of Form 16, Part B.
2. Review the remaining Salary details.
3. Click SAVE.
4. Return to the detailed Allowances Exempt u/s 10 section.
5. Select the applicable allowance type and enter its amount.

The allowance-wise breakup entered in the detailed section should match the total exempt allowance entered in the Salary record.

Case 2: Your Form 16 does not contain an exempt allowance

Keep the Allowances Exempt Under Section 10 field as ₹0.

You do not need to complete the detailed allowance section. Click CANCEL on the attention message and continue with the other applicable sections of your return.

What if Form 16 shows an amount but myITreturn shows ₹0?

This may happen when the Salary record was entered manually, imported incompletely or edited after the original entry.

To correct it:

1. Open the relevant employer’s Salary record.
2. Enter the eligible exempt amount shown in Point No. 2 of Form 16, Part B.
3. Verify the gross salary, perquisites and other Salary figures.
4. Click SAVE.
5. Reopen the Allowances Exempt u/s 10 section.

When you have Salary income from more than one employer, check each employer’s Form 16 and Salary record separately.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Entering the entire allowance received instead of only the eligible exempt amount.
• Claiming an exemption that is not available under the selected tax regime.
• Entering a total amount in the Salary record without providing the corresponding allowance-wise breakup.
• Entering the same allowance under more than one employer.
• Forgetting to save the Salary record after making changes.
• Assuming that the attention message is an Income Tax Department notice.

Frequently asked questions

Is this an Income Tax notice?

No. It is an internal attention message displayed on myITreturn.com. It does not mean that the Income Tax Department has issued a notice or rejected your return.

Can I ignore the message?

You may cancel the message when no exempt allowance is applicable, and the Section 10 allowance field has correctly been entered as ₹0.

You should not ignore it when your Form 16 contains an exempt allowance that has not yet been entered in your Salary record.

Should I enter the gross allowance or the exempt amount?

Enter only the amount eligible for exemption under Section 10. Do not enter the full allowance received when only part of it qualifies for exemption.

Why does the message continue after I enter the amount?

Confirm that you clicked SAVE after editing the Salary record. Then close and reopen the detailed allowance section. Also verify that the amount has been entered in the correct employer’s Salary record.

Legal and filing position for AY 2026–27

AY 2026–27 relates to income earned during FY 2025–26. The return and the corresponding Salary exemptions for this year continue to be governed by the Income-tax Act, 1961.

The notified return forms and validation rules require exempt allowances relating to Salary to be reported under the appropriate Section 10 category.

Although the Income-tax Act, 2025 came into force from 1 April 2026, it applies to Tax Year 2026–27 onwards. Returns and related proceedings for FY 2025–26 and AY 2026–27 continue under the Income-tax Act, 1961.

Conclusion

The message appears because the detailed Section 10 allowance page has been opened while the exempt-allowance value in the Salary record is blank or ₹0.

When your Form 16 contains an eligible exempt allowance, enter the amount in the Salary record, save it and then provide the allowance-wise details. When no exemption is applicable, retain ₹0, cancel the message and continue filing your return.

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