Introduction

I am CA Rahul Gabhawala, a Chartered Accountant passionate about accounting automation and taxation. I focus on integrating AI and automation into finance to simplify complex processes and improve efficiency.

On March 28, 2025, I had the privilege of presenting at the ICAI AI Hackathon, where I showcased how AI can used to automate the Income Tax Portal using Selenium and Excel (VBA), making compliance easier and boosting productivity.

Problem Statement

Logging on Income Tax Portal and downloading required data (may it be acknowledgment of income tax return or its intimation order, or Annual Information Statement) is time-consuming and prone to severe human intervention which not only wastes precious computing resources available with a CA Firm but also precious manhours which could have otherwise been used for more productive uses. Automating the process using Selenium integrated with Excel (VBA) allows users to streamline data entry, form submission, and report generation without requiring programming expertise in high-level languages like Python.

Why Use Selenium with Excel (VBA)?

1. Ease of Access: Most offices already use Microsoft Excel, eliminating the need for additional software installations.
2. No Need for High-Level Programming Knowledge: VBA (Visual Basic for Applications) is easy to use and commonly understood by finance professionals.
3. Data Handling Efficiency: Excel allows efficient storage and management of tax-related data.
4. Seamless Web Automation: Selenium enables automated interaction with the Income Tax Portal, reducing manual effort. Moreover, Selenium is a free to use utility.

Installation & Setup

Follow these steps to set up Selenium with Excel (VBA):

Step 1: Download Selenium Wrapper for VBA (available on internet)

Step 2: Add Selenium Reference to VBA

1. Open Excel and press ALT + F11 to open the VBA editor.
2. Go to Tools > References.
3. Scroll down and check Selenium Type Library.
4. Click OK.

Step 3: Process Flow for Automating Income Tax Portal Tasks

1. Prepare Data in Excel: Organize taxpayer details, credentials, and filing data in an Excel sheet.
2. Initialize Selenium in VBA:
3. Set up the Selenium driver.
4. Launch the web browser.
5. Login Automation:
6. Navigate to the Income Tax Portal.
7. Enter login credentials from Excel.
8. Click login.

Writing & Running Code in VBA

Step 1: Save the Webpage (HTML Format)

1. Open incometax.gov.in in your browser.
2. Right-click on the page and select Save As.
3. Choose **Webpage, Complete (.html, .htm) and save the file on your computer.

Step 2: Upload the HTML File to ChatGPT

1. Open ChatGPT and go to the File Upload option.
2. Upload the saved HTML file.

Step 3: Ask ChatGPT to Extract the Required Elements & Write VBA Code

Use the following prompt to get accurate automation code:

Prompt 1: Analyze the Webpage Elements

"I have uploaded an HTML file of the Income Tax portal login page. Extract the element details for entering the PAN number and submitting the form."

Prompt 2: Generate VBA Code to Open the Page & Enter PAN

"Write VBA code using Selenium that opens the Income Tax portal in Chrome, enters a PAN number in the given field, and clicks the CONTINUE button."

Prompt 3: Modify Code Based on Errors (If Needed)

"I ran the code, but I am getting an error. Can you debug and correct it?"

Step 4: Run the VBA Code in Excel

1. Open Excel and press ALT + F11 to open the VBA Editor.
2. Go to Tools > References, check Selenium Type Library, and click OK.
3. Paste the generated VBA Selenium code and modify it if needed.
4. Press F5 to run the script and automate the task.

Conclusion

Automating tax filing using Selenium with Excel (VBA) eliminates manual work, enhances accuracy, and improves efficiency. Since Excel is widely used in offices, this solution is accessible without requiring knowledge of high-level programming languages like Python. By leveraging VBA and Selenium, finance professionals can streamline tax-related workflows effortlessly.

Note: The author can be contacted at rahulgabhawala@gmail.com for queries

Demonstration of this is hosted by ICAI at

youtube.com/live/nSQ7IwxGoN0?si=q29vSpdrm_NkHOgK&t=2178