Tax Notices
The income tax notices you might receive, and what each one actually wants
Most notices are automated, most are routine, and most have a deadline. Knowing which one you are holding tells you…
Read the section number first
An intimation under section 143(1) is an automated comparison of your return with the department's records — often just a mismatch in TDS or a rounding difference. A notice under 139(9) says the return is defective and can be fixed. 143(2) opens a scrutiny assessment. 148 reopens an earlier year. The section decides both the seriousness and the deadline.
Deadlines are short and real #
Most notices give fifteen to thirty days. Missing the window turns a routine explanation into a best-judgement assessment with a demand attached, which then has to be appealed. The e-proceedings tab on the income tax portal is where every notice and reply now lives.
How we reply #
We reconstruct the year from the return, the AIS, bank statements and the underlying documents, then respond point by point with the evidence attached. Where the department is right, we say so and pay the difference — that usually costs less than defending it.
What you will need
- The notice itself, with the DIN and the section quoted
- The return and computation for the year in question
- Form 26AS and the AIS for that year
- Bank statements covering the transactions questioned
- Any earlier replies filed on the portal
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Tax Notices
The income tax notices you might receive, and what each one actually wants
Most notices are automated, most are routine, and most have a deadline. Knowing which one you are holding tells you…