Seeing an income tax notice in your inbox can make anyone uneasy. But before you jump to conclusions, not every notice is about penalties. In many cases, the ITD is simply cross-checking information or asking for details missing in your ITR.
We’ve put together a detailed thread on income tax notices to help you identify which one you’ve received and why.
How to respond to an income tax notice?
Here’s what you should do if you’ve received a notice from the ITD:
1. Verify your notice
These days, scam emails and messages are pretty common, so it’s always wise to double-check before you respond to anything. To confirm if the notice you received is genuine, log in to the e-filing portal. Once you’re in, go to Pending Actions → e-Proceedings.
If the notice appears there, it’s authentic. Now, download the notice and carefully check for:
- Section number – this tells you why you’ve received the notice (for example, Section 143(1) for intimation after processing ITR or 139(9) for a defective return).
- Assessment year (AY) – so you know which year’s ITR it’s about.
- Response deadline – the most crucial detail because missing this can lead to penalties or further action. So make sure you respond within the mentioned timeline in the notice.
2. Prepare your response
Next, you need to prepare a factual response to clearly explain your side and provide valid supporting proof.
Start by understanding why you received the notice (the section number usually hints at the reason). Then, collect all supporting documents, such as your Form 16, bank statements, investment proofs, or payment challans.
Once that’s ready, draft a concise and professional response letter addressing each point raised by the income tax department and mention the documents you’re attaching as evidence.
Finally, convert your response and all supporting documents into PDFs (as per the portal’s file size limits).
3. Submit your response
Once your response is ready, upload it on the portal.
Head back to the Pending Actions → e-Proceedings, open the specific case ID for your notice, and click “Submit Response” or “View/Submit Response.”
Select the appropriate response type such as Agree, Disagree, or Response to Notice/Query.
In the remarks box, add a short summary of what you’re submitting for example, “Attached supporting documents for deduction under Section 80C” or “Clarification for income mismatch.”
Then, upload your PDFs, review all details carefully, and hit Submit. The system will generate an acknowledgment number. This is your official proof that you’ve responded within the timeline.
If you need more time, you can use the ‘Seek Adjournment’ option to request an extension, with a valid reason.
What happens next?
After you’ve submitted, the ITD will review your response and the documents you’ve attached. If everything checks out, they’ll close the proceeding and you’ll see the case marked as “Completed” on your dashboard.
If they need more clarification, you might receive another message or notice, so keep an eye on your registered email and the e-filing portal.
In most cases, if you’ve replied correctly and within the deadline, the issue gets resolved smoothly without further action.
Hope this helps!