 The income tax department issues notices when it has doubts about income or expenses declared by the taxpayer. Unless you have misreported your income or assets or made wrong claims, you need not worry. Here is a rundown on when you may get a notice.
What happens after you file your return? Once you file your income tax return (ITR), it is processed by the income tax department. The department first examines the return of income for its correctness, a process called assessment. At first, a preliminary assessment under Section 143(1) of the Income Tax Act, 1961, is done, wherein the department checks for arithmetical error, incorrect claim and so on. The department has to complete the assessment under Section 143(1) within a year from the end of the fiscal in which the return of income is filed. At this stage, no detailed scrutiny of the return of income of a taxpayer is carried out. What are the most common tax notices? What’s the reason behind this year’s scrutiny notices? In the first phase, about 58,000 taxpayers, who filed their ITR for FY18, were served scrutiny notices. In the last few years, there has been a spike in the declaration of foreign incomes and assets. This could be a reason why more scrutiny notices have been issued in cases where tax filers have declared foreign assets and incomes. When do you get a tax notice for scrutiny? How should you reply to a scrutiny notice? Under the “e-proceeding” facility, tax officers have to take recourse to electronic communication for all scrutiny notices. For each tax notice, a particular response procedure has to be followed. Once you get a notice, access your income tax account under “My Account”, click on “My Pending Actions” tab or on “Worklist” and go to “For your action” to see if any demands or arrears are pending. You must submit the information needed within the time mentioned in the notice. A delay can have a bearing on your refunds, if any. |
