Income Tax Notice Reply

Received an income tax notice under Section 143(1), 143(2), 139(9), 148 or 156? Book a CA consultation that reads the notice, confirms the section and the deadline, and tells you exactly what your response needs. Consultation ₹999. No two notices are alike, so the fee for the reply or representation is quoted only after the notice has been read.
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What's Included

Notice Read & Section Identified (1961 or 2025 Act)
Response Deadline & Time-Limit Check
Genuineness Check Against Your e-Filing Account
Consultation with a Qualified Chartered Accountant
Written Summary of the Position & Your Options
Document Checklist for the Response
Scope & Fee Estimate for the Reply or Representation

Income Tax Notice Reply

Income Tax Notice Reply — CA-Assisted Response under Income Tax Act, 2025

Received a notice under Section 143(1), 143(2), 139(9), 148 or 156? An income tax notice is a formal communication from the Income Tax Department asking you to explain, confirm or correct something in your tax record. It is not automatically an allegation of wrongdoing — many notices are routine, and several are resolved by supplying a document or agreeing to an adjustment. What matters is that you identify which provision the notice is issued under and respond within the period stated on the notice. From 1 April 2026, the Income Tax Act, 2025 has replaced the 1961 Act and these provisions carry new section numbers — a notice you receive today may cite Section 278 where you were expecting Section 143(2).

Before Anything Else — Check the Date on Your Notice
Every notice carries its own response window, and it is printed on the notice itself. That period is the single most important fact in your case: an extension is not available on request, and a reply filed after the window has closed is treated very differently from one filed inside it. Read the response date first, then decide how to act. If your notice is close to expiry, say so when you book — we will tell you honestly whether a considered reply is still possible in the time left.

Common Income Tax Notices — Old vs New Sections under Income Tax Act, 2025

What the Notice Does Old Section (IT Act 1961) New Section (IT Act 2025)
Intimation after your return is processed — refund, demand, or an adjustment to what you filed Section 143(1) Section 277
Inquiry before assessment — the officer asks for a return, accounts, or specific information Section 142(1) Section 268
Scrutiny — your return is selected for detailed examination Section 143(2) Section 278
Show cause before reassessment — your chance to reply before a reassessment notice is issued Section 148A Section 281
Reassessment — income alleged to have escaped assessment Section 148 Section 280
Best judgment assessment — where a required response was not made Section 144 Section 279
Notice of demand — a sum is payable following an order Section 156 Section 289

A defective return notice (earlier Section 139(9)) now arises under the return-of-income provisions at Section 263. Time limits for issuing reassessment notices sit at Section 282, and rectification of an order at Section 288.

Important — A Notice Issued Before 1 April 2026 Is Still Valid
If your notice cites Section 143(2), 148 or 156 of the 1961 Act, it has not become invalid because the new Act commenced. Proceedings already begun continue under the provisions they were started under, and the old section number on the paper is not a defect you can rely on. Equally, do not assume a notice quoting Section 278 or 289 is a scam simply because the number is unfamiliar — always verify it against the e-Filing portal before responding.

Which Income Tax Notices We Advise On — 143(1), 143(2), 148 and 156

INTIMATION u/s 143(1) — NOW SECTION 277

A Section 277 intimation showing a demand you did not expect, a refund lower than claimed, or an adjustment to a deduction. Often the fastest category to resolve — sometimes with a rectification rather than a full reply.

SCRUTINY u/s 143(2) & INQUIRY u/s 142(1)

A Section 268 request for accounts or information, or a Section 278 scrutiny notice. These are document-driven: what you can substantiate matters far more than how the reply is worded.

REASSESSMENT u/s 148 & 148A

A Section 281 show-cause, or a Section 280 reassessment notice. The show-cause stage is the point at which your explanation carries the most weight — it is worth taking seriously rather than waiting.

DEMAND NOTICE u/s 156 — NOW SECTION 289

A Section 289 notice of demand, or an old demand still shown against your PAN on the portal. We look at whether the demand is correct, already paid, or capable of rectification before anything is paid.

Why a Notice Reply Has No Fixed Price

Most compliance work has a predictable shape — a return has a form, a due date and a defined set of inputs, so it can be priced in advance. A notice reply does not. Two clients can receive a notice under the same section and need completely different work: one may need a single document uploaded, while the other needs several years of records reconstructed and a detailed submission prepared. Quoting a flat fee before reading the notice would mean either overcharging the first client or underserving the second.

So we have separated the two things. The consultation is priced; the reply is quoted.

What ₹999 Buys — and What It Does Not
The ₹999 consultation is an advisory review: a qualified Chartered Accountant reads your notice, identifies the section and the deadline, tells you what the department is actually asking for, lists the documents you will need, and explains your options. It ends with a written summary and a fee estimate for the reply or representation.

It does not include drafting or filing the reply, attending hearings, or appellate work. Those are quoted separately once the notice has been read — and you are free to take the consultation and handle the reply yourself, or to take the quote elsewhere.

How the ₹999 Consultation Works — Step by Step

1
Upload the Notice

Upload the complete notice through your client portal — every page, including annexures and the document identification number. Tell us the date you received it. Please do not send your e-Filing password at this stage; it is not needed to read a notice.

2
Section & Deadline Identified

We confirm which provision the notice is issued under, whether it falls under the 1961 Act or the Income Tax Act, 2025, the exact date your response is due, and whether the notice is genuine and visible in your e-Filing account.

3
Consultation with a Qualified CA

You speak with a Chartered Accountant who explains what is being asked, what the department is likely working from, and what your realistic options are — including where simply agreeing to an adjustment is cheaper than contesting it.

4
Written Summary & Document Checklist

You receive a written note in your order recording the section, the deadline, the position discussed and the documents required — so you have a record you can act on, whoever ends up preparing the reply.

✓
Fee Estimate for the Reply — Your Decision

If the reply needs professional handling, you get a scope and a fee for it before any further work starts. Nothing proceeds without your written approval, and the consultation fee is not conditional on you accepting the quote.

Important Scope Note
This consultation is professional advice on the notice you provide, based on the documents and facts you share. It is not a guarantee of any outcome — no adviser can promise how an assessment, reassessment or demand will be decided. It does not cover representation before appellate authorities, tribunals or courts, and it is not legal advice on prosecution matters. Where a case needs that, we will say so and tell you what kind of professional you need, even if it is not us. Any response ultimately filed is submitted through your own e-Filing account and remains your submission.

Risks of Ignoring an Income Tax Notice

If You Do Not Respond What Can Follow
Inquiry or scrutiny notice left unanswered Assessment completed to the best of the officer's judgment under Section 279 — on the material available, without your explanation
Show-cause under Section 281 ignored A reassessment notice under Section 280 may issue without your side of the facts on record
Demand under Section 289 not paid or contested Interest continues to accrue and recovery action may follow; a refund due to you can be adjusted against it
Defective return notice not corrected in time The return can be treated as invalid — with the consequences of not having filed at all

Separate penalty proceedings may also be initiated depending on the nature of the default. The consequences above are indicative of the framework, not a prediction about your case — which is precisely why the notice needs to be read before anyone advises you on it.

Why Choose Our CA-Assisted Notice Consultation?

The most expensive mistakes with a notice are made in the first week: assuming it is spam, assuming it is catastrophic, replying without reading which section it was issued under, or paying a demand that was never correct. A short, honest review by a qualified Chartered Accountant early on is usually the cheapest step in the whole matter. We will tell you when a notice is routine and you can handle it yourself — that is a legitimate outcome of the consultation, not a failed sale.

Bring the Notice, Not the Worry
Upload the notice and your last filed return, and book the consultation. If it turns out the notice relates to a return we can help you correct or an old demand that should be rectified, we will tell you that route as well. If you have not yet filed the return the notice relates to, start with ITR Filing — a pending return often changes what the right reply is.

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Frequently Asked Questions

It is an advisory review of your notice by a qualified Chartered Accountant. We identify the section the notice is issued under, confirm the response deadline, explain what the department is asking for, list the documents you will need, and give you a written summary with a fee estimate for the reply. It does not include drafting or filing the reply, or attending hearings — those are quoted separately.

Because a notice reply has no standard shape. Two people can receive a notice under the same section and need very different work — one may need a single document uploaded, the other several years of records reconstructed. A flat fee quoted before reading the notice would either overcharge the simple case or underserve the difficult one. So the consultation is priced and the reply is quoted after the notice has been read.

Every notice states its own response period, and that date is printed on the notice. It is the first thing to check. Extensions are not available simply on request, and a reply filed after the window closes is treated differently from one filed inside it. If your deadline is close, tell us when you book and we will say honestly whether a considered reply is still possible in the time remaining.

Yes. A notice issued before 1 April 2026 under the Income-tax Act, 1961 does not become invalid because the Income Tax Act, 2025 has commenced, and the old section number is not a defect you can rely on. Equally, a notice citing Section 278 or 289 is not a fake merely because the number is unfamiliar — those are the new numbers for scrutiny and demand. Always verify any notice against your e-Filing account.

Under the Income Tax Act, 2025: intimation after processing is Section 277 (earlier 143(1)); inquiry before assessment is Section 268 (earlier 142(1)); scrutiny is Section 278 (earlier 143(2)); the show-cause before reassessment is Section 281 (earlier 148A) and the reassessment notice itself is Section 280 (earlier 148); best judgment assessment is Section 279 (earlier 144); and a notice of demand is Section 289 (earlier 156).

No, and you should be cautious of anyone who does. No adviser can promise how an assessment, reassessment or demand will be decided. What a consultation can do is make sure the right section is identified, the deadline is met, the correct documents are assembled and your position is put on record properly — which is what you actually control.

It depends on the notice. An unanswered inquiry or scrutiny notice can lead to an assessment completed to the best of the officer's judgment under Section 279, on the material available and without your explanation. An ignored show-cause under Section 281 can be followed by a reassessment notice under Section 280. An unpaid demand under Section 289 accrues interest and can trigger recovery, including adjustment of a refund due to you. A defective return not corrected in time can be treated as invalid.

Not to read and advise on a notice — please do not send it when you upload the notice. If you later engage us to file the response, we will ask for the login required for your order through the order-specific method confirmed by our team, never in a general email or WhatsApp message. Any response filed is submitted through your own e-Filing account and remains your submission.

The complete notice — every page, including annexures and the document identification number — the date you received it, and the acknowledgement of the return it relates to if you have it. The more complete the upload, the more useful the consultation.

Then we will tell you so. A number of notices are routine and need only a document uploaded or an adjustment accepted, and saying that is a legitimate outcome of the consultation. You keep the written summary and the document checklist either way, and there is no obligation to engage us for the reply.

A Section 143(1) intimation (now Section 277 under the Income Tax Act, 2025) is issued after your return is processed and shows a refund, a demand, or an adjustment to what you filed. Start by comparing the department's computation against your return line by line — many are resolved by agreeing to the adjustment or by filing a rectification, not by a full reply. Responses are submitted through the e-Filing portal within the period stated on the intimation. Bring it to the consultation and we will tell you which of those routes applies.

There is no single time limit — each notice states its own response period on its face, and that printed date is what governs your case. It is the first thing to check and the first thing we confirm in the consultation. Extensions are not available merely on request, and a reply filed after the window has closed is treated differently from one filed inside it. If your deadline is near, say so when you book.