Tax notices, scrutiny and reassessment
Notices and appeals
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On demand
When a tax notice arrives, the first task is to establish what it requires and when you must act. TheTaxCo. reads the complete notice and identifies the proceeding. We prepare and file the response from your return, books and evidence, then follow the matter through hearings and further questions to the order.
This page covers a first review of any income-tax or GST communication, and the full work on an income-tax scrutiny or reassessment. A GST show-cause notice continues under GST notice responses. Once an order has been passed, the next step is a remedy review under income-tax and GST appeals, rectification and refunds.
Identify the communication before answering it
A notice can request information, propose an adjustment, seek a correction, offer a hearing or begin a wider proceeding. It is not necessarily a confirmed demand. The complete text, attachments, tax period and current case status determine the task.
We compare the document identifier and details with the official record available for the communication. If authenticity cannot be established, we help identify the verification step and preserve any apparent deadline. An unexplained mismatch is not treated as a reason to ignore the document or assume it is false.
Income-tax e-Proceedings records communications and responses, while GST maintains its own notices and orders history. The taxpayer or properly authorised representative uses the relevant official route. Income-tax e-Proceedings guidance; GST notices and orders manual.
Establish the stage, period and governing law
The record distinguishes issue date, receipt or service, response deadline and hearing date. We assess whether the displayed deadline and the legal provision cited need any further enquiry. An extension or adjournment request is considered before the original time expires and is tracked for its actual outcome; it is not treated as granted merely because it was requested.
Scrutiny examines a return and the information supporting it. Reassessment concerns income alleged to have escaped assessment and follows its own statutory procedure. A preliminary communication, reopening step, questionnaire and proposed addition may each need a different response, so we identify the actual stage from the documents rather than treating every notice as the same proceeding. Income Tax Department reassessment guidance.
For income-tax matters, the date of the notice does not decide which Act applies. Proceedings for periods before 01-04-2026 can remain governed by the Income-tax Act, 1961 even when conducted later. We test jurisdiction, limitation and response requirements under the law and amendments applicable to the particular period and notice. GST periods and notice types need their own analysis. Income Tax Department transition guidance.
The case chronology records issue and service dates, earlier replies, adjournments, hearings and orders. A challenge to the proceeding and an answer on the transaction facts are considered separately, so the response does not abandon one merely by addressing the other.
Turn each question into evidence
We make a question-by-question schedule. For every issue it links the notice question, the original return entry, the book amount, the source document and the explanation. Third-party or portal data is reconciled to the return actually filed. Later corrected accounts are shown as a separate version with an explanation of the change.
The evidence follows the allegation and the legal test, not an indiscriminate demand for all records. A bank credit may need evidence of a sale, loan, capital introduction or transfer between accounts. An expense query may need the contract, invoice, payment and business purpose. A sales or turnover difference may need a period or classification bridge between books, GST reporting and third-party data. A tax-credit query may depend on the payer’s reporting rather than a change to income.
Timing, classification, duplicate reporting and genuine errors are separated. The reply explains the source of a difference and shows the calculation, rather than repeating that the books are correct. Where evidence is unavailable, we state the gap and identify where it may be obtained. A factual statement is supported or clearly qualified.
Written replies and hearings
The reply answers each question and separates factual explanation, calculation and legal argument, with indexed annexures so a reader can find the record supporting each statement. Any admitted error, correction or legal position affecting the amount is shown for your approval before submission. The final pack is checked for consistent amounts, dates and annexure numbering.
We prepare and file the written submissions; authorised representation and hearings are handled by the professional appointed for the case. Where a hearing is available, the representative prepares the issues requiring oral explanation, attends as permitted and records further directions. If personal attendance or additional authorisation is required, that is explained before the hearing.
The official e-Proceedings workflow lets taxpayers and authorised representatives view communications and submit responses. A response option may become unavailable when the deadline lapses or the proceeding closes. e-Proceedings guidance.
What to provide and what you receive
Send the entire communication and attachments, the relevant return and computation, earlier correspondence and replies in the case, and the displayed deadline. After review, we request the specific ledgers, invoices, bank records or third-party statements needed for the issues raised.
You receive a notice summary, the chronology, a deadline and issue schedule, the evidence request, return-to-record reconciliations, and the agreed reply with indexed annexures. For hearings within scope, you also receive the hearing brief and a record of directions. We file the approved reply, answer later queries and review the resulting order; authorised representation and hearings are handled by whoever is eligible and can do the work. The engagement records the proceeding, periods and professional responsible.
You confirm the factual account and authorise the chosen response. Where another accountant prepared the earlier return or holds the records, we may need their returns, computations, replies and working papers, with your permission. We keep the approved versions and acknowledgements so later queries are answered from the same record.
What happens after the reply
The next event can be a further question, a hearing, a proposed adjustment or an order. We monitor case status and respond to further questions. When an order arrives, we compare the result with the issues raised and set out what is payable and which remedies are available. If an appeal, stay application or court proceeding is needed, we explain the route; after your approval, whoever is eligible and can do the work handles that next stage, including jurisdictional disputes and any role requiring a specific legal appointment.
A reply cannot guarantee acceptance, but it should leave no uncertainty about the facts and evidence supplied.
Preparation time depends on the number of years and issues, the volume and condition of earlier records, hearing work and third-party information. If a response date is close, we first identify what can be completed in time and what procedural relief, such as an extension, is available, while collecting the essential evidence.
Questions about a notice or proceeding
I cannot find the notice in the official record. Can I ignore it? No. Preserve the document and delivery details, then verify the issuer and the official record. A missing match needs investigation.
Can we upload all invoices and let the officer decide? The response needs a clear explanation and an index connecting evidence to the questions. Unsorted records can leave the actual issue unanswered.
Do I need to attend personally? We check the notice and available representation route. The appointed professional handles the permitted representation. We explain any direction requiring your personal participation and prepare you for it.
Can we replace the original return figures with corrected numbers? We show the original entry and the supported correction separately. The procedural route for correcting or admitting an error is assessed before the response is approved.
Why was the return selected? We work from the reasons and questions actually communicated. Speculating about selection does not answer the pending notice.
What if the previous accountant holds the records? With your authority, we identify the returns, computations, replies and evidence needed for handover. The response deadline stays in view while that material is collected.
Related services
Email TheTaxCo., message us on WhatsApp or book a call. Share the notice type if known, the tax period, the next reply date and whether any reply or hearing has already taken place. Send the complete document and attachments through the agreed channel.