• Reasons For getting an Intimation Under Section 143(1)

    Anytime someone receives a notice from the Income Tax Department, there seems to be an overwhelming sense of trepidation that goes with it. Just looking at such envelopes can bring thoughts of impending fines and appearances and adds to the stress of daily life. But not all notices come bearing bad news. While some bear great news such as tax refunds, there are a few that are more of an announcement or statement of facts and have no positive or negative impact. One such notice is the Intimation under section 143(1). This notification is a computer generated message stating any errors made or any interest found payable or refundable. This message is generated automatically and has no human intervention. These intimations are often sent via email within a time frame of 1 year from the financial year in which the return was filed.

    When does one receive an Intimation under Section 143(1):

    • The below three instances are the primary reasons for having an intimation notice generated.
    • If the taxpayer has paid extra tax then the notification will mention the amount of tax refund. If the refund value is above Rs. 100, then the refund will be paid out to the taxpayer. Refund values below Rs. 100 will not be paid out.
    • If the taxpayer has paid taxes, which after computation are found to be short, then the notice will state the amount of tax due by the taxpayer and will also enclose a challan for the same payment.
    • A simple notice which states that the tax returns filed by the taxpayer fall in line with the computation made by the assessing officer. In such cases no specific intimation is sent to the assessee and the assessee should treat the ITR V acknowledgement of filing of return of income as the intimation notice.

    How to deal with Intimation under section 143(1):

    • Firstly, a taxpayer should not fret if they receive such an intimation. They should check for particulars and see if the details mentioned do belong to them such as name, PAN number, and assessment year.
    • The second step would be to check if the notice was sent either due to tax refundable or tax payable. In cases of tax refundable, only those values exceeding Rs. 100 will be refunded and this refund will be paid out in due course of time without the taxpayer having to provide any additional details.
    • If the notice was sent due to tax payable, then the taxpayer needs to see the cause of discrepancy. These causes may be due to simple arithmetic errors, inadequate documents submitted, undeclared sources of income, or deductions filed under the wrong sections. If the computation seems satisfactory, then the taxpayer must proceed to pay the tax difference immediately but if the taxpayer is unhappy with the computation made and would like to refute the notice then they can consult with a competent CA and contact their income tax officer.
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