The Income Tax department has clarified that the recent SMS and email communications sent to taxpayers regarding certain transactions are meant to help them voluntarily review and correct their income tax filings, and should not be seen as punitive notices.
The department said the messages are intended to make taxpayers aware of the transaction-related information already available to the tax authorities
The clarification comes days after the department began sending alerts urging taxpayers to update their income tax returns and withdraw any incorrect claims, following a crackdown on intermediaries involved in filing fraudulent claims linked to donations to unrecognised political parties or charitable organisations, with the intention to reduce their tax obligation.
“The communication is just an advisory sent in only those cases where there is an apparent significant gap between disclosures in the ITR & information as received from the Reporting Entities,” the I-T Department said in a detailed X (formerly X) post.
Opportunity to correct filing
The objective of the communication is to give taxpayers an opportunity to voluntarily correct their filings by reviewing their Annual Information Statement (AIS) and facilitate them to submit their feedback online through the Compliance Portal of the Income Tax Department.
If necessary, taxpayers can revise the returns they have already filed or submit a belated return in case they have not filed one so far, the department said.
When is the last date to file belated ITR?
While the last date to file an income tax return ended on 16 September, a taxpayer can still file their belated income tax return (ITR) before 31 December 2025.
The facility of filing belated return is an important provision for taxpayers since it would prevent them from incurring any penalty or fine for not clearing their tax liability.
“Taxpayers are requested to respond promptly via Compliance Portal if discrepancies exist or ignore if your filing is correct,” the income tax department noted in the post.
