Received an Income Tax Notice? Verify It Before Responding

Taxpayers should always verify the authenticity of an Income Tax notice before taking any action. This helps protect against scams, prevents misuse of personal information, and ensures timely compliance.

To curb fraud, the Income Tax Department has made it mandatory for all notices, summons, and official communications issued on or after 1 October 2019 to carry a unique Document Identification Number (DIN). Taxpayers can verify a notice using either the DIN or their PAN on the official Income Tax e-filing portal without logging in.

Why Verification Is Important

- Confirms the notice was officially issued by the Income Tax Department.

- Protects against fake notices, fraudulent payment demands, and requests for sensitive information such as OTPs, CVVs, or ATM PINs.

- Ensures genuine notices are responded to on time while avoiding unnecessary panic.

How to Verify a Notice

You can verify a notice using:

PAN: Enter your PAN, document type, assessment year, date of issue, mobile number, and OTP.

DIN: Enter the Document Identification Number (DIN), mobile number, and OTP.

An OTP, valid for 15 minutes, will be sent to your mobile number. You have three attempts to enter it correctly, and the mobile number does not need to be registered on the e-filing portal.

Verifying an Income Tax notice takes only a few minutes but can protect you from financial scams and ensure you respond only to genuine communications from the Income Tax Department.