Time-sensitive
Received a notice? Here is what matters first.
Almost every notice carries a deadline, and the options available to you narrow considerably once it passes. So before anything else: check the date on it. Then send it across, and you will get a first read the same working day — what it is actually asking for, whether it is routine or serious, and what a response involves.
If your notice has a response deadline within the next seven days, call rather than sending a message.
Notices commonly seen
Income tax scrutiny — Section 143(2)
Your return has been selected for detailed examination. What is asked for, and how it is answered, sets the shape of everything that follows.
Intimation with a demand — Section 143(1)
The department's computation differs from yours. Sometimes it is their error, sometimes yours, and the response differs completely depending on which.
Reassessment — Section 148
Income is alleged to have escaped assessment. These are serious and the procedural requirements around them matter.
Defective return — Section 139(9)
Something in the filing needs correcting. Usually fixable, but the window is short and the return is treated as never filed if it closes.
GST show cause notice
An explanation is required before the department acts. What goes into that explanation constrains what is arguable afterwards.
GST demand order — DRC-07
A demand has been raised, and the clock on appeal timelines has already started running.
What happens next
The notice is read properly
Which section, which assessment period, what is actually being asked for, and by when. A good deal of anxiety resolves at this step alone.
You are told plainly whether it is routine or serious
Many notices are procedural and close quickly. Some are not. You will be told which this is, in plain language, before any fee is discussed.
Documents and records are assembled
What the department has asked for, plus what supports your position whether they asked for it or not.
A reply is drafted and filed within the deadline
Drafted by the CA, not by a template. What is written here becomes part of the record.
Representation, if the matter goes further
Matters that progress beyond a first reply, including appeals, are handled rather than handed off.
What to send when you call
- The notice itself — a photograph is fine
- The return for the year in question, if you have it
- Any earlier correspondence on the same matter
- Your PAN or GSTIN
A reply to a notice becomes part of the record. Something written casually now can constrain what is arguable later, including at appeal. It is worth getting the first response right.
Fees
| Service | Fee |
|---|---|
| Reading the notice and telling you where you stand | No charge |
| Drafting and filing a replyQuoted after reading the notice | Call and discuss |
| Scrutiny assessment — full representation | Call and discuss |
| Appeal | Call and discuss |
Notice work varies enormously in scope, so it is quoted after the notice has been read rather than from a price list. The first read costs nothing.
Questions people ask first
I have had the notice for a while. Is it too late?
Not necessarily, and it is worth finding out rather than assuming. Some deadlines can be addressed with a condonation request, some cannot. Either way you are better off knowing today than next month.
What do you need from me to start?
The notice itself, and your PAN or GSTIN. A photograph of the notice on WhatsApp is enough for a first read.
Will I have to go to the department myself?
Usually not. Most proceedings are now faceless and handled through the portal. Where a physical appearance is required, that is handled for you.
How much does it cost?
The first read costs nothing. Beyond that it depends entirely on what the notice asks for, so it is quoted once the notice has been seen.
Can you handle appeals as well?
Yes. Matters that progress beyond a first reply, including appeals, are handled.
Should I just pay the demand and make it go away?
Sometimes that is genuinely the right answer, and you will be told so. But it is worth checking whether the demand is correct before paying it, because a paid demand is considerably harder to argue with afterwards.
Send the notice. Get a straight answer today.
A photograph on WhatsApp is enough to start. You will be told what it says, whether it is urgent, and what the response involves — before any discussion of fees.