Read the first page
Find three things: the section, the year, and the date by which a reply is asked for. The document identification number is what you check on the Compliance Portal if you are unsure the PDF is the department's.
Reply through the e-filing account, in e-proceedings, for a notice that is there. Do not send the documents only by email to the address that forwarded the PDF.
Match the section on the first page
| What the notice says | What it is | Open this |
|---|---|---|
| Section 143(1), or 143(1)(a) | The return was processed, or a change is proposed | Intimation |
| Section 139(9) | The return is defective | Defective return |
| Section 142(1) | Documents, or a return, are asked for | What to send |
| Section 143(2) | The return is selected for scrutiny | Scrutiny |
| Section 148A | A show-cause before an old year is reopened | Show-cause |
| Section 148 | The old year is reopened | Reassessment |
| Section 245 | A refund is being set off against an old demand | Refund set-off |
| Section 156 | A demand to pay | Demand |
| Section 270A or 270AA | A penalty, or a request for immunity | Penalty |
Faceless hearings sit under section 144B. That procedure is on the faceless assessment page. If the section is not in this table, the notice still names it. Send the first page rather than guessing.
Send a photo of the first page, and we will name the section and the reply that matches it.
A message with no section
An e-campaign does not arrive as one of the sections above. It asks you to confirm a transaction on the Compliance Portal. Start on the SMS and email page. A foreign-asset message may belong on FAST-DS or on Schedule FA. Those are disclosures, not a section 143(1) demand.