Old CA Email ID? Your Tax Notice May Be Invalid

Karnataka High Court cancelled a tax assessment made without hearing the taxpayer — because the Income Tax Department sent notices to a CA's old, inactive email ID. If you never got the notice, the order may not be valid.

Here's what happened: Karnataka High Court quashed an ex parte income tax assessment because notices were sent to a CA's old, inactive email ID instead of reaching the taxpayer.. An ex parte order means the tax officer passed a ruling without giving the taxpayer a chance to respond — courts treat this as a serious procedural violation.. The ruling reinforces that valid service of notice requires actual delivery to the correct, active contact — a stale email ID on record does not count legally..

What you should do: Log in to incometax.gov.in today and verify your registered email and mobile number under 'My Profile' — make sure it is YOUR personal contact, not your CA's.. If you changed your chartered accountant recently, revoke the old CA's access under 'Authorized Representatives' on the tax portal and add your new CA.. If you ever received a tax demand for a year you have no memory of being contacted about, consult a tax professional — the notice service itself may be challengeable..

The Income Tax portal lets you add your own mobile and email as primary contact independent of your CA — do this so YOU always get notices directly, regardless of who files your returns.

For readers weighing their credit and loan options, our personal loan guide and CIBIL score resources put this update in context.