No Income tax communications to be issued without a computer-generated DIN on or after 15.10.2019

No Income tax communications to be issued without a computer-generated Document Identification Number  (DIN) on or after 15.10.2019

Circular No. 19/2019

Government of India
Ministry of Finance
Department of Revenue
Central Board of Direct Taxes

New Delhi, dated the 14th August, 2019

Subject: Generation/Allotment/Quoting of Document Identification Number in Notice/Order/Summons/letter/correspondence issued by the Income-tax Department – reg.

With the launch of various e-governance initiatives, Income-tax Department is moving toward total computerization of its work . This has led to a significant improvement in delivery of services and  has also brought greater transparency in the functioning of the tax­ administration. Presently, almost all notices and orders are being generated electronically on the Income Tax Business Application (ITBA) platform. However, it has been brought to the notice of the Central Board of Direct Taxes (the Board ) that there have been some instances in which the notice, order, summons, letter and any correspondence (hereinafter referred to as “communication”) were found to have been issued manually, without maintaining a proper audit trail of such communication.

2. In  order to prevent such instances and to maintain  proper audit trail  of all communication , the Board in exercise of power under section 119 of the Income-tax Act, 1961 (hereinafter referred to as ”the Act”), has decided that no communication shall be issued by any income­ tax authority relating to assessment, appeals, orders, statutory or otherwise,  exemptions, enquiry, investigation, abcaus.in verification of information, penalty, prosecution, rectification, approval etc . to the assessee or any other person,  on or after the  15th day of October, 2019 unless a computer-generated Document Identification Number  (DIN) has been allotted and is duly quoted in the body of such communication.

3. In exceptional circumstances such as, –

(i) when there are technical difficulties in generating/allotting/quoting the DIN and issuance or communication electronically; or

(ii) when communication regarding enquiry, verification etc. is required to be issued by an income-tax authority, who is outside the office, for discharging his official duties; or

(iii) when due to delay in PAN migration,  PAN is lying with non-jurisdictional Assessing Officer ; or

(iv) when PAN of assessee is not available and where a proceeding under the Act (other than verification under section 13 or section 133 of the Act) is sought to be initiated ; or

(v) When the functionality to issue communication is not available in the system.

the communication may be issued manually but only after recording reasons in writing in the file and with prior written approval of the Chief Commissioner / Director General of income­ tax. In cases where manual communication is required to be issued due to delay in PAN migration. The proposal seeking approval for issuance of manual communication shall include the reason for delay in PAN migration. The communication issued under aforesaid circumstances shall state the fact that the communication is issued manually without a DIN and the date of obtaining of the written approval of the Chief Commissioner / Director General of Income-Tax for issue of manual communication in the following format-

“.. This communication issues manually without a DIN on account of reason/reasons given in para 3(i)/ 3(ii)/ 3(iii)/ 3(iv)/ 3(v) of the CBDT Circular No …dated ….. (strike off those which are not applicable) and with the approval of the Chief Commissioner / Director General of Income Tax vide  number …. dated   . .. .   “

4. Any communication  which  is not  in  conformity  with  Para-2  and  Para-3 above,  shall be treated as invalid and shall be deemed  to have never been issued.

5. The communication issued manually in the three situations specified in para 3- (i), (ii) or (iii) above shall have to be regularised within 15 working days of its issuance, by –

(i) uploading the manual communication on the

(ii) compulsorily generating the DIN on the System ;

(iii) communicating the DIN so generated to the assessee / any other  person as per electronically  generated  pro-forma  available on the System.

6. An intimation of issuance of manual communication for the reasons mentioned in para 3(v) shall be sent to the Principal Director General of Income-tax (Systems) within seven days from the date of its issuance.

7. Further, in all pending assessment proceedings, where notices were issued manually, prior to issuance of this Circular , the income-tax authorities shall identify such cases and shall upload the notices in these cases on the Systems by 31st October , 2019.

8. Hindi version to follow .

(Sarita Kumari)
Director (ITA.II), CBDT

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