ASSESSMENT

PROCEDURE
Chapter- XIV (Section
139-158)

Arpit Kaushal
Rahul Shukla
Rohit Kumar Gupta
Sachin Gupta

Assessment Procedure

Every taxpayer has

to furnish the
details of his
income to the
Income-tax
Department by
filing up his return
of income

Processing of the
return of income
by the Income Tax
Department

The process of
examining the
return of income by
the Income-Tax
department known
as Assessment.

Return of Income
Section 139 (1):
Every person,
a. Company or a Firm
For any income or loss

b. A person other than a company or a firm,

If his total income during the previous year exceeded the maximum
amount which is not chargeable to income-tax

shall, on or before the due date, furnish a return of income or the

income of such other person during the previous year, in the
prescribedform and verified in the prescribed manner.

Return of carry forward of losses in certain

cases:

Section 139 (3): In case of

Business Loss
Speculation Loss
Capital Loss
Loss on account of owning and maintaining horse race.

If the loss or any part thereof should be carried, return of loss must
be furnished within the time allowed in the prescribed formand
verified in the prescribed manner.

Belated Return (u/s 139 (4))

If return is not furnished

within the time allowed to
him under sub-section (1)
of section 139, or within
the time allowed under
a notice issued under
sub-section
(1)
ofsection 142

Furnish the return for any

previous year at any time
before the expiry of one
year from the end of the
relevant assessment year or
before the completion of the
assessment, whichever is
earlier.

Any person who has not

furnished a return within
the time allowed to him
under
sub-section (1), may

Bill-2016
Furnish the return
for any
previous year at any time
before the end of the
relevant assessment year or
before the completion of the
assessment, whichever is
earlier.

Belated Return (u/s 139 (4))

Amended in Finance

Revised Return (u/s 139 (5))

If any person, having

furnished a return under
sub-section (1), or in
pursuance of a notice
issued under sub-section
(1)
ofsection
142,
discovers any omission
or any wrong statement

Furnish a revised return at

any time before the expiry of
one year from the end of the
relevant assessment year or
before the completion of the
assessment,
whichever
is
earlier.

Revised Return (u/s

139
(5))
Amended in Finance
Furnish a revised
return at

If any person, having

furnished a return under
sub-section (1) or subsection (4), discovers
any omission or any
wrong statement therein,
he may furnish

Bill-2016

any time
before the expiry of one year
from the end of the relevant
assessment year or before
the completion of the
assessment, whichever is
earlier.

ASSESSMENT
The process of examining the return of income by the
Income-Tax
department
is
called
as
Assessment.
Assessment also includes re-assessment and best judgment
assessment under section 144.
Types
Section 2(8)
-"assessment" includes
reassessment
of assessments
:

Self assessment: section 140A

Summary assessment: section 143(1)

Scrutiny assessment: section 143(3)
Best Judgment assessment: section 144
Income escaping assessment: section 147

Self Assessment
Return voluntarily or in response to notice
Assessee is required to make his own assessment
Compute his income and deposit all tax along with interest
If the assessee fails to pay such tax or interest , he shall be
deemed to be an assessee in default in respect of such
tax/interest.
Penalty proceedings may be initiated u/s 221.

Summary assessment without calling

the assessee

Assessment under section 143(1) : A preliminary assessment

Scope of assessment:

No detailed scrutiny of the return of income is carried out.

The total income or loss is computed after making the following

adjustments (if any), namely: any arithmetical error in the return; or
an incorrect claim, if such incorrect claim is apparent from any
information in the return;
Time-limit :
Assessment under section 143(1) can be made within a period of one
year from the end of the financial year in which the return of
income is filed.

Summary assessment without calling the

assesse
contd
Procedure of assessment under section 143(1)
Compute tax and interest on the basis of adjusted income after
correcting arithmetical error or incorrect claim.
Intimate any sum payable by or refund due to the taxpayer and also
in a case where the loss declared in the return of income is adjusted
but no tax or interest is payable by or no refund is due to him.
The acknowledgement of the return of income shall be deemed to be
the intimation in a case where no sum is payable by or refundable
to the assessee or where no adjustment is made to the returned
income.
The processing of a return under section 143(1) shall not be
necessary, where a notice has been issued to the assessee under
section 143(2), i.e., a notice for scrutiny assessment has been issued
to the taxpayer.

Scrutiny assessment
Assessment under section 143(3): A detailed assessment
A detailed scrutiny of the return of income.
A scrutiny is carried out to confirm the correctness and genuineness of various claims,
deductions, etc., made by the taxpayer in the return of income.

Objective of Scrutiny Assessment:

To confirm that the taxpayer has not understated the income or has not computed
excessive loss or has not underpaid the tax in any manner.

Action:
To confirm the above, the Assessing Officer carries out a detailed scrutiny of the
return of income and will satisfy himself regarding various claims, deductions, etc.,
made by the taxpayer in the return of income.

Time-limit:
As per section 153, assessment under section 143(3) shall be made within a period
of two years from the end of the relevant assessment year. (21months as
per FB2016)

Scrutiny assessment
contd..
Procedure of assessment under section 143(3):
If the Assessing Officer considers it necessary or expedient to ensure that the taxpayer
has not understated the income or has not computed excessive loss or has not
underpaid the tax in any manner, then he will serve on the taxpayer a notice
requiring him to attend his office or to produce or cause to be produced any
evidence on which the taxpayer may rely, in support of the return.
AO shallserve a notice for scrutiny assessment in accordance with provisions of section
143(2)if :
the assessee has filed a ROI u/s 139 or in response to a notice issued u/s 142(1)
he considers it necessary to do so, in order to ensure that the assessee has not
under-stated the income, or computed excessive loss, or underpaid tax in any
manner.
Notice has to be served and mere issue is not sufficient
Notice has to be served before the expiry of 6 months from the end of the
financial year in which the return is furnished.

Scrutiny assessment
contd..
Procedure of assessment under section 143(3):
contd..
The taxpayer or his representative (as the case may be) will appear before the
Assessing Officer and will place his arguments, supporting evidences, etc., on
various matters/issues as required by the Assessing Officer.
After hearing/verifying such evidence and taking into account such particulars as
the taxpayer may produce and such other evidence as the Assessing Officer may
require on specified points and after taking into account all relevant materials which
he has gathered, the Assessing Officer shall, by an order in writing, make an
assessment of the total income or loss of the taxpayer and determine the sum
payable by him or refund of any amount due to him on the basis of such assessment.

Best Judgment Assessment

Assessment under section 144
Assessment carried out as per the best judgment of the Assessing
Officer on the basis of all relevant material he has gathered. If a
person: fails to make the return required under sub-section (1) ofsection
139and has not made a return or a revised return under sub-section
(4) or sub-section (5) of that section,
fails to comply with all the terms of a notice issued under subsection (1) ofsection 142or fails to comply with a direction issued
under sub-section (2A) of that section,
having made a return, fails to comply with all the terms of a notice
issued under sub-section (2) ofsection 143.

Time-Limit:

As per section 153, assessment under section 144 shall be made

within a period of two years from the end of the relevant

Best Judgment Assessment

Procedure of assessment under section 144
If the conditions satisfied, then the Assessing Officer will serve a notice
on the taxpayer to show cause why the assessment should not be
completed to the best of his judgment.
No notice as given above is required in a case where a notice under
section 142(1) has been issued prior to the making of an assessment
under section 144.
If the Assessing Officer is not satisfied by the arguments of the
taxpayer and he has reason to believe that the case demands a best
judgment, then he will proceed to carry out the assessment to the best of
his knowledge.
If the criteria of the best judgment assessment are satisfied, then after
taking into account all relevant materials which the Assessing Officer has
gathered, and after giving the taxpayer an opportunity of being heard,
the Assessing Officer shall make the assessment of the total income or
loss to the best of his knowledge/judgment and determine the sum

Contd

Income escaping assessment

Assessment under section 147:

If the Assessing Officer has reason to believe that any income chargeable to
tax has escaped assessment for any assessment year.

The Assessing Officer may assess or reassess such income and also any other
income chargeable to tax which has escaped assessment and which comes to his
notice subsequently in the course of the proceedings under this section, or
recompute the loss or the depreciation allowance or any other allowance, as the
case may be, for the assessment year concerned

The objective of carrying out assessment under section 147 is to bring under the
tax net any income which has escaped assessment in original assessment under
sections 143(1), 143(3), 144 and 147 (as the case may be).

For making an assessment under section 147, the Assessing Officer has to issue
notice under section 148 to the taxpayer and has to give him an opportunity
of being heard.

Items which are the subject matters of any appeal, reference or revision cannot be
covered by the Assessing Officer under section 147.

Income escaping assessment

Contd

Conditions of considering an income having escaped

assessment:
No return of income has been furnished by the taxpayer
A return of income has been furnished but no assessment has been made and it is
noticed by the Assessing Officer that the taxpayer has understated the income
or has claimed excessive loss, deduction, allowance or relief in the return.
The taxpayer has failed to furnish a report in respect of any international
transaction which he was required to do under section 92E.
An assessment has been made, but:
Income chargeable to tax has been under assessed; or
Income has been assessed at low rate; or
Income has been made the subject of excessive relief; or
Excessive loss or depreciation allowance or any other allowance has been
computed;
A person is found to have any asset (including financial interest in any entity)
located outside India.

Income escaping assessment

Contd

Time-limit for completion of assessment under section 147

As per section 153, assessment under section 147 shall be made within a period
of one year from the end of the financial year in which notice under
section 148 is served on the taxpayer. (9 months as per FB 2016)

Time-limit for issuance of notice under section 148

Notice under section 148 can be issued within a period of 4 years from the end
of the relevant assessment year. If the escaped income is Rs. 1,00,000 or more
and certain other conditions are satisfied, then notice can be issued upto 6 years
from the end of the relevant assessment year.
In case the escaped income relates to any asset (including financial interest in
any entity) located outside India, notice can be issued upto 16 years from
the end of the relevant assessment year.

Notice under section 148 can be issued by AO only after getting prior approval
from the prescribed authority.

Assessment in Case of Search or Requisition

Assessment under section 153A
Issue of notice to furnish ROI for 6 assessment years immediately
preceding the AY in which search takes place.
Existing assessments for those 6 A Ys shall abate
Assessments to be revived if search is annulled
The Assessing Officer shall make an order of assessment or
reassessment within a period of two years from the end of the
financial year in which the last of the authorisations for search
undersection 132or for requisition undersection 132Awas
executed. (21months as per FB2016)

Related and supported provisions

Section 142 - Inquiry before assessment
Section 142A- Estimations of valuation officer
Section 145 - Method of Accounting
Section 154 Rectification
Section 156 - Notice of demand

Inquiry Before Assessment- Section 142(1)

For the purpose of making an assessment, the AO can :
Serve a notice u/s 142(1)(i) for furnishing the ROI.
Serve a notice u/s 142(1)(ii) to produce such documents or
accounts return must be filed earlier.
Serve a notice u/s 142(1)(iii) to call for information he may
require including statement of assets & liabilities.
- return must be filed earlier.

24

Comparison of Notice u/s 142(1) Vs.

Section 143(2)

Notice u/s 142(1)

Notice u/s 143(2)

Notice to call for ROI/books ofAccounts/other Notice for making assessment u/s143(3)
information
Notice can be issued even if the return of
income is not filed

Notice can be issued only if the return is filed

By issuing notice u/s 142(ii) alone, assessment

is not possible

Assessment u/s 143(3) is possible only if the

notice u/s 143(2) has been issued.

No time limit prescribed in law for issue of this

notice

Time limit of 12 months prescribed for service of

notice.

Books of accounts can be asked for a limited

period (3 years)

No such restriction

Assessment not possible

Assessment only if the notice is served

Non compliance is an offence liable for

prosecution

Non compliance is not an offence

Method of accounting: Section 145

For Profits and gains of business or profession or Income from
other sources: In accordance with either cash or mercantile
system (subject to notification of Central Government for
income computation and disclosure standards)
A O can reject the books of accounts if not satisfied
with the correctness/completeness of accounts
where the method of accounting u/s 145(1) is not followed
or
where accounting standards prescribed u/s 145(2) have
not been followed .
26

Rectification of Mistake Section 154

for rectifying any mistake apparent from the record, the IT
authority
may amend any order passed by it
may amend any intimation or deemed intimation u/s 143(1)

for matters decided in appeal, the authority may consider those

matters not decided in appeal also.
action suomoto or by motion by assessee
assessee to be given a notice , incase the amendment increases the
liability
opportunity of being heard to be given the assessee
order must be passed in writing
notice of demand u/s 156 to be served if amount payable
no amendment to be made after the expiry of four years from the
27
end of the F Y in which the original order was passed.

Notice of Demand Section 156

When any tax, interest, penalty, fine or any other sum is
payable in consequence of any order passed under this Act, the A
O shall serve upon the assessee a notice of demand in the
prescribed form specifying the sum so payable.

Provided that where any sum is determined to be payable by the

assessee u/s 143(1), the intimation shall be deemed to be a
notice of demand for the purposes of this section.

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