Notice under Section 133(6): Power to Call for Information
A notice under Section 133(6) requires you to furnish information or statements of accounts useful to a proceeding, often about a counterparty's transactions rather than your own assessment. Furnish exactly what is asked, by the date stated. Non-compliance attracts penalty under Section 272A(2), and where no proceeding is pending the notice needs approval of the prescribed authority.
What is this notice?
Section 133(6) lets specified income tax authorities require any person — including banks, registrars and counterparties — to furnish information or statements of accounts relevant to an inquiry or proceeding. Receiving one does not mean you are under assessment; frequently the information concerns a transaction with a person who is.
Common reasons it is issued
- Verification of a transaction you had with a taxpayer under assessment
- Confirmation of a loan, sale, purchase or investment reported by a third party
- Information sought from a bank, registrar or institution about an account or transaction
- Verification of high-value transactions appearing in the AIS
How to reply — step by step
- Read whose transaction is in question. If it is a counterparty's, the answer is documentary confirmation, not an explanation of your own affairs.
- Furnish precisely what is asked. Volunteering beyond the notice enlarges the inquiry, and material supplied cannot be withdrawn.
- Reconcile the figures against your own books before confirming them, because your confirmation may be used to make an addition in someone else's assessment.
- Where the information genuinely cannot be compiled by the date, ask for time in writing before it expires.
- Where no proceeding is pending against anyone and no approval of the prescribed authority is apparent, it is legitimate to seek confirmation of the authority under which the notice issues.
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Draft my reply free →Frequently asked questions
Am I under investigation if I get a 133(6) notice?
Not necessarily. These notices are routinely issued to counterparties, banks and institutions to verify someone else's transactions.
What is the penalty for not replying to a 133(6) notice?
Penalty under Section 272A(2) may be levied for each day of default, subject to the statutory computation. It is a cheap notice to answer and an expensive one to ignore.
Can 133(6) be used when no proceeding is pending?
Yes, but the statute requires prior approval of the prescribed authority in that situation. Where the notice is silent about it, asking is reasonable.
Do I have to appear in person?
No. Section 133(6) calls for information or statements of accounts, not attendance. Attendance is compelled by other provisions, such as a summons under Section 131.
Related notices
This page is general information, not legal advice. Every notice turns on its own facts — verify with a professional or draft a fact-checked reply on Yukti.