Understanding Income Tax Notices for Cryptocurrency Transactions
Income Tax Returns and Cryptocurrency Scrutiny
With the Income Tax Return (ITR) filing season in full swing, over 17 million returns have already been submitted. Taxpayers are diligently organizing their financial documents to avoid mistakes. If you have received a notice regarding your cryptocurrency transactions, you are not alone. The Income Tax Department has intensified its examination of virtual digital asset (VDA) trades. Notices are being sent to investors whose declared income does not align with the transaction data held by tax authorities.
According to Section 194S of the Income Tax Act, any sale or transfer of cryptocurrencies and other VDAs on Indian exchanges incurs a 1% Tax Deducted at Source (TDS). Pranav Pagaria, Senior Vice President of Finance & Strategy at CoinDCX, explained, "Typically, a tax notice is part of the Income Tax Department's routine process to reconcile TDS deductions under Section 194S with the income reported in an investor's return. Therefore, it is crucial for investors to keep precise records, including transaction histories, TDS certificates, and statements of gains or losses. We recommend that investors respond to such communications promptly and transparently, providing sufficient supporting documentation."
Pagaria also noted that most Indian cryptocurrency exchanges offer a specific TDS report in the account's reports section. This report generally contains transaction dates, sale values, TDS deducted, the exchange's TAN, the investor's PAN, quarterly deductions, and the total for the year.
The ongoing Income Tax filing for the Financial Year 2026 has raised concerns among taxpayers, particularly regarding the receipt of notices from the Income Tax Department. However, these notices are often issued for standard reasons, such as discrepancies in reported income, inconsistencies between tax returns and financial records, high-value transactions, late filings, or incorrect claims for deductions and exemptions.