The Income Tax (IT) department has come up with one more number after the PAN – Document Identification Number, or DIN. Let’s find out what it is, how to obtain it, how to use it, and whether it would create more hassles for you.
India’s Income Tax (IT) department loves numbers! It has already issued “Permanent Account Number” (PAN) and “Tax Deduction and Collection Account Number” (TAN).
Now, it has come up with one more number – Document Identification Number, or DIN.
Let’s see what it is all about, and whether it means more paperwork for you!
Document Identification Number (DIN)
The DIN has been introduced through the guidelines issues by the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), and will be compulsory for every notice, order, letter or any correspondence with the income tax department by taxpayers.
This is a number that needs to be quoted on every communication with the IT department.
This includes filing of your income tax returns, and the DIN would be mandatory for the returns you file for FY 2010-11.
(Confused by terms like FY, AY, PY? Please read “Income Tax (IT) Jargon – Financial Year (FY), Assessment Year (AY) and Previous Year (PY)” to get a thorough understanding)
The IT department, in turn, would also quote this number in its every communication with you.
Any communication without the DIN would be treated as invalid and would be deemed never to have been issued.
Why a DIN?
The DIN is expected to bring in more transparency to the functioning of the IT department and its communications.
Now, existence of any communication could not be denied as it would be backed by the DIN.
The DIN is also expected to result in error-free filing of returns and refund claims.
How can you obtain the DIN?
The DIN will be issued by the IT department. They would be generated and allotted by the IT department itself through the ‘Aykar Sampark Kendras’ – no application form or other formality would be necessary from your end.
So, what exactly is DIN, and how does it impact you?
It appears that DIN is nothing but a kind of file number that the IT department would use to refer to its communication – it’s just a fancy name for a traditional inward / outward number.
So, as of now, it looks like we are safe – there shouldn’t be any more paperwork or application forms for the DIN. But let’s stay tuned to see if the DIN evolves into something different!
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