Income Tax Intimation Order Password: How to Open and Understand Your 143(1) Intimation

A few weeks or months after you file your ITR, an email arrives from the Centralized Processing Centre (CPC) with a password-protected PDF attached. It is your intimation under Section 143(1), and you cannot open it until you get the password format right.

Quick answer: The income tax intimation order password is your PAN in lowercase followed by your date of birth in DDMMYYYY format, with no spaces. For example, PAN ABCDE1234F and date of birth 5 August 1990 gives the password abcde1234f05081990. Companies, firms, LLPs, trusts and HUFs use the date of incorporation or formation instead of date of birth.

143(1) Intimation Password Format

If the password does not work

1. Check that every letter of the PAN is lowercase.
2. Use the date exactly as recorded in your PAN, not your Aadhaar if they differ.
3. Do not add slashes, hyphens or spaces between the PAN and the date.
4. Try a different PDF reader. Some mobile mail apps fail to open encrypted files; Adobe Acrobat Reader or a desktop browser usually works.

What Is an Intimation Under Section 143(1)?

When you file an ITR, the CPC in Bengaluru processes it through automated checks. The result is communicated in an intimation under Section 143(1). It compares the income, deductions and tax you declared with what the system computes.

During this processing, the CPC can make only limited adjustments:

1. Arithmetical errors.
2. Incorrect claims apparent from information in the return.
3. Disallowance of losses or deductions where the return was filed late.
4. Additions for income shown in Form 26AS, Form 16 or 16A but missing from the return.

Before making most adjustments, the CPC must send you a notice under Section 143(1)(a) and consider your reply.

Time limit: The intimation must be sent within 9 months from the end of the financial year in which the return was filed.

The Income-tax Act, 2025 replaced the 1961 Act from 1 April 2026 and renumbers this summary processing provision. Returns for earlier years continue to show Section 143(1). Newer intimations may cite the corresponding section of the 2025 Act.

143(1) Intimation Meaning: The Three Outcomes

Look at the comparison table in the intimation. It has two columns, "As provided by taxpayer in return of income" and "As computed under Section 143(1)". Any row where the two figures differ explains why a refund or demand arose.

How to Download Intimation u/s 143(1)

If you lost the email or want a fresh copy:

1. Log in to the Income Tax e-filing portal with your PAN and password.
2. Go to e-File → Income Tax Returns → View Filed Returns.
3. Choose the relevant assessment year.
4. Click Download Intimation Order, or request it again through Services → Request for Intimation u/s 143(1)/154, where available.

The downloaded file uses the same password format.

What to Do After Receiving a 143(1) Intimation

If there is a demand you agree with

Pay the demand online through e-Pay Tax using the challan for "Tax on Regular Assessment", then respond as "Demand is correct" under Pending Actions → Response to Outstanding Demand.

If there is a demand you disagree with

Under Response to Outstanding Demand, select "Disagree with the demand", choose the reason (for example, tax already paid, or a deduction wrongly disallowed), and upload supporting documents.

If the CPC made a mistake

File a rectification request under Section 154 through Services → Rectification. This is the right route for errors apparent from the record, such as TDS not being credited.

If you made a mistake in the return

You may be able to file a revised return before 31 December of the assessment year (or before assessment is completed, whichever is earlier), as long as that window is still open.

Practical Example

Rohit, a software engineer in Hyderabad, receives an intimation for AY 2025-26 showing a demand of ₹8,400. He opens the PDF with the password abcpr4321k22111992 (PAN ABCPR4321K, born 22 November 1992).

The comparison table shows interest income of ₹28,000 under "As computed" but zero in his return. He checks his AIS and finds the fixed deposit interest he forgot to report. Since the addition is correct, he pays the demand and marks it as correct. Had the interest belonged to a joint account where his mother was the first holder, he would have disagreed with the demand and attached the bank certificate.

Common Mistakes

Ignoring a demand intimation. Unpaid demands carry interest and may be adjusted against future refunds.

Responding to fake emails. Genuine intimations come from CPC email IDs and match the record on the e-filing portal. Never share your password or click payment links in suspicious messages.

Filing rectification for a fresh claim. Section 154 covers only mistakes apparent from the record, not new deductions you forgot to claim.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is the password for the income tax intimation PDF? Your PAN in lowercase followed by your date of birth in DDMMYYYY format, for example abcde1234f05081990.

2. What is the password for a company's 143(1) intimation? The company PAN in lowercase followed by the date of incorporation in DDMMYYYY format.

3. Is a 143(1) intimation a notice? It is the outcome of automated processing of your return. It becomes action-oriented only if it shows a demand or an adjustment you disagree with.

4. How long does it take to receive a 143(1) intimation? It can arrive anytime up to 9 months from the end of the financial year in which you filed the return, though many arrive within weeks.

5. Can I respond to a wrong demand in the intimation? Yes. Disagree with the demand under Response to Outstanding Demand, or file a rectification under Section 154.

6. Why can't I open the intimation PDF on my phone? Some mail apps do not support encrypted PDFs. Download the file and open it in a PDF reader.