A valid Email ID and Mobile Number has to be registered/updated on the e-filing website of the Income Tax Department so that direct communication with taxpayer can be possible. For details, taxpayers can log on to: https://incometaxindiaefiling.gov.in/eFiling/Portal/StaticPDF/Update_Contact_Details.pdf)

The Department will send separate One Time Passwords (OTP) also referred as PIN on the mobile and email provided by the taxpayer. The OTPs have to be entered by the taxpayer after logging into their e-filing account to authenticate the same.  The OTPs will remain valid for 24 hours within which the taxpayer has to complete the process. For ‘Foreign/ NRI’ taxpayers, the OTP validation of the email ID would be sufficient.

Validation of email and mobile numbers has been introduced to facilitate taxpayers as in many cases incorrect emails and mobile numbers have been provided and taxpayers did not receive important communication from the Department. Further, it has been observed that in many cases taxpayers are not able to reset their password since the new temporary password from the Department may be sent to their registered email which may be different from the taxpayer’s personal email, e.g. email of their intermediary.

This is a one-time process to validate the mobile number and email ID. However, whenever the taxpayer changes the Mobile Number or email ID in their Profile, the process will be repeated to ensure that the particulars provided are correct. Further, this validation will ensure that Department can send an OTP for resetting the password used for Login in case the taxpayer has forgotten the password.

One mobile number or email ID can be used for a maximum of 10 user accounts as the Primary Contact- Mobile Number and Email ID in e-Filing. This is to ensure that family members and related business concerns (not exceeding 10 separate users) not having personal email or mobile can be covered under a common email or mobile, but in general taxpayers should have their own unique email ID and Mobile registered with the Department.

The taxpayer can enter any other person’s email or mobile number in addition, as a Secondary Contact (without any restriction on the number of user accounts linked as a Secondary Contact). Using “Profile Settings à My Profile” the taxpayer can select to include the Secondary Contact to also receive emails, alerts etc.

It is advised that the emails and SMS from the Income tax Department may be included in the ‘safe list’ or ‘white list’ to prevent the communications from the Department from being blocked or rejected or sent to Spam folder. Taxpayers are also advised not to share their user-id and password of their e-filing account with others to prevent un-authorized access.Taxpayers can reset their password using the `Forgot Password?` link while logging in to their e-filing account and by providing the necessary details.

The Department requests the cooperation of all taxpayers for completing this validation process at the earliest for a smooth and convenient return filing process.

Mandatory contact validation for e filing: authenticate email and mobile via OTPs to secure communications and password resets. Taxpayers must register and authenticate a valid email ID and mobile number on the e filing portal using time limited One Time Passwords; email validation alone suffices for foreign/NRI taxpayers. The process is one time but repeats on contact updates. One mobile or email can serve as Primary Contact for up to ten user accounts, while Secondary Contacts may be linked without limit. Validation enables secure password resets and reliable departmental communications; taxpayers are advised to whitelist messages and not share credentials.