<h1>Assessee information requests under the Income-tax Act now require online Form 88 filing by authorised public authorities only.</h1> Form 88 is the prescribed application for obtaining information about an assessee under Section 258(2)(a) of the Income-tax Act, 2025. It is available only to authorised public authorities, including regulatory and law-enforcement agencies, government departments authorised under Rule 155, and other competent authorities empowered by the Central Government. A separate application is required for each assessee and each tax year; consolidated requests are not allowed. The form must be filed online through the e-Filing portal with electronic verification and supporting documents uploaded electronically.