CourtMesh

Section 271: Best judgment assessment

The Income-tax Act, 2025Central Act · Act 30 of 2025

Best judgment assessment.

. (1) If any person—

(a) fails to furnish the return required under section 263(1) or (4) or (5) or (6); or

(b) fails to comply with all the terms of a notice issued under section 268(1) or fails to comply with a direction issued under section 268(5); or

(c) having made a return, fails to comply with all the terms of a notice issued under section 270(8),

the Assessing Officer, after taking into account all relevant materials which he has gathered, shall, after giving the assessee an opportunity of being heard, make the assessment of the total income or loss to the best of his judgment and determine the sum payable by the assessee on the basis of such assessment.

(2) The Assessing Officer before making an assessment under sub-section (1) shall, subject to the provisions of sub-section (3), serve a notice on the assessee to show cause, on a date and time to be specified in the notice, as to why assessment should not be completed to the best of his judgment.

(3) It shall not be necessary to give the opportunity referred to in sub-section (2) in a case where a notice under section 268(1) has been issued prior to the making of an assessment under this section.

Where this provision sits

ActThe Income-tax Act, 2025
Section271
Marginal noteBest judgment assessment
JurisdictionCentral
StatusIn force as published by the source

Find the provision, not just read it

The full text above is free, and it stays free. What a free CourtMesh account adds is everything you cannot do by reading one page at a time:

  • Search 49,000+ Central and State enactments by what a provision says, not by its number
  • Jump from any section to every judgment that has applied it
  • Search 300 million+ Indian court records alongside the statute
  • Ask a research agent to find and read the case law on a provision for you

Free account. No card. About a minute to create.

Create a free account

Need this as data, not as a page? The Income-tax Act, 2025 is one of 49,000+ enactments on CourtMesh. The Indian court cases API serves the case law that cites these provisions over JSON, with API documentation and plans and pricing. See also the judgment library.