Summary of this article
Old income tax demands from 10–15 years ago resurfacing on portal.
Digitisation of legacy records has triggered visibility of unresolved past dues.
Interest accumulation has inflated small original tax demands over time.
Taxpayers advised to review old assessment years for hidden liabilities.
Some taxpayers are seeing income tax demands from 10–15 years ago appearing on the income tax portal, often with interest added over the years, according to a recent report by Financial Express.
The issue has come to notice after people logged into the portal for routine reasons. In many cases, they were checking refunds or filing returns when the old demand appeared on the screen. The assessment years mentioned go back to the late 2000s in several cases. Taxpayers say they were not aware that any amount was pending.
Why These Demands Are Showing Now
The income tax department has been uploading older records as part of its data clean-up and digitisation work. As files from earlier years are moved into the current system, some unresolved demands are also getting reflected on the portal.
1 January 2026
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Many of these cases belong to a period when communication was mostly through physical notices. Taxpayers say they do not remember receiving any notice at that time. Some had changed addresses, while others say they replied to queries and never heard back.
Over the years, there was no follow-up or reminder. As a result, people assumed nothing was pending. The demands are now visible because the data has been added to the system.
Interest Has Added To The Problem
What has caused concern is the interest amount. Since the demand was not shown as closed, interest kept getting added. In some cases, the interest is a large part of the total amount now being shown.
Taxpayers say the original tax amount may not have been very high. But after so many years, the payable figure has increased. This has come as a shock, especially for salaried taxpayers and retirees who were not expecting such dues.
Several people have said that if they had known earlier, they would have paid the amount or taken steps to resolve it. After such a long time, old documents are difficult to find.
What Taxpayers Are Unsure About
There is also confusion about what can be done now. Some taxpayers don’t know if there’s any way left to question the demand. Others fear it could trigger recovery action if left unpaid.
Tax experts say these cases depend on individual facts. Whether a notice was issued, whether a response was recorded, and whether the demand is correct all matter. But checking these details after many years is not easy.
Need To Check Older Years
The situation has made many taxpayers realise the importance of checking older assessment years on the portal. Even if there has been no communication for years, a demand can still appear.
As more old data is uploaded, similar cases may come up. For taxpayers, it means keeping an eye on past records and not assuming that silence means closure.
