Procedure for Registration and Filing of Form No. 98

CBDT Notification No. 3 of 2026: Procedure for Registration and Filing of Form No. 98

The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), through the Directorate of Income Tax (Systems), has issued Notification No. 3 of 2026 dated 15 September 2026 prescribing the procedure for registration of reporting persons/entities and furnishing Form No. 98 under Rule 160 of the Income-tax Rules, 2026.

The notification lays down the registration process, generation of the Income Tax Department Reporting Entity Identification Number (ITDREIN), filing of Form No. 98, correction and deletion of submitted reports, and requirements relating to information security and record retention.

1. Applicability of Form No. 98

Under Rule 160 of the Income-tax Rules, 2026, specified reporting persons/entities who receive a declaration in Form No. 97 relating to transactions covered under the table prescribed in Rule 159 are required to furnish a statement in Form No. 98.

The statement is required to be submitted electronically to the server designated by the Income Tax Department.

2. Due Dates for Furnishing Form No. 98

The due date depends upon when the relevant declarations in Form No. 97 are received:

Accordingly, reporting entities should maintain appropriate records of the date on which declarations are received to ensure timely compliance.

3. Registration and Generation of ITDREIN

A reporting person/entity required to furnish Form No. 98 must first register with the Income Tax Department.

Registration is to be carried out through the e-filing portal using the login credentials associated with the reporting entity’s income-tax return filing.

For first-time access to the Reporting Portal, the reporting entity is required to navigate through the “Pending Actions” section and select the relevant “Reporting Portal” option.

During registration, the reporting entity is required to provide details including:

• Type of reporting form;
• Category of the reporting person/entity;
• Address and other details of the reporting person/entity; and
• Details of the Principal Officer.

After successful registration, an Income Tax Department Reporting Entity Identification Number (ITDREIN) will be generated.

Confirmation of the registration and ITDREIN will be communicated to the Principal Officer through the registered email address and mobile number.

Once generated, the ITDREIN cannot be deactivated.

Existing Form No. 61 Reporting Entities

Entities that were already registered for compliance relating to the erstwhile Form No. 61 are not required to obtain a fresh registration for Form No. 98.

Their existing ITDREIN and Principal Officer registration will continue to be valid.

For the purpose of verification and filing of Form No. 98, the existing Principal Officer will function as the Designated Director.

4. Filing of Form No. 98

The prescribed technical resources for preparation and submission of Form No. 98 are available through the Reporting Portal.

The reporting entity can access and download:

• Form No. 98 schema;
• Report Generation and Validation Utility; and
• Generic Submission Utility.

The statement must be digitally signed and submitted through the Reporting Portal or through the Generic Submission Utility.

The filing is to be completed using the PAN and password credentials of the Principal Officer.

Reporting entities should ensure that the information reported in Form No. 98 is complete and accurate before submission.

5. Correction of Errors in Form No. 98

If a reporting entity subsequently identifies an error or omission in a submitted statement, the relevant information is required to be corrected through a correction statement.

Corrections may also be required where the Income Tax Department communicates defects through a Data Quality Report (DQR).

The Reporting Portal will display the number of Reports Requiring Correction (RRC) against the relevant statement.

The reporting entity can download the DQR file from the Statements section of the Reporting Portal. The file can then be processed through the Report Generation and Validation Utility to identify and rectify the reported errors.

Corrections should continue until the RRC count becomes zero within the prescribed period.

6. Deletion of Incorrectly Filed Reports

Where a reporting entity has inadvertently included reports in a statement that need to be deleted, it may submit a Deletion Statement.

All reports intended to be deleted should be included in the same deletion statement, with the fields populated using the exact values that were originally submitted.

The process for filing a deletion statement will generally follow the procedure prescribed for filing a correction statement.

7. Information Security and Record Retention

Reporting persons/entities are required to establish suitable policies and procedures for the security, archival and retrieval of information submitted under the reporting framework.

The information-security framework should clearly define:

• Roles and responsibilities;
• Procedures for protecting submitted information;
• Security measures for related records and documents;
• Archival procedures; and
• Retrieval mechanisms for records and supporting documents.

The reporting entity must ensure that submitted information and related documents can be retrieved promptly whenever required by the competent authorities.

8. Effective Date and Transition from Form No. 61

The notification becomes effective from 15 September 2026.

However, reporting relating to Financial Year 2025-26 and earlier years, including any correction or deletion relating to such reporting, will continue to be governed by the provisions of the Income-tax Act, 1961 and Income-tax Rules, 1962.

Such historical reporting will continue to be undertaken through Form No. 61 in accordance with the applicable provisions and Notification No. 2 of 2018 dated 5 April 2018.

9. Key Compliance Points for Reporting Entities

Reporting entities covered by Rule 160 should take note of the following:

1. Determine whether the entity falls within the specified category of reporting persons/entities.
2. Complete ITDREIN registration where a new registration is required.
3. Ensure that the Principal Officer’s details are correctly maintained.
4. Track the receipt dates of Form No. 97 declarations.
5. Prepare and submit Form No. 98 within the prescribed timelines.
6. Digitally sign the statement using the prescribed credentials.
7. Regularly monitor the Reporting Portal for Data Quality Reports and Reports Requiring Correction.
8. File correction statements wherever errors or omissions are identified.
9. Use the deletion-statement mechanism where reports have been inadvertently filed and need to be removed.
10. Maintain appropriate information-security, archival and retrieval procedures for the submitted data and supporting records.
11. Continue using the earlier Form No. 61 framework for FY 2025-26 and earlier years, including corrections and deletions relating to those years.

Conclusion

Notification No. 3 of 2026 provides the operational framework for reporting entities required to furnish Form No. 98 under Rule 160 of the Income-tax Rules, 2026. The notification primarily addresses registration, ITDREIN generation, electronic filing, correction and deletion of reports, and the security and retention of reporting records.

Entities covered by the new reporting requirements should review their existing compliance processes and ensure that the Principal Officer, registration details, reporting systems and record-retention mechanisms are appropriately configured before the applicable filing deadlines.

Notification

Also Read: SFT – 2517: Depository Transaction Reporting, Due Dates & Key Guidelines

Also Read: “CBDT Notifies New Forms PAN CR-01 & PAN CR-02 for PAN Correction from 1 April 2026”

Also Read: FAQs and Guidance notes on Forms under Income-tax Rules, 2026

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