Chapter XXIII - Miscellaneous
Section 533
Section 533: power to make rules
Section 533 is the Act's general rule-making power. It lets the Board, subject to the control of the Central Government, make rules by notification to carry out the purposes of the Income-tax Act, 2025, and lists a wide range of matters those rules may cover.
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This article is for general information. Refer to the Income-tax Act, 2025 as amended by the Finance Act, 2026 and the Taxation and Other Laws (Amendment) Act, 2026 for the official provisions. If you need professional advice for your situation, contact Bizeneed.
Statutory text
Bare law
(1) The Board may, subject to the control of the Central Government, by notification, make rules for carrying out the purposes of this Act.
(2) In particular, and without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing power, such rules may provide for all or any of the following matters:— (a) the ascertainment and determination of any class of income; (b) the manner in which and the procedure by which the income shall be arrived at in the case of— (i) income derived in part from agriculture and in part from business; (ii) persons residing outside India; (iii) operations carried out in India by a non-resident; (iv) transactions or activities of a non-resident; (v) an individual who is liable to be assessed under section 99(3) and (4); (c) the determination of the value of any perquisite chargeable to tax under this Act in such manner and on such basis as appears to the Board to be proper and reasonable; (d) the percentage on the written down value which may be allowed as depreciation for buildings, machinery, plant or furniture; (e) the matters specified in section 62; (f) the conditions or limitations subject to which any payment of rent made by an assessee shall be deducted under section 134; (g) the matters specified in Chapter XI; (h) the time within which any person may apply for the allotment of a Permanent Account Number, the form and the manner in which such application may be made and the particulars which such application shall contain and the transactions with respect to which Permanent Account Number shall be quoted on documents relating to such transactions under section 262; (i) the documents, statements, receipts, certificates or audited reports which may not be furnished along with the return but shall be produced before the Assessing Officer on demand under section 263(2)(a); (j) the class or classes of persons who shall be required to furnish the return of income in electronic form; the form and the manner of furnishing the said return in electronic form; documents, statements, receipts, certificates or reports which shall not be furnished with the return in electronic form and the computer resource or electronic record to which such return may be transmitted under section 263(2)(a); (k) the cases, the nature and value of assets, the limits and heads of expenditure and the outgoings, which are required to be prescribed under section 263(2)(b); (l) the form of the report of audit or inventory valuation and the particulars which such report shall contain under section 268(5); (m) remuneration of Chairperson and members of the Approving Panel under section 274(21) and procedure and manner for constitution of, functioning and disposal of references by, the Approving Panel under section 274(24); (n) the form and manner in which the information relating to payment of any sum may be furnished under section 397(3)(d); (o) the authority to be prescribed for any of the purposes of this Act; (p) the procedure for giving effect to any agreement for the granting of relief in respect of double taxation or for the avoidance of double taxation entered into by the Central Government under this Act; (q) the procedure for granting of relief or deduction, of any income-tax paid in any country or specified territory outside India, under section 159 or 160, against the income-tax payable under this Act; (r) the form and manner in which any application, claim, return or information may be made or furnished and the fees that may be levied in respect of any application or claim; (s) the manner in which any document required to be filed under this Act may be verified; (t) the procedure to be followed on applications for refunds; (u) the procedure for calculating interest payable by assessees or by the Government to assessees under this Act, including the rounding off of periods when a fraction of a month is involved, and specifying the circumstances under which and the extent to which petty amounts of interest payable by assessees may be ignored; (v) the regulation of any matter for which provision is made in section 420; (w) the form and manner in which any appeal or cross-objection may be filed under this Act, the fee payable in respect thereof and the manner in which intimation referred to in section 358(3)(b) may be served; (x) the circumstances, conditions and the manner in which, the Joint Commissioner (Appeals) or the Commissioner (Appeals) may permit an appellant to produce evidence which he did not produce or which he was not allowed to produce before the Assessing Officer; (y) the form in which the statement under section 507 shall be delivered to the Assessing Officer; (z) the maintenance of a register of persons other than legal practitioners or accountants practising before income-tax authorities and for the constitution of and the procedure to be followed by the authority referred to in section 515(5); (za) the issue of certificate verifying the payment of tax by assessees; (zb) any other matter which by this Act is to be, or may be, prescribed.
(3) In cases falling under sub-section (2)(b), where the income liable to tax cannot be definitely ascertained, or can be ascertained only with an amount of trouble and expense to the assessee, which is unreasonable, the rules made under this section may— (a) prescribe methods by which an estimate of such income may be made; and (b) in cases of income derived in part from agriculture and in part from business, specify the proportion of the income which shall be deemed to be income liable to tax, and an assessment based on such estimate or proportion shall be deemed to be duly made as per this Act.
(4) The power to make rules conferred by this section shall include the power to give retrospective effect, from a date not earlier than the date of commencement of this Act, to the rules or any of them and, unless the contrary is permitted (whether expressly or by necessary implication), no retrospective effect shall be given to any rule so as to prejudicially affect the interests of assessees.
Introduction
Section 533 delegates detailed rule-making to the Board, subject to Central Government control. The statute lists topics for rules, limits retrospective rules that prejudice assessees, and permits specified methods for estimating mixed or hard-to-ascertain income.
Key takeaways
Board rulemaking
The Board may make rules by notification, subject to Central Government control, to carry out the Act.
Illustrated matters
Subsection (2) lists subjects for which rules may provide, without limiting the general power.
Rule text matters
Operational forms, conditions and procedures come from the notified rules as well as the Act.
General rule-making power
"The Board may, subject to the control of the Central Government, by notification, make rules for carrying out the purposes of this Act."
Illustrative matters rules may cover
Without limiting the general power, sub-section (2) lists specific matters the rules may address, including:
- Ascertainment and determination of any class of income
- How income is arrived at where it is derived partly from agriculture and partly from business, for persons residing outside India, and for non-resident operations and transactions
- Valuation of perquisites chargeable to tax
- The percentage on the written down value that may be allowed as depreciation for buildings, machinery, plant or furniture
- The time, form and manner for applying for a Permanent Account Number, and the transactions requiring it to be quoted
- Documents, statements, receipts, certificates or reports that need not be furnished with the return but must be produced before the Assessing Officer on demand, including for returns filed in electronic form
- The form of the tax audit or inventory valuation report
- Remuneration and procedure for the Approving Panel
- The procedure for giving effect to agreements for relief from, or avoidance of, double taxation, and for granting foreign tax credit under sections 159 or 160
- The form, manner and fees for applications, claims, returns, appeals and cross-objections
- The procedure for calculating interest payable by or to assessees, including rounding off periods and ignoring petty amounts
- Any other matter which the Act requires, or allows, to be prescribed
Estimating income that cannot be definitely ascertained
Where income covered under sub-section (2)(b) cannot be definitely ascertained, or only with an unreasonable amount of trouble and expense, the rules may prescribe methods for estimating such income, and, for income derived partly from agriculture and partly from business, specify the proportion deemed liable to tax. An assessment based on such estimate or proportion is deemed duly made under the Act.
Retrospective rules
The rule-making power includes the power to give rules retrospective effect from a date not earlier than the commencement of the Act. Unless expressly, or by necessary implication, permitted, no retrospective rule can prejudicially affect the interests of assessees.
Step-by-step flow for applying Section 533
- 1
Does the provision leave the matter to rules, or to what is "prescribed"?
Section 533(1) lets the Board, subject to the control of the Central Government, make rules by notification. Section 533(2) lists particular matters, ending with any matter that is to be or may be prescribed (clause (zb)).
- 2
Find the applicable rule
Identify the rule made under Section 533 and the version in force for the period concerned.
- 3
Is it a case under Section 533(2)(b) where income cannot be definitely ascertained, or only with unreasonable trouble and expense?
- Yes: Under Section 533(3), rules may prescribe estimate methods and, for income partly from agriculture and partly from business, the proportion deemed taxable. An assessment based on that estimate or proportion is deemed duly made. Go to the next step.
- No: Go to the next step.
- 4
Does the rule have retrospective effect?
Under Section 533(4), retrospective effect cannot go back before the date of commencement of the Act. Unless the contrary is permitted expressly or by necessary implication, it cannot prejudicially affect the interests of assessees.
- 5
Check parliamentary laying
Rules made under the Act are laid before Parliament under Section 534.
Practical checklist
Do
- For a filing, valuation or procedural point, find the current notified rule made under the relevant section 533 head and check its effective date.
- Where a rule claims retrospective operation, verify the commencement-date limit and the protection against prejudicial retrospective effect.
- For mixed agricultural and business income or income difficult to ascertain, check the applicable prescribed estimate or proportion rather than inventing one.
Avoid
- Do not treat the topic list in section 533(2) as the text of the rules themselves.
- Do not assume every rule may operate retrospectively against an assessee.
Illustrative example
Worked example: a rule given retrospective effect
Hypothetical facts (illustration only, not a real taxpayer): A farmer grows sugarcane and also runs a small business processing it, so his income is partly from agriculture and partly from business. A rule under Section 533 on such income is notified on an assumed date of 1 October 2026. Two alternative versions are tested: (A) it states that it applies from 1 April 2026; (B) it states that it applies from 1 January 2026. Under Section 1(3), the Act generally commences on 1 April 2026.
Power
The manner of arriving at income partly from agriculture and partly from business is a matter rules may cover (Section 533(2)(b)(i)). Any proportion deemed taxable is whatever the rule specifies (Section 533(3)(b)); it is not stated in the Act.
Version A
Retrospective effect from 1 April 2026 does not go back before the commencement date, so it is within Section 533(4).
Version B
Effect from 1 January 2026 would be earlier than the commencement date, which Section 533(4) does not allow.
Prejudice
Even under Version A, if the rule harms the farmer's interests for the past period, it cannot do so unless the contrary is permitted expressly or by necessary implication.
Outcome
- Version A can operate from 1 April 2026; Version B cannot operate before that date.
- An assessment based on a proportion prescribed under Section 533(3) is deemed duly made.
Glossary
- Prescribed
- Specified through valid rules made under the Act rather than fixed by the enabling section alone.
- Retrospective effect
- A rule operating from an earlier date, subject to the express commencement and prejudice limits in section 533(4).
Frequently asked questions
Who makes rules under the Income-tax Act, 2025?
The Board, subject to the control of the Central Government, by notification.
Can rules under Section 533 apply retrospectively?
Yes, from a date not earlier than the commencement of the Act - but a retrospective rule cannot prejudicially affect assessees unless that is expressly or impliedly permitted.
What happens if agricultural and business income can't be separated exactly?
Section 533(3) allows the rules to prescribe an estimation method and specify the proportion of such income deemed liable to tax, and an assessment made on that basis is deemed duly made under the Act.
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Talk to our tax team about this sectionLast updated 10 October 2026