List of Income Tax Offices in India: History, Locations & Key Details

Most people only think about income tax twice a year. Once when their employer sends the Form 16 and once when the ITR filing deadline is three days away and the portal is throwing errors. Outside of those two moments, the entire machinery of income tax administration in India stays invisible. And then something goes wrong. A notice lands in the inbox. A refund doesn’t come for eight months. A scrutiny assessment gets triggered. Suddenly, finding the right income tax office becomes urgent, and the system turns out to be way more complicated than anyone expected.

Here’s the real problem. India’s income tax administration is not organized by state. It’s not organized by city in the way most people intuitively expect. It’s organized by jurisdiction, which is determined by your PAN, your address at the time of PAN allotment, the nature of your income, and which Assessment Unit you fall under. Someone living in Mumbai might have a jurisdictional Assessing Officer sitting in the Bandra-Kurla Complex, while their neighbor, same building, same floor, falls under an entirely different Ward in Aayakar Bhavan near Marine Lines. Getting the wrong office wastes a full day and sometimes more.

Then there’s the fact that India moved a significant chunk of income tax work to a faceless system starting 2020. The Faceless Assessment Scheme under the National Faceless Assessment Centre (NFAC) in Delhi changed how scrutiny assessments work. Most taxpayers don’t physically visit an income tax office for an assessment anymore. But plenty of situations still require physical visits: rectification requests, manual submissions, certain appeal hearings, TAN-related queries, compounding applications, and more. So the offices still matter enormously.

There are also things like the Centralized Processing Centre in Bengaluru, which processes every single ITR filed in India. Or the 18 regional headquarters spread across the country. Or the Principal Chief Commissioner offices that sit above the regular Commissioner offices in the hierarchy. Most taxpayers and even some accountants don’t fully understand how all of this fits together.

So this post does something straightforward. It maps out the income tax office network in India, city by city and function by function, with actual addresses, what each type of office does, and enough context to know which one you need for what situation. The history is in there too, because understanding how the Income Tax Department grew helps explain why the current structure looks the way it does.

A Brief History of Income Tax in India: From 1860 to NFAC

Income tax in India is older than Indian independence. The first Income Tax Act was introduced in 1860 by Sir James Wilson, the Finance Member of the Council of India, specifically to recover losses from the 1857 revolt. That first tax was a temporary measure. It lapsed. Was revived. Lapsed again. A more permanent version came in 1886, then a comprehensive rewrite in 1918, another in 1922, and finally the Income Tax Act of 1961, which is the law currently in force today, though it has been amended hundreds of times since.

The administrative structure has grown in parallel with the law. In 1922, there was no real field infrastructure. By 1961, when the new Act came in, the department had field offices in major cities. By the 1980s, with India’s tax base expanding, the network of income tax offices spread into smaller cities. The 1990s and early 2000s brought computerization, PAN cards (introduced 1972, made mandatory progressively), and eventually the move to online filing.

The biggest structural shift in recent history happened between 2019 and 2021. The Faceless Assessment Scheme, announced by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, moved scrutiny assessments away from jurisdictional officers to a centralized, faceless system. The goal was to reduce human interface, cut corruption opportunities, and make assessments location-independent. NFAC in Delhi now handles the backend of most scrutiny cases. The individual taxpayer doesn’t know which officer is reviewing their case, and the officer doesn’t know who the taxpayer is beyond the data on screen.

This matters for understanding the office network. The older system had you going to your local income tax office for everything. The new system handles a lot centrally. But the field offices still handle a massive volume of work.

How Income Tax Offices in India Are Organized: The Hierarchy

Before listing specific offices, the hierarchy needs to be clear. This is the structure from top to bottom.

Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT): The apex body, based in New Delhi. Sets policy, issues circulars, and oversees the entire department.

Principal Chief Commissioner of Income Tax (PCCIT): Heads a regional zone. There are 18 such zones across India.

Chief Commissioner of Income Tax (CCIT): Reports to PCCIT. Oversees a cluster of Commissioners.

Principal Commissioner of Income Tax (PCIT): Heads a charge, which is a geographic or functional unit within a city.

Commissioner of Income Tax (CIT): Manages a range of Assessing Officers.

Additional / Joint Commissioner of Income Tax: Handles specific functions like TDS, range supervision, appeals at the first level.

Income Tax Officer (ITO) / Assessing Officer (AO): The officer directly responsible for your file. Your notices come from here. Your assessment happens here.

So when you get a notice saying “Ward 1(1), Mumbai,” that refers to a specific AO’s Ward within the Mumbai income tax office structure, not just a general Mumbai address.

CBDT Headquarters and National-Level Income Tax Offices

Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), New Delhi

Address: Central Board of Direct Taxes, Ministry of Finance, North Block, New Delhi 110001

Operations: Policy formation, rules and circulars, supervision of all field formations, international taxation policy, DTAA (Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement) negotiations, legislative inputs for Finance Bills

North Block is one of India’s most recognizable government buildings, flanking Rajpath (now Kartavya Path) along with South Block. CBDT sits here along with the Department of Revenue and the Finance Ministry’s senior leadership. The Chairman of CBDT is effectively the head of India’s direct tax administration, reporting to the Finance Ministry.

When CBDT issues a circular, every income tax officer in India is bound by it. When a new ITR form is notified or a deadline is extended, it comes from here. This is the policy brain of the entire system.

National Faceless Assessment Centre (NFAC), Delhi

Address: National Faceless Assessment Centre, Income Tax Department, Civic Centre, Jawaharlal Nehru Marg, New Delhi 110002

Operations: Centralized faceless scrutiny assessments, faceless penalty proceedings, faceless rectification

NFAC was set up in 2020 under the Faceless Assessment Scheme. All scrutiny assessments selected under Section 143(3), most penalty proceedings, and faceless rectifications under Section 154 are handled here. The individual taxpayer communicates with NFAC through the e-filing portal. There is no physical interface in the assessment process.

If you’ve received a scrutiny notice and your case is under NFAC, you respond online through the e-proceedings section of the portal. You do not go to any physical office for the assessment. All submissions are digital. The system assigns your case to an Assessment Unit, a Verification Unit, and a Technical Unit, none of which are at a location you’d know or visit.

Centralized Processing Centre (CPC), Bengaluru

Address: Centralized Processing Centre, Income Tax Department, Prestige Alpha, No. 7, O’Shaughnessy Road, Langford Town, Bengaluru 560025, Karnataka

Operations: Processing of all ITR filings, refund generation, intimations under Section 143(1), TDS credit matching, demand generation for mismatches

Every ITR filed in India, whether you’re a salaried employee, a self-employed professional, a business owner, or a company, gets processed at CPC Bengaluru. The 143(1) intimation you receive after filing, telling you either your return is accepted as filed or there’s a demand or refund, comes from CPC. Refund credits to bank accounts are triggered from CPC after verification.

CPC processes roughly 65 to 70 million returns annually. The scale is enormous. When the income tax portal has processing delays or refunds are stuck, CPC is where the bottleneck usually sits.

For refund status queries or 143(1) intimation issues, the CPC helpline is 1800-103-4455 (toll-free). Physical visits to CPC are not applicable for regular taxpayers. It’s a processing center, not a public-facing office.

Directorate of Income Tax (Systems), New Delhi

Address: Directorate of Income Tax (Systems), ARA Centre, Ground Floor, E-2, Jhandewalan Extension, New Delhi 110055

Operations: IT infrastructure for the income tax department, e-filing portal management, PAN systems, TDS systems, TRACES portal

This is the technology backbone of the income tax department. The e-filing portal (incometax.gov.in), the TRACES portal (for TDS certificates and 26AS), and the PAN allotment system all run under the Directorate of Systems. When the e-filing portal goes down during July rush, the team working on it is under this directorate.

Income Tax Offices in Delhi and NCR

Delhi being the national capital has the densest income tax office network in India. Corporate headquarters, high-net-worth individuals, Central Government employees, and massive trade volumes mean Delhi’s income tax infrastructure is built at a scale you don’t see elsewhere.

Principal Chief Commissioner of Income Tax, Delhi

Address: Aayakar Bhawan, Judicial Block, Civic Centre, Jawaharlal Nehru Marg, New Delhi 110002

Operations: Heads the Delhi region income tax administration, oversees all Commissioners and AOs in Delhi

Civic Centre is the main income tax hub in Delhi. Multiple Commissioner offices, Range offices, and AO Wards sit in this complex and surrounding buildings.

Income Tax Office, Pratyaksh Kar Bhawan, New Delhi

Address: Pratyaksh Kar Bhawan, Civic Centre, Jawaharlal Nehru Marg, New Delhi 110002

Operations: Corporate assessments, high-value cases, international taxation, transfer pricing

Delhi’s corporate and international tax work is concentrated around the Civic Centre complex. Transfer pricing cases involving MNCs, international taxation queries, and large corporate assessments are handled by specialized Commissioner charges located here.

Income Tax Office, CR Building, New Delhi

Address: Central Revenue Building (CR Building), IP Estate, New Delhi 110002

Operations: Government employee assessments, TDS, range offices

CR Building is one of the older income tax addresses in Delhi, near ITO (Income Tax Office) metro station, which is literally named after the concentration of government offices in this area. Several Ward offices covering Central Delhi taxpayers operate from here.

TDS Reconciliation Analysis and Correction Enabling System (TRACES), Ghaziabad

Address: TRACES, TDS Centralized Processing Cell, Aayakar Bhawan, Sector 3, Vaishali, Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh 201010

Operations: TDS certificate processing, Form 16/16A generation, TDS refunds, correction statements

While technically NCR, the TRACES office in Vaishali handles all TDS-related backend processing. Deductors and deductees dealing with TDS mismatches, Form 16 issues, or TDS refunds end up interacting with this office, though most of it is digital.

Income Tax Offices in Mumbai: The Highest Revenue Zone

Mumbai generates more income tax revenue than any other city in India. The concentration of listed companies, financial institutions, Bollywood, diamond traders, and high-net-worth individuals makes Mumbai’s income tax zone the single most important in the country by collection numbers.

Principal Chief Commissioner of Income Tax, Mumbai

Address: Aayakar Bhawan, M.K. Road, Churchgate, Mumbai 400020, Maharashtra

Operations: Heads Mumbai region income tax administration, corporate taxation, high-value assessments

Aayakar Bhawan at Churchgate is Mumbai’s central income tax address. This is where the PCCIT’s office is, along with several Commissioner charges. Corporate tax cases for some of India’s biggest companies are assessed from offices in and around this building.

Income Tax Office, Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC), Mumbai

Address: Income Tax Office, Plot C-8, G Block, Bandra-Kurla Complex, Mumbai 400051, Maharashtra

Operations: Corporate assessments, transfer pricing, international taxation, BFSI sector companies

BKC is Mumbai’s financial district and it makes sense that income tax infrastructure expanded there as companies relocated from Nariman Point and Fort. Several Commissioner charges covering BKC-based companies operate from this location. Banks, insurance companies, NBFCs, and financial services firms headquartered in BKC fall under these charges.

Income Tax Office, Aayakar Bhawan, Mazgaon

Address: Aayakar Bhawan, M.P. Road, Mazgaon, Mumbai 400010, Maharashtra

Operations: Range offices, Ward-level assessments, TDS

Mazgaon houses several Ward-level offices serving individual and business taxpayers in Central and North Mumbai. If you’re a Mumbai taxpayer trying to reach your jurisdictional AO, there’s a reasonable chance your office is in Mazgaon or Churchgate.

Income Tax Office, Thane

Address: Income Tax Office, Uthalkar Marg, Thane West, Maharashtra 400601

Operations: Assessments for Thane district taxpayers, TDS, Ward offices

Thane has grown into a city of over 2 million people and has its own income tax office infrastructure. Taxpayers with Thane addresses in their PAN records typically fall under the Thane Range offices rather than Mumbai’s central offices.

Income Tax Offices in Chennai, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad

Principal Chief Commissioner of Income Tax, Chennai

Address: Aayakar Bhawan, 121, Mahatma Gandhi Road, Nungambakkam, Chennai 600034, Tamil Nadu

Operations: Heads Tamil Nadu and Puducherry income tax administration, corporate and individual assessments, TDS oversight

Chennai’s income tax headquarters on MG Road in Nungambakkam covers a large geographic charge including Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. Several Commissioner and AO offices operate from this building and surrounding locations in the Nungambakkam and Teynampet areas.

Income Tax Office, Bengaluru

Address: Principal Chief Commissioner of Income Tax, Aayakar Bhawan, M.G. Road, Bengaluru 560001, Karnataka

Operations: Karnataka state income tax administration, IT sector companies, startup assessments, high-tech industry taxation

Bengaluru is interesting because its income tax office handles a taxpayer profile that’s unlike almost anywhere else in India. Massive IT company revenues, ESOP taxation for thousands of employees, startup equity transactions, international remittances from software exports. The Bengaluru income tax office has had to develop specific expertise in areas like ESOP perquisite taxation and international wire transfers that other cities don’t deal with at the same volume.

Income Tax Office, Hyderabad

Address: Principal Chief Commissioner of Income Tax, Aayakar Bhawan, Basheerbagh, Hyderabad 500004, Telangana

Operations: Telangana and Andhra Pradesh income tax administration, pharma industry taxation, IT sector, real estate

Basheerbagh is central Hyderabad and the main income tax hub for the city. Pharma companies clustered in Hyderabad and the Cyberabad IT sector create a specific taxation profile. The income tax offices here deal with a lot of pharmaceutical transfer pricing and international R&D expense allocation cases.

Income Tax Offices in Kolkata, Pune, and Ahmedabad

Principal Chief Commissioner of Income Tax, Kolkata

Address: Aayakar Bhawan, P-7, Chowringhee Square, Kolkata 700069, West Bengal

Operations: West Bengal, Sikkim, Andaman and Nicobar income tax administration, trade and commerce sector, jute and tea industry taxation

Kolkata’s income tax office covers the entire eastern India jurisdiction in terms of the Kolkata PCCIT charge. The city’s trading community, historic manufacturing sector, and newer IT presence in Salt Lake all create varied taxpayer profiles.

Income Tax Office, Pune

Address: Income Tax Office, Aayakar Bhawan, 22, Navi Peth, Pune 411030, Maharashtra

Operations: Pune district assessments, IT sector, auto industry, educational institutions

Pune is separately charged from Mumbai despite being in the same state. The city’s IT sector, auto industry suppliers, and large educational institutions create their own distinct taxation questions. The office in Navi Peth handles the main jurisdictional work for Pune city taxpayers.

Principal Chief Commissioner of Income Tax, Ahmedabad

Address: Aayakar Bhawan, Ashram Road, Ahmedabad 380009, Gujarat

Operations: Gujarat income tax administration, diamond trade, textile industry, MSME sector

Gujarat’s economy is heavily trade-based. The diamond trade in Surat, the textile cluster in Surat and Ahmedabad, the MSME belt across the state, and the growing IT presence in Gandhinagar GIFT City all make Ahmedabad’s income tax zone one of the busiest in Western India.

Income Tax Offices in Other Major Cities

Chandigarh

Address: Income Tax Office, Aayakar Bhawan, Sector 17-E, Chandigarh 160017

Operations: Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, and UT Chandigarh income tax administration

Sector 17 is Chandigarh’s government hub and the income tax office sits there alongside other central government offices. The charge covers a large geography including three states.

Lucknow

Address: Income Tax Office, Aayakar Bhawan, 5 Ashok Marg, Lucknow 226001, Uttar Pradesh

Operations: UP income tax administration (shared with Kanpur charge), government sector, trade

UP is a massive state and the income tax administration is split between Lucknow and Kanpur charges. The Lucknow office on Ashok Marg covers state government employees, traders, and the Gomti Nagar professional community.

Kanpur

Address: Income Tax Office, Aayakar Bhawan, 26A, The Mall, Kanpur 208001, Uttar Pradesh

Operations: UP industrial belt, leather industry, textile trade, cotton trade

Kanpur was UP’s industrial capital historically and the income tax office here handles a lot of manufacturing and trade-sector assessments. The leather industry in Kanpur generates significant tax business.

Bhopal

Address: Income Tax Office, Aayakar Bhawan, Hoshangabad Road, Bhopal 462011, Madhya Pradesh

Operations: Madhya Pradesh income tax administration, state government sector, real estate

Bhopal covers Madhya Pradesh state. The office is on Hoshangabad Road in one of Bhopal’s main government corridors.

Patna

Address: Income Tax Office, Aayakar Bhawan, Birchand Patel Marg, Patna 800001, Bihar

Operations: Bihar income tax administration, government sector, trade

Patna’s income tax office on Birchand Patel Marg covers Bihar and handles a taxpayer base that is predominantly government employees and traders.

Jaipur

Address: Income Tax Office, Aayakar Bhawan, Statue Circle, Jaipur 302005, Rajasthan

Operations: Rajasthan income tax administration, gemstone trade, textile, tourism sector

Jaipur’s income tax office near Statue Circle handles Rajasthan’s taxation. The gemstone and jewellery trade in Jaipur is a major taxation focus, alongside the growing IT presence and the tourism sector.

Bhubaneswar

Address: Income Tax Office, Aayakar Bhawan, Ashok Nagar, Bhubaneswar 751009, Odisha

Operations: Odisha income tax administration, mining sector, steel industry

Odisha’s income tax office handles a tax base heavily influenced by mining and steel. Companies like Tata Steel (Jamshedpur has its own charge), NALCO, and SAIL have operations that generate significant tax business in the Odisha jurisdiction.

Guwahati

Address: Income Tax Office, Aayakar Bhawan, Christian Basti, G.S. Road, Guwahati 781005, Assam

Operations: North-East India income tax administration covering Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura, and Sikkim

The Guwahati charge is geographically one of the largest in India but has a relatively smaller taxpayer base compared to metros. It covers all eight North-Eastern states from one PCCIT office.

Quick Reference Table: Income Tax Offices Across India

How to Find Your Jurisdictional Income Tax Office

This is where most people get stuck. Knowing that Mumbai has income tax offices in Churchgate, Mazgaon, and BKC doesn’t tell you which one handles your return.

The answer is on the e-filing portal. Go to incometax.gov.in, log in with your PAN and password, and under the “Profile” section, look for “Know Your AO.” This will tell you your Ward number, Range number, Commissioner charge, and the address of your jurisdictional Assessing Officer.

So then, if you get a notice from a Ward that doesn’t match what the portal shows, that’s either a faceless proceeding (in which case NFAC is the issuing authority) or there’s a jurisdiction change you weren’t informed about. Both happen. Checking “Know Your AO” before responding to any notice saves a lot of confusion.

For TDS-related queries, the relevant office is not your AO’s Ward but the TDS Range office under which your deductor falls. That’s a different lookup, and the deductor’s TAN registration shows which Range they’re under.

Conclusion

India’s income tax office network spans 18 regional PCCIT charges, hundreds of Commissioner and AO-level offices across every major city, and two national processing centers in Delhi and Bengaluru. The Faceless Assessment Centre changed how assessments work, but physical income tax offices still handle appeals, rectifications, TAN queries, compounding, and high-value specialized cases.

If you’re dealing with a notice, the first step is always to check “Know Your AO” on the e-filing portal. That tells you exactly which income tax office has jurisdiction over your file. If it’s a scrutiny notice post-2020, chances are NFAC is handling it and your entire response happens online. If it’s a refund issue, CPC Bengaluru’s helpline at 1800-103-4455 is the right starting point.

The offices listed here are the main reference points. Addresses at government buildings do occasionally shift between blocks or wings, so always call ahead before visiting. And carry every document you have. Income tax offices in India operate on the principle that you can never have too many copies of anything.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the main income tax office in India?

The apex body for income tax in India is the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), located at North Block, New Delhi 110001. CBDT sets all policy and oversees the entire field organization. For processing of ITRs, the Centralized Processing Centre (CPC) at Bengaluru handles all returns nationally. For faceless assessments, NFAC at Civic Centre, New Delhi is the central authority.

How do I find my jurisdictional income tax office?

Log in to the income tax e-filing portal at incometax.gov.in. Go to your profile and use the “Know Your AO” feature. Enter your PAN and it will show your Ward number, Range, Commissioner charge, and the address of your Assessing Officer’s office.

What is the NFAC and where is it located?

NFAC stands for National Faceless Assessment Centre. It is located at Civic Centre, Jawaharlal Nehru Marg, New Delhi 110002. NFAC handles all scrutiny assessments under the Faceless Assessment Scheme, which means most taxpayers selected for scrutiny after 2020 deal with NFAC through the online e-proceedings portal rather than visiting any physical office.

What does the CPC in Bengaluru do?

The Centralized Processing Centre (CPC) at Prestige Alpha, Langford Town, Bengaluru 560025 processes all income tax returns filed in India. It generates Section 143(1) intimations, triggers refunds, matches TDS credit, and raises demands for mismatches. For refund issues or 143(1) queries, call CPC helpline 1800-103-4455.

Can I visit an income tax office without an appointment?

Yes, income tax offices are government offices and have public visiting hours. However, for AO-level matters, you typically need to bring your PAN, notice copy, and all supporting documents. Visit during morning hours when AOs are more likely to be available. For CPC Bengaluru, there is no public-facing counter. That interaction is entirely by phone and online.

Why did India create the faceless assessment system?

The Faceless Assessment Scheme was introduced to remove direct contact between taxpayers and Assessing Officers, which was a source of corruption and harassment. Under the faceless system, assessments are done centrally through NFAC, officers are randomly assigned cases, and neither the officer nor the taxpayer knows each other’s identity or location. Communication happens entirely through the e-filing portal.

How many income tax offices are there in India?

There are 18 Principal Chief Commissioner jurisdictions in India, each heading a regional zone. Under those are Chief Commissioners, Commissioners, and hundreds of Ward-level Assessing Officers spread across every major city and many smaller cities. The total number of field offices and Wards across India runs into several hundred.

What is the difference between an AO Ward and a Commissioner charge?

A Commissioner charge is a larger administrative unit covering a city or a segment of a large city. Under each Commissioner are multiple Ranges. Under each Range are multiple Wards or Circles. Each Ward or Circle is headed by an Income Tax Officer or an AO. Your AO Ward is the most specific level, the actual officer and location responsible for your tax file.

How do I contact CBDT for a policy query?

CBDT can be reached at North Block, New Delhi 110001. For formal written communications, correspondence should be addressed to the Chairman, CBDT or the relevant Member (Legislation, Audit, Investigation, etc.) depending on the nature of the query. For taxpayer grievances, the CPGRAMS portal (cpgrams.gov.in) is the formal channel, or the Aayakar Sampark Kendra helpline at 1800-180-1961.

Is it possible to change my jurisdictional income tax office?

Yes. If your address has changed significantly or your income profile has shifted, you can apply for a transfer of jurisdiction. The application goes to the Commissioner of Income Tax having jurisdiction over both the existing and proposed AO. The process requires form submission and reasons for transfer. PAN address updates that cross jurisdictions can sometimes trigger automatic transfers.

What happens if I go to the wrong income tax office?

If you visit the wrong Ward or Range office, the staff will direct you to the correct one based on your PAN. Notices responded to at the wrong office may not get processed correctly, so always verify your jurisdiction on the e-filing portal before visiting or submitting documents. For faceless proceedings, going to any physical office is not the correct path anyway since everything is online.

What is the income tax office address for corporate assessments in Mumbai?

Mumbai’s large corporate assessments are handled from Aayakar Bhawan, M.K. Road, Churchgate, Mumbai 400020, and from the BKC office at Plot C-8, G Block, Bandra-Kurla Complex, Mumbai 400051. Which office depends on the specific Commissioner charge assigned to the company based on its PAN jurisdiction. Large listed companies often fall under specialized Corporate Charges located in these two hubs.