Rule 246 — Application for registration as valuer under section 514. Made under s.514 of the Income-tax Act, 2025.
Rule 246 gives effect to Section 514 of the Income-tax Act, 2025. A rule cannot go beyond the section it serves: where the two seem to differ, the section governs.
Sub-rule (1) requires an application for registration as a valuer under section 514(2) to be made in Form No. 169, verified in the manner specified in it, and accompanied by a non-refundable fee of Rs. 10000.
Sub-rule (2) treats an application pending before the authorities mentioned in section 514(2) immediately before the 1st April, 2026 as if it had been filed under sub-rule (1), with no further payment of fee. Sub-rule (3) provides for refund of the fee already paid, on an application to the authorities mentioned in section 514(2), where a person has become ineligible to apply in view of the qualifications specified in rule 247.
Sub-rule (4) preserves the position of a person already registered as a valuer under the Wealth-tax Act, 1957 holding a valid certificate of registration as on the 31st March, 2026: he continues to be a registered valuer under section 514, but must update his details by filing an application as referred to in sub-rule (1) by the 30th September, 2026, and on such filing the registration is granted by the concerned authority in section 514 if the application is complete in all respects. Sub-rule (5) provides that such an application need not be accompanied by any fee.
Sub-rule (6) requires a person registered as a valuer under section 514 to qualify in an examination within such period as may be specified in this behalf by the Central Government by notification, and sub-rule (7) provides that on failure to qualify within that period the registration under section 514 stands cancelled with effect from the end of that period.
Section 514 provides for registration of valuers and leaves the application, the fee and the transition to the rules. The rule does three things at once: it prescribes the form and the fee for a fresh application; it carries forward applications and registrations that existed under the earlier law without charging again; and it makes continued registration conditional on passing an examination, with cancellation as the automatic consequence of failing to do so in time.
| What | Figure | The condition on it | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fee accompanying an application for registration | Rs. 10000, non-refundable | Application in Form No. 169 under sub-rule (1); refundable only in the circumstances in sub-rule (3) | Sub-rule (1) |
| Cut-off for an application to be treated as filed under sub-rule (1) | Pending immediately before the 1st April, 2026 | Application pending before the authorities mentioned in section 514(2); no further fee payable | Sub-rule (2) |
| Date on which a Wealth-tax Act registration must be valid to be carried forward | As on the 31st March, 2026 | Person already registered as a valuer under the Wealth-tax Act, 1957 holding a valid certificate of registration | Sub-rule (4) |
| Last date for such a person to update his details | By the 30th September, 2026 | By filing an application as referred to in sub-rule (1); registration is then granted if the application is complete in all respects | Sub-rule (4) |
| Fee for the updating application | No fee | An application under sub-rule (4) may not be accompanied by any fee | Sub-rule (5) |
| Period within which a registered valuer must qualify in the examination | As may be specified by the Central Government by notification | The rule specifies no period of its own; failure to qualify within the notified period cancels the registration from the end of that period | Sub-rule (6) with sub-rule (7) |
Continuity from the earlier law is not automatic in both senses: a Wealth-tax Act registration valid on 31st March, 2026 continues under section 514, but the holder must still file the sub-rule (1) application by 30th September, 2026 to update his details, and registration is granted only if that application is complete in all respects. That application carries no fee under sub-rule (5), and a pending application carried over under sub-rule (2) carries none either. The examination requirement in sub-rule (6) states no period — it is left to a Central Government notification — so no deadline can be read out of the rule itself; what the rule does supply is the consequence, which is that the registration stands cancelled from the end of the notified period without any further order. The fee is non-refundable except in the single case in sub-rule (3), where the applicant has become ineligible on the qualifications in rule 247, and even then only on an application for refund.
A valuer holding a valid certificate of registration under the Wealth-tax Act, 1957 as on 31st March, 2026 continues as a registered valuer under section 514. Under sub-rule (4) he files an application in the form referred to in sub-rule (1) on 15 September 2026 to update his details, without any fee under sub-rule (5), and the concerned authority grants registration because the application is complete in all respects. If a notification later sets a period for the examination under sub-rule (6) and he does not qualify within it, sub-rule (7) cancels his registration with effect from the end of that period.
In the Form No. 169 application and fee challan when seeking registration as a valuer, in the updating application a previously registered valuer files, and in the cancellation that follows a failure to qualify in the examination.
shall be made in Form No. 169 and shall be verified in the manner specified therein and shall be accompanied by a non-refundable fee of Rs. 10000
he is required to update his details by filing application as referred in sub-rule (1) by the 30th September, 2026
the registration under section 514 shall stand cancelled with effect from the end of such specified period