ITR Filing 2025: Income Tax Return (ITR) filing for assessment year 2025–26 started from late this year, and has so far filed more than 75 lakh taxpayers ITRs. Of these, about 71.1 lakh returns have also been e-verified. This information has been shared by the Income Tax Department on its official website. However, earlier on the website, where it was told how many ITR processes have been done, now that section is looking empty.
Why is ITR processing and refund delay?
Tax experts believe that this time the Income Tax Department will not release tax refunds until it completely reviews the ITR report and assessment order of the previous years.
One, the ITR filing process started in late May this year, and now the refund processing is also taking place at a sluggish speed. Experts say the old returns and pending scrutiny are being cleared first.
Refund will be available only after old ITR review
In April itself, some reports reported that there may be a delay in getting refunds this year, but perhaps people did not take it seriously. Now when millions of people have filed ITR and are waiting for refund, questions are being raised. The process of this time can be difficult for honest taxpayers who file returns on time every year and there are no cases against them.
However, this is the new strategy of the Income Tax Department. Its purpose is to prevent fake refund claims. The department has instructed the officials that the refunds of the taxpayers who have scrutiny pending or assessment have not been closed should be banned at present.
What is update so far?
- The ITR filing began at the end of May 2025.
- So far, more than 75 lakh ITRs have been filed.
- Of these, more than 71.1 lakh e-verifieds have been done.
- Processing data has been removed from the department’s website.
- Refunds will be released only when the investigation of previous years tax records is completed.
What should taxpayers do?
Experts suggest that taxpayers do not need to panic. If you have filed the return correctly and all the information is filled correctly, then the refund will definitely be found, even if there is a little delay in it.
Taxpayers should keep checking the status of ITR processing from time to time. Also, if any assessment or notice was reported in earlier years, then definitely see its status.
Significantly, the Income Tax Department has reduced the deadline of ITR filing last month to 15 September 2025. Earlier this deadline was July 31, ie non-audit category taxpayers have now got 46 days additional.
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