Users Report Portal Issues And Refund Delays As IT Returns Filing Goes Up To Six Crore

By Saurabh Shukla

New Delhi: With the last date for filing income tax returns approaching, many people are struggling to complete the process.

At the same time, those who had filed their returns early are facing delays in receiving their refunds. According to the Income Tax Department, the delays are not intentional. In some cases, refunds are taking longer due to additional verification and risk-assessment measures put in place to ensure accuracy.

Experts have advised taxpayers to follow best practices, file returns carefully, and ensure that all required information is filled in correctly. This can help avoid delays and improve the chances of a quicker refund.

According to Income Tax website data, as on September 12, 2025, the Department has reported significant progress in return filing for Assessment Year 2025–26. A total of 13.4 crore individual users have registered on the portal. Out of these, 5.95 crore income tax returns have been filed, and 5.51 crore returns have been verified.

So far 3.78 crore verified ITRs have already been processed, reflecting the department’s ongoing efforts to streamline and expedite tax return processing for taxpayers across the country.

Income Tax Filing Data

Individual Registered Users - 13.40 crore
*Returns filed - 5.95 crore
*Returns verified - 5.51 crore
*Verified ITRs - 3.78 crore
(AY 2025-26)

The above stats were last updated on September 12.

Sources in the Tax Department told ETV Bharat that there is no targeted delay in issuing refunds. The department is making every effort to issue refunds as early as possible. If anyone is facing a delay in receiving their refund, it could be due to multiple reasons. The Income Tax Department has implemented automated validation and additional risk-assessment checks at the Centralized Processing Centre (CPC) to prevent incorrect refund claims. These checks can sometimes take additional time to ensure accuracy.

All Income Tax Returns (ITRs) where the claimed refund is above a certain threshold are subjected to additional scrutiny. An officer also noted that, as per the Income Tax Act, the department has up to nine months to process returns, added the officer.

1. Past year outstanding demands
2. Mismatch of TDS claimed in ITR vis a vis higher TDS reflecting on 26AS statement of the Assessee.
3. Exemptions and deductions claimed in ITR not matching with information uploaded on IT Portal.
4. High value transactions undertaken by assessee not reflected in Tax return filed by the Assessee.

As per the Income Tax Department, for the assessment year 2025–26, Maharashtra has recorded the highest number of income tax return filings, with 60.94 lakh returns submitted. It is followed by Uttar Pradesh with 44.53 lakh, Gujarat with 40.63 lakh, Rajasthan at 30.33 lakh, and West Bengal with 29.31 lakh filings. These five states lead the country in ITR filing volume, reflecting strong taxpayer participation in the ongoing assessment year.

State wise filing count for FY 2025-26

Top 5 States

Maharashtra - 60.94 lakh
Uttar Pradesh - 44.53 lakh
Gujarat - 40.63 lakh
Rajasthan - 30.33 lakh
West Bengal - 29.31 lakh

Penalties for missing deadline

Missing the deadline for filing your Income Tax Return can cost you. As per Section 234F of the Income Tax Act if your total income is more than Rs 5 lakh, you may have to pay a penalty of up to Rs 5,000. For those earning less than Rs 5 lakh, the penalty is Rs 1,000.

The fine is charged when you file a belated return after the official due date has passed. The government has fixed a final deadline for filing belated returns. For this assessment year one have until December 31, 2025, to file ITR. After that, it won’t be possible to file return for this year at all.

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Over 6 Crore Income Tax Returns Filed So Far: I-T dept