Brisk processing for AY27: Nudge helps, 33.5m ITRs filed so far

New Delhi: India's income-tax department has received 33.48 million income-tax returns (ITRs) for assessment year 2026-27 as of July 22, a senior official said.

Out of the total returns filed, 19.9 million returns are already processed, indicating that the tax administration is maintaining a brisk pace of processing even before the peak filing period.

Total 31.5 million returns have been verified, a mandatory step before processing, implying that nearly two-thirds of verified returns have already been cleared by the Central Processing Centre, paving the way for faster refunds.


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The data also showed that the income tax e-filing portal now has 140.3 million registered individual users, highlighting the steady expansion of the taxpayer base and growing adoption of digital tax compliance.

"A good number of new taxpayers also include those who were supposed to file returns but were not filing," a senior official said, adding that the nudge campaign by the department had been successful in reaching out to those taxpayers.

The officials expect filing volumes to rise sharply in the last one week and the department is capable of handling large volumes with a technical team ready to assist taxpayers with a dedicated 24X7 help desk.

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"The portal is working smoothly, and we are ensuring that our team responds to the queries or difficulties faced by taxpayers on social media," the official added.

The early processing of returns reflects the department's push to shorten refund timelines and improve taxpayer services.