The Income Tax Return ( ITR ) was delayed for 220 days and even more and what really happened for the 45 day standard? Under normal circumstances, the Income Tax Department aims to process ITRs within 20 to 45 days from the date of e-verification. These prolonged delays cause undue stress for taxpayers counting on timely refunds.
A taxpayer recently raised concerns about significant delays in the processing of ITR, highlighting the issue on the social media platform ‘X’ (formerly Twitter). According to his post on March 8, 2025, he filed his ITR on July 21, 2024, but even after eight months, the status remained “in process.” This delay has sparked discussions about whether the standard 45-day processing timeline is still being adhered to.
His grievance reads as follows, “I Respected Sir/ Ma’am, I filed the ITR on 22nd July 2024. The acknowledgement number is 87XXXXXXXXXXXXX. More than eight months have passed, but the ITR status still shows processing. I always receive computerized responses to the grievances raised.”
This has triggered a broader debate regarding the mismatch between formal timelines and implementation. The legal provisions allow up to nine months from the end of the fiscal year for processing. The usual days taken for the ITR processing is 20-45 days. Even though there is such promise, delay beyond 200 days is unacceptable. The taxpayer shared his grievance, however, there are taxpayers who did not opt for raising a grievance through a public platform.
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The important question is that this Would the return have remained untouched had the taxpayer not publicly raised the delay, especially with only months left before the statutory deadline?
Notably, nine months is an outer boundary, not a target, and by no means a justification for excessive delay. Here, the taxpayer has exceeded all requirements, and had filed long before the July 31 deadline.
Most taxpayers, especially those owed refunds, are placed in financial issues when processing is slow. The increasing numbers of such complaints now create apprehensions of systemic inefficiencies, questioning the prudence of the income tax department and its ability to command public confidence.
The issue of the taxpayer was cleared subsequently by the income tax department where shared that “I am very happy to share this. After raising my concern, the ITR mentioned above was cleared by the department, and a follow up call was given for the same. I appreciate the efforts of the backend processing team. Thanks a lot. My refund also got credited”, on April 14, 2025.
If your income tax return (ITR) is not being processed even after a huge delay, you can file a complaint through the “Grievance tab” on the income tax portal. The taxpayer can also approach the central processing centre (CPC) through their helpline numbers. Also, you can raise the issue directly in the income tax department’s ‘X’ page.
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