A recent post on social media platform X (previously Twitter) has attracted public attention regarding the excessive delay in accepting for processing the Income Tax Return ( ITR ) of a senior citizen for the Assessment Year (AY) 2022-23.
The grievance raised by the daughter of the taxpayer, has again put in the focus the Income Tax Department‘s responsiveness and accountability towards addressing genuine grievances, especially those related to senior citizens.
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In the post shared by user @Julisingh80, it was revealed that her father’s ITR, filed nearly two years ago, is yet to be processed. Despite multiple complaints registered through official grievance channels and repeated social media follow-ups, the matter remains unresolved.
The daughter also shared that the persistent delay has caused financial stress, especially as her father, a retired official who served in Arunachal Pradesh, depends on timely tax refunds to meet his expenses.
The X post reads as follows :
”Please look into this matter as this has pending since last 2 yrs after filing the tax returns it yet to get processed pls help, it’s a hard end money of a senior citizen, here is the acknowledged number. Below are reply and status is processing stage since last two months, why is this taking this much ..???Your Grievance 20612130 has been logged with below issue description. view the status, View Grievance Status” on the portal.”
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The first raised publicly on December 28, 2024, was not an isolated complaint. She raised the grievance before the department already. The daughter made follow-up posts on:
In each post, she reiterated the delay and lack of response despite sharing the grievance acknowledgment number and sending all required details via email to the department’s official contact address: orm@cpc.incometax.gov.in.
The taxpayer wants to know why, even after submitting complete information through email, there has been no follow-up from the department. Until May 14, she made the follow up post on twitter.
The Income Tax Department did reply to her posts in a generic, templated manner, stating: “We have shared your grievance acknowledgement number with our team. They are looking into this.”
In another response, the department suggested checking whether she had written to the email address previously provided, requesting a reference number or timestamp to facilitate further action. However, these responses failed to provide any substantive update or assurance on resolution timelines.
It reads as follows:
“Hope you have connected with us on the email id (orm@cpc.incometax.gov.in) shared earlier. If so, please share the ticket no. that you may have received (or the timestamp & subject line of your email, masking personal details) for our team to look into this.”
Finally, on May 17, 2025, the department replied: “We believe our team has since got in touch with you, assisted you with your query, and also guided you with further steps for resolution.”
Still, this conclusion appears premature, as the taxpayer’s daughter had raised concerns just days earlier regarding the lack of follow-through. There is no satisfactory reply provided by the department except giving some predetermined replies.
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The Income Tax Department has leveraged platforms like email and social media to improve taxpayer outreach. However, a growing concern has emerged about the over-reliance on predetermined (template) replies, particularly when grievances involve complex or long-pending issues such as delayed ITR processing.
The Income Tax Department frequently uses standardised responses for queries raised through social media platforms like X (formerly Twitter) and emails. For example, common replies include:
“We have shared your grievance with our team. They are looking into it.”
“Hope you have connected with us on the email id shared earlier. Please share the ticket no. or email timestamp for further follow-up.”
All these replies are templated and never provide any satisfactory answers to the taxpayers who raised the issue, at least for the important issues which need to be addressed. While these responses help maintain a uniform tone and reduce response time, they are often generic and fail to address the specific facts of individual cases, especially when:
As per Income Tax Department norms, ITRs are typically processed within 15 to 45 days post e-verification. In complex cases, the processing may take longer up to nine months after the end of the assessment year. However, delays beyond this period are rare and usually suggest underlying problems such as:
Tax experts recommend that taxpayers facing such delays check the status of their ITR on the Income Tax e-filing portal and promptly respond to any notices or defect communication issued by the department.
Although the Income Tax Department’s ultimate action can be seen as some measure of progress, the two-year wait and the habitual silence preceding it are a poor reflection on the efficiency and sensitivity of the system toward weaker sections like the elderly.
Such instances states the necessity of:
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