ITR Filing 2025: Why Verification Matters and What Causes Delays in Processing

As we all know, the ITR filing season is going on; numerous taxpayers across India are getting ready to file their Income Tax Return (ITR) before the due date, i.e., September 15, 2025. Merely filing ITR is not the complete job; there is no value in filing a return unless you verify it. Once you complete the verification process, the income tax department processes your ITR, and once it is processed, taxpayers can check their ‘processing completion’ notification at the income tax portal.

If you do not e-verify your return within 30 days of filing it, your return will be considered invalid by the Income Tax Department. This can lead to delays in getting refunds and may even lead to legal or tax problems. Several times, taxpayers even e-verify their return within the specified time limit, but the income tax department still takes extra time to process it.

How Much Time Does the Income Tax Department Take to Process ITR?

Before filing the Income Tax Return (ITR), taxpayers should make sure that all the details they fill in, such as their income, deductions, and taxes paid, are correct. After filing the return, they need to verify it. This can be done online using an Aadhaar OTP or through net banking. If they prefer to do it offline, they can send a signed copy of the ITR-V form by post to the Income Tax Department.

Once you complete verifying your income tax return (ITR), the tax department checks the claims for data accuracy and tax calculation mismatches, a tax expert says. Further, it says that the income tax return only enters the stage of processing after completion of the above step, which may take anywhere between a few hours and 6 months, depending on the complexity of the composition of the income.

The way a person earns income can be simple or complicated, depending on their situation. For example, ITR-1 gets processed faster because it is meant for people with only salary or pension income and no income from business or capital gains. However, if someone has capital gains, like profits from selling stocks or mutual funds, their return usually takes more time to process.

Why Does the Department Sometimes Take Time to Process ITR?

The ITR processing system works automatically when E-Verification is done. So, if the details you mention in your return match the income and tax information already available with the tax department, your ITR gets processed quickly. However, if the taxpayer possesses any capital gain or business income, then before processing the return, it is checked if the details mentioned in Form 26AS and the Annual Information Statement (AIS) match; this process takes time.

If the tax department finds discrepancies between TDS and both forms, then the process of return is stopped immediately.

Discrepancies in PAN and Aadhar details and wrong bank details can also lead to delays in the process.