The number of Income-tax Returns (ITRs) filed for Assessment Year (AY) 2024-25 reached an unprecedented 7.28 crore by July 31, 2024. This marks a 7.5% increase compared to the 6.77 crore ITRs filed by the same date in AY 2023-24.
A significant shift was observed as more taxpayers chose the New Tax Regime this year. Out of the 7.28 crore ITRs, 5.27 crore were filed under the New Tax Regime, while 2.01 crore remained under the Old Tax Regime. This means 72% of taxpayers opted for the New Tax Regime, with 28% sticking to the old system.
The peak filing day was July 31, 2024, the due date for salaried taxpayers and non-tax audit cases, with over 69.92 lakh ITRs filed on that day alone. The e-filing portal saw its highest hourly rate of 5.07 lakh ITRs filed between 7:00 pm and 8:00 pm. The highest per-second rate was 917 ITRs (on July 17, 2024, at 08:13:54 am), and the highest per-minute rate was 9,367 ITRs (on July 31, 2024, at 8:08 pm).
First-time filers contributed significantly, with 58.57 lakh ITRs filed by July 31, 2024, indicating a broadening tax base.
For the first time, ITRs (ITR-1, ITR-2, ITR-4, ITR-6) were available on the e-filing portal from the start of the Financial Year on April 1, 2024. The ITR-3 and ITR-5 were also released earlier than in previous years. Efforts to educate taxpayers on the Old and New tax regimes included FAQs and educational videos on the e-filing portal.
Focused outreach campaigns on social media encouraged early ITR filing. Creative campaigns across various platforms, including videos in 12 regional languages besides English and Hindi, were displayed. Outdoor campaigns also contributed to the increased filings. Historical data corroborates this surge:
2020-21: 5.78 crore (filed by January 10, 2021) 2021-22: 5.77 crore (filed by December 31, 2021) 2022-23: 5.82 crore (filed by July 31, 2022) 2023-24: 6.77 crore (filed by July 31, 2023) 2024-25: 7.28 crore (filed by July 31, 2024)Of the 7.28 crore ITRs for AY 2024-25, 45.77% were ITR-1 (3.34 crore), 14.93% were ITR-2 (1.09 crore), 12.50% were ITR-3 (91.10 lakh), 25.77% were ITR-4 (1.88 crore), and 1.03% were ITR-5 to ITR-7 (7.48 lakh). Over 43.82% of these ITRs were filed using the online utility available on the e-filing portal, while the rest were filed using offline utilities.
During peak filing times, the e-filing portal managed high traffic effectively, ensuring a seamless filing experience. On July 31, 2024, there were 3.2 crore successful logins.
E-verification, crucial for processing ITRs and issuing refunds, saw over 6.21 crore ITRs e-verified, with more than 5.81 crore verified via Aadhaar-based OTP (93.56%). By July 31, 2024, over 2.69 crore ITRs for AY 2024-25 had been processed (43.34%). Additionally, 91.94 lakh challans were received through the TIN 2.0 payment system in July 2024, bringing the total since April 1, 2024, to 1.64 crore.
The e-filing Helpdesk handled approximately 10.64 lakh queries from taxpayers up to July 31, 2024, providing proactive support during the peak period. Support was offered through calls, live chats, WebEx, and co-browsing sessions. The helpdesk also managed queries received via the Department's X (Twitter) handle, resolving 99.97% of the 1.07 lakh emails received between April 1 and July 31, 2024.
The Department thanks tax professionals and taxpayers for their timely compliance in filing ITRs and forms. Taxpayers are reminded to verify any unverified ITRs within 30 days of filing.
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