This year, taxpayers and tax professionals have outdone themselves by filing Income-tax Returns (ITRs) in record numbers. As of July 31, 2024, more than 7.28 crore ITRs were submitted for the Assessment Year (AY) 2024-25, setting a new milestone. This is a significant 7.5% increase compared to the 6.77 crore ITRs filed by the same date last year.
Last 5 years ITR Filing
| AY | Due date | No of Returns filed |
| 2020-21 | 10/01/2021 | 5,78,45,678 |
| 2021-22 | 31/12/2021 | 5,77,39,682 |
| 2022-23 | 31/07/2022 | 5,82,88,692 |
| 2023-24 | 31/07/2023 | 6,77,42,303 |
| 2024-25 | 31/07/2024 | 7,28,80,318 |
A notable trend this year is the shift towards the New Tax Regime. Out of the 7.28 crore ITRs filed, a substantial 5.27 crore chose the New Tax Regime, while only 2.01 crore opted for the Old Tax Regime. This means that approximately 72% of taxpayers are embracing the new tax structure, leaving 28% sticking with the traditional regime.
The filing rush peaked on July 31, 2024, which was the deadline for salaried taxpayers and others not requiring a tax audit. On this day alone, over 69.92 lakh ITRs were filed. The e-filing portal experienced its busiest hour between 7:00 PM and 8:00 PM, handling 5.07 lakh ITR submissions. The highest filing rate per second was recorded at 917 on July 17, 2024, at 8:13:54 AM, and the highest per minute rate was 9,367 on July 31, 2024, at 8:08 PM.
The expansion of the tax base is also evident from the 58.57 lakh ITRs filed by first-time filers by July 31, 2024.
Breaking down the filings for AY 2024-25:
- ITR-1: 3.34 crore (45.77%)
- ITR-2: 1.09 crore (14.93%)
- ITR-3: 91.10 lakh (12.50%)
- ITR-4: 1.88 crore (25.77%)
- ITR-5 to ITR-7: 7.48 lakh (1.03%)
Over 43.82% of these returns were filed online using the e-filing portal, with the remainder using offline methods. Despite the high traffic, the e-filing portal efficiently managed the volume, allowing for a smooth filing experience. On July 31, 2024, there were 3.2 crore successful logins.
E-verification is a crucial step for processing ITRs and issuing refunds. As of July 31, 2024, over 6.21 crore ITRs have been e-verified, with more than 5.81 crore (93.56%) completed through Aadhaar-based OTPs. The processing of over 2.69 crore ITRs (43.34%) for AY 2024-25 has already begun. Additionally, 91.94 lakh challans were processed through the TIN 2.0 payment system in July 2024, with a total of 1.64 crore challans received since April 1, 2024.
The e-filing Helpdesk team has been instrumental during this busy period, addressing around 10.64 lakh queries from taxpayers up to July 31, 2024. They offered support through calls, live chats, WebEx sessions, and co-browsing. The team also managed queries received via the X (formerly Twitter) handle and resolved over 1.07 lakh emails, achieving a resolution rate of 99.97%.
This record-breaking year highlights the efficiency and adaptability of both taxpayers and the e-filing system, making the tax filing process smoother and more accessible.
