Over 1.8 Million Income Tax Returns Filed for AY 2024-25 by May 2024

Tax Filing Trends: ITR Filing Surge for AY 2024-25 and 2025-26

A Strong Start: Filing Momentum Picks Up in AY 2024-25

For those closely tracking compliance trends, the early part of Assessment Year 2024-25 sent out a clear signal—taxpayers are showing up early, and in large numbers. By May 22, 2024, more than 1.8 million individuals had already filed their Income Tax Returns (ITRs). That’s not just a number—it reflects a marked behavioural shift. Over 1 million of those returns had also been processed swiftly by the tax department.

This early engagement isn’t accidental. It’s a sign that many taxpayers are beginning to see the value in filing on time—or even ahead of time.

Why Early Filing Matters

There’s more at play here than just meeting a deadline. When people file early, it eases the burden on the system and prevents last-minute congestion. That helps everyone: the taxpayers, the tech teams, and the administrative machinery behind the Income Tax Department.

In fact, early filings resulted in:

Greater compliance, as more individuals showed readiness to fulfil their tax obligations on schedule.
A streamlined filing season, with fewer crashes, smoother operations, and better-managed workflows.
Faster refunds, thanks to the reduced pressure on processing systems.
Efficient handling by the department, which managed to process more than a million filings in the early part of the season.

Historic Numbers Hit by July 2024

Fast forward to the filing deadline of July 31, 2024—and the numbers told a compelling story. A staggering 7.28 crore ITRs were filed, marking a solid 7.5% jump over last year’s 6.77 crore. Momentum was clearly on the side of timely compliance.

Some highlights from this milestone moment:

A massive 5.27 crore taxpayers opted for the New Tax Regime, which now accounts for around 72% of total returns.
On the final day, 6.99 lakh returns were filed, peaking at an impressive 5.07 lakh in a single hour.
Perhaps most promisingly, 58.57 lakh individuals filed their returns for the very first time—a powerful indicator of growing awareness and digital trust.
The IT department’s portal didn’t flinch under pressure, comfortably handling a filing rate of up to 9,367 returns per minute.

It’s hard not to give credit here—much of this success comes down to consistent communication, robust infrastructure, and a tax portal that’s maturing with each passing year.

{Updated Deadlines and Features: AY 2025-26}

The upcoming filing season—Assessment Year 2025-26 (for Financial Year 2024-25)—brings with it a fresh set of developments. There are new deadlines, upgraded ITR forms, and a more expansive approach to data validation.

Here’s how things are shaping up:

Original Deadline: July 31, 2025—for individuals, HUFs, and entities not requiring audit.
Extended Filing Date: September 15, 2025—this shift accounts for the significant updates to forms and backend systems.
Audit Cases: Businesses needing statutory audit must file by October 31, 2025.
Transfer Pricing Cases: The cut-off here is November 30, 2025.
Belated or Revised Returns: Can be submitted until December 31, 2025.
Updated Returns Window: Taxpayers have up to March 31, 2030, to file an updated return for FY 2024-25.

What’s Driving These Changes?

The tax authorities didn’t push deadlines for nothing. The updated ITR forms underwent a major overhaul, and that meant developers needed time to update utilities and ensure full integration across systems.

One more key update: data from TDS statements and pre-filled details—which used to reflect in May—will now be available from June onwards, effectively compressing the usual filing window.

Filing Trends for AY 2025-26 So Far

Filing for the new assessment year got off to a slightly delayed start in late May 2025. But despite the pushback, the momentum hasn’t suffered.

By early July, more than 7.5 million (75 lakh) returns had already been filed.
By mid-July, the number had crossed 1.16 crore, with most of these already e-verified.

The new forms also come with tighter validation checks. While this might lead to minor delays in assessment or refunds, it does significantly enhance accuracy—a fair tradeoff for most honest taxpayers.

What’s New in the ITR Forms?

Here are some of the key upgrades that matter:

More pre-filled data and tighter alignment with AIS and Form 26AS.
New reporting sections for capital gains, House Rent Allowance (HRA), and age-based eligibility thresholds.

Summary Table: Key ITR Filing Milestones

AY / Date	ITRs Filed	Noteworthy Updates
May 22, 2024	1.8 million	Early surge in compliance, high initial processing
July 31, 2024	7.28 crore	Record filings, 72% adopted New Tax Regime, 58.57 lakh first-time filers
Early July 2025	7.5+ million	AY 2025-26 filing began late May, new forms, higher verification
Mid-July 2025	1.16 crore+	Most ITRs e-verified, portal operating at high efficiency
Sept 15, 2025	(Deadline)	Extended deadline for most individuals, professionals, non-audit taxpayers

Practical Takeaways for Taxpayers

Act Early: Don’t wait until the last minute. Filing early reduces stress and helps get refunds faster.
Check Your Data: Review your AIS and Form 26AS before filing. Make sure all the transactions are accurate and matched.
Stay Alert: The Income Tax Department’s announcements are critical—follow them for timely updates on deadlines and procedures.

Final Word

What we’re seeing today is not just a statistical bump. The surge in early and timely ITR filings reflects something deeper—a growing maturity among Indian taxpayers, backed by a capable digital system. With the deadline for AY 2025-26 now extended, this is the right moment for individuals and professionals to lean into digital tools, avoid the year-end scramble, and contribute to a more efficient tax system.