More than 5.5 crore income tax returns (ITRs) have been filed so far for Assessment Year (AY) 2026-27, the Income Tax Department said on Friday, as taxpayers rushed to complete the filing process on the last day of the deadline.
In a post on social media platform X, the department said over 42 lakh ITRs were filed on July 30 alone, reflecting a sharp surge in filings as the due date draws closer.
"Less than 24 hours to go! Over 5.5 crore ITRs have already been filed for AY 2026-27 (with over 42 lakh filed on July 30 alone!). File now, File calmly!" the department said.
The July 31 deadline applies to individual taxpayers and entities that are not required to get their accounts audited.
The filing momentum has picked up rapidly over the past few weeks.
The department had said more than 1.7 crore ITRs were filed by July 11, which rose to over 3 crore by July 22 and crossed 4 crore on July 27 and exceeded 5 crore on Thursday before reaching 5.5 crore on Friday.
In addition, the department has been urging taxpayers to avoid waiting until the last minute and complete the filing process early to avoid possible technical issues and heavy traffic on the e-filing portal.
It has also advised taxpayers to reconcile details available in Form 16, the Annual Information Statement (AIS), Form 26AS, bank statements and other income records before submitting their returns.
The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has notified revised ITR forms for AY 2026-27, incorporating updated disclosure requirements covering areas such as long-term capital gains, losses from share buybacks and certain trading transactions.
Last year, more than 9 crore taxpayers filed income tax returns during FY 2024-25, while refunds worth over Rs 4.35 lakh crore were issued by the department.
