In the assessment year 2025-26, the Income Tax Department has historically sped up the process of processing ITR and issuing refunds. Now, taxpayers are getting refunds within a few days, and in some cases within a few hours. All this has been possible due to modern technology and improvements in the system. In this article, we will know how this change has come about, and what things you should keep in mind to keep your ITR filing correct so that you can get your refund as soon as possible.
ITR filing became superfast
The process of ITR filing for taxpayers in India used to be very long and slow. But now it is a thing of the past.
Historic improvement in processing and refunds
The Income Tax Department has reduced the average time of processing and issuing refunds of ITR in the assessment year 2025-26 to 17 days, which used to be 93 days in 2013. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had told Parliament that the average processing time had come down to 10 days in 2023-24, and some taxpayers got their refunds in as little as 4 hours, which had never happened before.
Taxpayers’ experience on social media
Many taxpayers have shared their experiences on the social media platform ‘X’ (formerly Twitter). On July 17, a taxpayer wrote that he got a refund within 24 hours. His ITR was processed in 10 hours, and the money was credited to his account in 12 hours. The Income Tax Department expressed happiness over these responses and said that they take taxpayers’ feedback seriously for continuous improvement.
ITR-1 gets priority
ITR-1 (Sahaj) is processed first, as it contains fewer details. It is followed by forms like ITR-2 and ITR-3. So, if your filing is simple, you are more likely to get a quick refund.
The system is now more vigilant and secure
Along with the speed of the refund process, it has also become more vigilant and secure. Tax evasion and fake deductions are being detected by matching AIS and Form 26AS, which may cause delays in some cases. If there is any mistake in your claim, the refund may get stuck.
Wrong claims may cause delays
Taxpayers who have claimed incorrect deductions or whose information is incomplete may get their refund stuck. The department is now also checking old returns, which may take a little longer to process.
Keep these things in mind
To get a quick refund, you should keep your ITR filing correct and updated.
Pre-validate your bank account.
Verify PAN-Aadhaar linking.
Correct any mistakes in filing immediately.
If your refund is delayed, you also get interest on it. So, keep all the information in your filing correct and updated so that you can get your refund as soon as possible without any hassle.