Filing your Income Tax Return (ITR) is only the first step in completing your annual tax obligations. Once you have submitted your return, the income tax department requires you to e-verify it to validate
and process the filing. Without e-verification, your ITR will be considered incomplete, and you may miss out on timely refunds or face compliance issues.
Here’s a simple guide on how to e-verify your ITR and what you should keep in mind.
Why is e-verification necessary?
E-verification confirms that the ITR has indeed been filed by you, the taxpayer, and not by someone else. It is essentially an electronic signature on your return. Unless verified, your return will not be taken up for processing by the tax authorities.
Ways to e-verify your ITR
The income tax department provides multiple options to make the process convenient:
1. Using Aadhaar OTP
- Link your Aadhaar to your PAN and registered mobile number.
- Select the ‘Verify Using Aadhaar OTP’ option on the e-filing portal.
- You will receive a one-time password (OTP) on your Aadhaar-linked mobile number.
- Enter the OTP to complete the verification.
2. Through Net Banking
- Log in to your bank’s net banking account.
- Look for the ‘e-file’ or ‘e-verify’ option under the Income Tax menu.
- You will be redirected to the e-filing portal and can confirm your return instantly.
3. Using Bank Account or Demat Account
- Pre-validate your bank account or demat account on the income tax portal.
- Choose the relevant option for e-verification.
- An OTP will be sent to your registered mobile number/email linked to the account.
- Enter the OTP to finish the process.
4. Digital Signature Certificate (DSC)
For those who are required to use a DSC (such as companies or individuals with audit requirements), you can attach your digital signature to complete verification.
5. By Sending a Physical Copy (ITR-V)
If you cannot e-verify, you can download the ITR-V (acknowledgement), sign it, and post it to the Centralised Processing Centre (CPC) in Bengaluru within 30 days of filing.
Key things to keep in mind
Deadline: Always complete e-verification within 30 days of filing your return, otherwise it will be considered invalid.
Accuracy: Ensure your mobile number and email ID are updated on the income tax portal as OTPs are sent to these.
Refunds: Refunds, if any, will only be processed once your ITR is verified.
Security: Use only the official income tax e-filing portal or authorised bank channels to avoid fraud.
ITR Filing 2025 Deadline
The due date to file non-audit ITRs for the current assessment year 2025-26 is September 15, 2025. Those who require audit can file the income tax return till October 31, 2025.
So far, over 3.90 crore ITRs have been filed. Out of this, nearly 3,72 crore returns have been verified. A total of 2.46 crore ITRs have also been processed till August 29, 2025. There are a total of 13,30,09,071 individual registered users on the e-filing portal.
