Taxpayers must complete e-verification within 30 days of filing to ensure their income tax returns are processed, refunds are issued, and future reviews are avoided, explains CA Pramod Prabhudesai.
Filing an income tax return is not the same as finishing the job. In practice, the process only becomes secure once the return has been verified and the tax department has issued its official processing notice. As CA Pramod Prabhudesai of B D Jokhakar & Co. explained in the Free Press Journal, taxpayers who stop after clicking submit are not yet in the clear.
The most important step after filing is e-verification. According to the Income Tax Department’s own guidance, a return that is not verified within 30 days is treated as invalid, which means it is regarded as though it was never filed. Taxpayers can verify online through Aadhaar-based OTP, net banking or a digital signature certificate, or they can post the signed ITR-V acknowledgement to the Centralised Processing Centre in Bengaluru within the same deadline. The department says missing that window can force a taxpayer to file a belated return or seek condonation of delay.
Once a return is verified, it moves into processing at the Centralised Processing Centre. Taxpayers can check the status through the e-filing portal, where it should move from successfully verified to processing and then to processed. The final stage comes when the department sends an intimation under Section 143(1) by email and SMS. That notice compares the figures in the return with data already held by the tax office, including Form 26AS and the Annual Information Statement.
The 143(1) intimation can produce three broad outcomes: no demand and no refund, a refund due, or a tax demand. Mint has also noted that failing to complete verification within 30 days can delay any refund, which makes the post-filing step especially important for taxpayers expecting money back. Even after a clean intimation, Prabhudesai advised keeping records such as the ITR-V, Form 16, bank statements and investment proofs for several years in case the department later reviews the return.
Disclaimer: This article is intended to inform and educate, not to recommend or endorse any financial product, investment or strategy. Please consider your own financial circumstances and seek professional advice where appropriate before making financial decisions.
