Millions of taxpayers are still waiting for ITR processing and refunds. Discover why CPC is delaying ITRs, current processing numbers, 91-day trends, and whether refunds will be cleared by December 31.
ITR Processing Delays: Why Income Tax Refunds Are Still Pending? Latest CPC Data Explained
For millions of taxpayers in India, the biggest question right now is: “Why is my ITR still not processed?”
Despite filing months ago, refunds are stuck, responses are slow, and CPC Bengaluru’s performance is raising serious concerns.
Recently, users on social media have been tagging the Income Tax Department with complaints. One user tweeted that it has been over 3 months since he filed his ITR on 3rd August, yet there has been no update, no response on email, and no acknowledgement from CPC.
But he is not alone—lakhs of taxpayers are experiencing the same delay.
Latest ITR Processing Data: What Happened Yesterday?
According to the department’s latest numbers:
- Total ITRs filed: 8,18,23,323
- Total ITRs verified: 7,86,57,904
- Total ITRs processed so far: 6,95,21,646
However, the shocking part:
Only 2,137 ITRs were processed yesterday.
When India receives lakhs of new filings every day, processing only about 2,000 ITRs is extremely low. This is the biggest reason refunds are getting delayed.
91-Day Trend: Why November Was the Worst Month
The 91-day graph clearly shows how the performance dropped:
Up to September:
ITR processing was smooth and consistent.
October:
Processing started slowing down.
November:
Except for 2–3 days, no single day crossed 500 ITRs processed.
In the last 22 days, CPC processed only 23 lakh ITRs, while filing numbers were much higher.
This means the backlog is growing every day.
Why Are Taxpayers Upset?
The hope that ITRs would be processed quickly in August and September has completely faded. Many were expecting refunds before Diwali, but October and November have disappointed everyone.
Taxpayers are frustrated because:
- CPC is not giving emails or replies.
- Hundreds of tweets are ignored daily.
- Even simple ITRs with basic TDS refunds are stuck for 4–6 months.
For example, one taxpayer with just ₹8,000 TDS refund (under the new regime) has been waiting for over 4 months despite no wrong deductions, no mismatches, and no errors.
This shows the problem lies in the department’s processing system, not in the taxpayers’ filings.
CPC’s Stand: “Taxpayer Mistakes”
The department often blames taxpayers for:
- Wrong deductions
- Wrong ITR forms
- Incorrect claims
While some cases may have genuine mistakes, it is impossible that 90–91 lakh taxpayers all made errors.
If the filings are wrong, they should still be processed so the taxpayer can at least know the issue. But delaying processing indefinitely is helping no one.
Can CPC Clear the Backlog by December 31?
CBDT had announced that all pending ITRs would be processed by 31 December.
But 5–6 days have passed since that statement, and nothing has improved.
To meet the deadline, CPC needs to process:
At least 4–5 lakh ITRs per day
Right now, the department is processing only a few thousand per day.
At this pace, clearing the backlog next month seems unlikely unless CPC drastically speeds up operations.
Conclusion
Millions of taxpayers are waiting for their ITR processing and refunds. The latest data and trends indicate that CPC’s efficiency has dropped significantly since October. Unless the department increases its daily processing volume, refunds may continue to be delayed into the next year.
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