Hi,

Quick update on ITR processing for the week of March 1–7.

The short version: processing has slowed sharply. Only 51,643 returns were processed this week — down from 1.65 lakh last week and a fraction of the 6.97 lakh record set on Feb 14.

More notably: new e-verifications (54,043) outpaced processing (51,643) for the first time since the February burst began. The pending backlog grew slightly — from 27.6 lakh to 27.7 lakh — the first

increase in over a month.

Current numbers (as of Mar 6):

  - Returns verified: 8.759 crore

  - Returns processed: 8.482 crore

  - Pending: 27.7 lakh

Best day this week: March 5 with +19,727 (compare to Feb 14's +6.97 lakh)

What this means for your refund

The February burst cleared ~23.7 lakh returns in about 3 weeks — a remarkable pace. March has been the opposite. The IT Department is averaging roughly 10,000 returns per weekday, the slowest since January.

This is likely temporary. Historically the IT dept uses burst processing to clear backlogs ahead of the new filing season (July 2026 deadline). But every week at this pace adds to the queue.

Realistic expectations by verification date:

• Before Feb 1 → should be done or near done; check for notices if not

• February → expect 8–14 weeks from verification

• March onward → expect May–June 2026 at best

One thing to check: login to the e-filing portal and look for any pending notices or demand letters. With 27.7L returns in queue, the ones stuck indefinitely are usually held up by something specific

• AIS mismatch, bank pre-validation, or a pending response.

Track it daily: itrstats.in updates twice a day from the official IT portal.

Kartikey, ITR Stats