How to check your ITR filing status

You can check your ITR status on the Income Tax portal, or in TaxCare's Download ITR and Refund Status. A return passes through filed, e-verified and processed, and then, if you are owed money, refund issued. The most important step is e-verification: it must be done within 30 days of filing.

The statuses and what they mean

The portal itself uses these words: Submitted and pending for e-Verification / Verification, Successfully e-Verified / Verified, Processed, Defective (a notice under section 139(9) asks you to fix it within a set time), and Case transferred to Assessing Officer. Refund stages are shown separately in Refund Status.

Step by step: how to check

1. Find the return. Sign in to the Income Tax portal and open the list of your filed returns for the tax year. Or open Download ITR in TaxCare, which lists every return filed for your PAN, most recent first.
2. Check verification. If it says the return is awaiting verification, e-verify now. TaxCare offers an Aadhaar OTP right after you file.
3. Look for the intimation. Once processed, the department sends an intimation under section 143(1). Read it in full.
4. Compare the outcome. See whether tax, refund or demand matches what you expected.
5. Download the papers. Keep the acknowledgement and the filed ITR.

Why e-verification matters most

A return that is not verified in time is treated as never filed. TaxCare's rules reflect this: for an unverified return the only actions are to e-verify or to discard it. After the 30 days, the way on is to file afresh, as the date allows.

The portal has a discard facility for unverified returns. Take care: discarding a return that was filed on time erases its filing date, so a fresh return after the due date counts as belated, with a late fee and loss of the right to carry forward some losses.

See our guide on how to e-verify your ITR.

If the return is processed but something is wrong

A processed return can still be corrected. A revised return is possible until 31 March after the tax year ends, from the tax year 2025-26. A fee under section 234I applies for a revision after 31 December: ₹5,000, or ₹1,000 if total income is ₹5,00,000 or less.

Being processed does not close revision. An intimation under section 143(1) is not an assessment. If the revision window has closed, an updated return (ITR-U) may be possible, but it can never increase a refund, and it carries extra tax of 25%, 50%, 60% or 70% depending on how late it is.

For the tax year 2026-27 the Income-tax Act, 2025, as amended by the Finance Act 2026, keeps the same rules: a revised return within 12 months of the end of the tax year (section 263(5)), the same ₹5,000 or ₹1,000 fee for a revision filed more than nine months after the year ends (section 428(b)), and an updated return within 48 months with extra tax of 25%, 50%, 60% or 70% (sections 263(6) and 267(5)).

Checking before filing opens

A filed return exists only after filing opens, which is 1 April after the tax year ends. For the tax year 2026-27, there is nothing to check before 01-Apr-2027.

Checking refund status

If you expect a refund, the stage after processing is the refund. See income tax refund status and delays.

How TaxCare helps

TaxCare tracks your return after you file. It reminds you to e-verify the day after filing and again with 7, 2 and 1 days left of the 30-day window. It also keeps the acknowledgement and the filed ITR ready to download, and you can check the status of family members you have added. If the portal shows something you do not understand, a Tax Expert can look at it.

This guide gives general information and is not professional tax advice.