ITR Insights: A Deep Dive into India's Tax Filing Statistics
We've built something new - the ITR Insights page. It's a comprehensive analytics dashboard that pulls real-time data directly from the Income Tax e-Filing portal and presents it in an easy-to-understand format.
This guide explains what data is available, how to interpret it, and what insights you can draw from India's tax filing statistics.
Explore ITR Insights
See live filing statistics, refund processing rates, and year-over-year comparisons
Open Insights DashboardWhat is ITR Insights?
ITR Insights is a real-time analytics dashboard that visualizes data from the official Income Tax e-Filing portal. It covers four key areas:
Key Features
1. Year-over-Year Comparison
Select up to 3 financial years to compare side by side. This helps you understand:
- How filing volumes have grown over the years
- Changes in income distribution patterns
- Shifts in state-wise filing concentration
- Refund processing efficiency trends
Pro Tip: Compare FY 2024-25 with FY 2023-24 to see how much the tax base has expanded year-over-year.
2. Real-Time Data
For the current financial year, data is updated monthly by the IT department. For previous years, you get complete annual statistics. The dashboard automatically detects the current FY and shows partial data with a helpful indicator.
Understanding Each Module
Refund Pulse
This module tracks the entire ITR processing pipeline:
| Metric | What It Means |
|---|---|
| Returns Filed | Total ITRs submitted to the portal |
| E-Verified | ITRs that completed e-verification (Aadhaar OTP, net banking, etc.) |
| Processed | ITRs that CPC has completed processing |
| Backlog | Verified returns awaiting processing (Verified - Processed) |
| Verification Rate | % of filed returns that are e-verified |
| Processing Rate | % of verified returns that are processed |
What to look for: A high verification rate (>95%) and processing rate (>90%) indicates a healthy system. If backlog is growing, expect longer refund wait times.
Filing by Form Type
This shows the distribution of ITR filings across different form types:
| Form | Who Files It |
|---|---|
| ITR-1 (Sahaj) | Salaried individuals with income up to Rs 50 lakh |
| ITR-2 | Individuals with capital gains, foreign income, multiple house properties |
| ITR-3 | Individuals with business/profession income |
| ITR-4 (Sugam) | Presumptive income under 44AD/44ADA (small business/professionals) |
| ITR-5 | LLPs, Firms, AOPs, BOIs |
| ITR-6 | Companies (except those claiming exemption under section 11) |
| ITR-7 | Trusts, political parties, institutions claiming exemption |
Key Insight: ITR-1 and ITR-4 together typically account for 80%+ of all filings, showing that the majority of taxpayers are salaried individuals and small business owners.
Income Distribution
This module breaks down filings by gross total income brackets:
- ≤5 Lakh: Below basic exemption / minimal tax
- 5L-10L: Lower middle income
- 10L-50L: Middle to upper-middle income
- 50L-1Cr: High income
- 1Cr-5Cr: Very high income
- >5Cr: Ultra high net worth individuals
Interesting Pattern: A significant percentage of filings come from the ≤5L bracket. Many of these are people filing for TDS refunds, loan applications, or to establish financial history.
State Concentration
This shows which states contribute the most to India's tax base. Features include:
- Top 10/15/20 toggle: See more or fewer states
- Pareto chart: Shows cumulative share (e.g., top 5 states = 60% of filings)
- YoY comparison: See if concentration is increasing or decreasing
Typical Pattern: Maharashtra, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, and Delhi/NCR usually dominate, accounting for over 50% of all filings.
How to Use This Data
For Taxpayers
- Track refund processing: Monitor the backlog to estimate when refunds might be processed
- Understand filing patterns: See when most people file (useful for avoiding last-minute rush)
- Compare your situation: See where your income bracket falls in the national distribution
For Researchers & Analysts
- Tax base expansion: Track YoY growth in filings across income brackets
- Geographic analysis: Study state-wise patterns and economic indicators
- Form trends: Analyze shift from ITR-1 to ITR-2/3 (indicates more complex income sources)
For Policy Observers
- Compliance rates: Compare filed vs processed to gauge IT department efficiency
- Income distribution: Study taxpayer pyramid and its changes over time
- Regional disparities: Analyze why some states have higher tax compliance
Data Source & Accuracy
All data comes directly from the Income Tax e-Filing Portal. The API provides:
- Monthly snapshots for current FY
- Complete annual data for previous FYs (up to 4 years)
- Breakdown by form type, income bracket, and state
Note: Current year data is partial (updated till previous month). For accurate year-end comparisons, use completed financial years.
Key Takeaways
- ITR Insights provides real-time analytics from the official IT portal
- Compare up to 3 years to understand trends and patterns
- Refund Pulse helps you track processing efficiency and backlog
- Form distribution shows ITR-1 dominates (80%+ salaried filers)
- Income distribution reveals taxpayer pyramid structure
- State data shows high geographic concentration in top 5-10 states
Start Exploring
Dive into the data and discover patterns in India's tax filing landscape
Open ITR Insights