e-Verification of ITR
Mandatory final step of ITR filing — verify within 30 days via Aadhaar OTP, EVC or ITR-V, else the return is treated as invalid.
Definition
Filing your ITR is not complete until you verify it. Every return must be verified within 30 days of filing (the rule since 1 August 2022), and the Income Tax Department only starts processing — and issuing any refund — after verification. An unverified return is treated as invalid, i.e., as if you never filed, which can mean late-filing consequences if the due date has passed.
The fastest route is e-verification on incometax.gov.in via the 'e-Verify Return' service: Aadhaar OTP (mobile linked to Aadhaar), Electronic Verification Code (EVC) generated through a pre-validated bank account or demat account, net banking login, or a Digital Signature Certificate (mandatory for some categories). The EVC is a 10-digit alphanumeric code valid for 72 hours. You can e-verify without logging in by quoting your PAN and acknowledgement number.
If you cannot e-verify, the offline fallback is to print the ITR-V acknowledgement, sign it (in blue ink), and post it — ordinary or speed post only — to CPC, Income Tax Department, Bengaluru 560500, so that it arrives within the 30-day window; for ITR-V the date of receipt at CPC counts. If you miss the 30 days, you can submit a condonation of delay request on the portal with reasons, but acceptance is at the department's discretion — so verify immediately after filing rather than treating it as a separate chore.
Example
Two minutes after submitting her ITR-1 on the portal, Divya e-verified it with an Aadhaar OTP and received the acknowledgement instantly.
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Sources
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