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Guide · ITR & Compliance

ITR Acknowledgement (ITR-V) — Download, Password & E-Verify

How to download your ITR-V acknowledgement from the income-tax portal, the exact PDF password, and how to e-verify your return within the 30-day deadline so it is not treated as invalid.

Written by
TaxClue Income-Tax Desk
Updated
18 August 2026
Reading time
5 min
Questions
15 answered
  • Updated for AY 2026-27
  • CA Reviewed
  • E-Verify in 30 Days
Quick Answer

The ITR-V (Income Tax Return — Verification) is the one-page acknowledgement PDF generated the moment you file your return. Download it from incometax.gov.in → e-File → View Filed Returns. The PDF is password-protected — the password is your PAN in lowercase + date of birth in DDMMYYYY format. Filing alone is not enough: you must e-verify within 30 days (Aadhaar OTP, net-banking or bank EVC) or your return is treated as never filed.

Step by step

How to Download the ITR Acknowledgement (ITR-V)

The ITR-V and the full ITR acknowledgement are downloaded from the same place on the portal. After filing your return, follow these five steps.

  1. 1LoginPAN + password at incometax.gov.in
  2. 2View Filed Returnse-File → Income Tax Returns
  3. 3Pick the AYSelect AY 2026-27 (FY 2025-26)
  4. 4DownloadChoose ITR-V / Acknowledgement
  5. 5Open with passwordPAN(lower) + DOB DDMMYYYY
ITR-V vs the full acknowledgement

Two PDFs sit under the same download menu. ITR-V is the short verification form you sign and post if you do not e-verify. The ITR Acknowledgement is the longer computation summary (income, tax, refund). Both carry the same acknowledgement number and both are password-protected the same way.

The password

ITR-V PDF Password Format

The ITR-V is protected so nobody else can open it. The password is your PAN in lowercase immediately followed by your date of birth in DDMMYYYY — no space, no symbol between them.

ComponentRuleExample
PANAll 10 characters, lowercaseabcde1234f
Date of birthDDMMYYYY, no slashes15031990
Final passwordPAN + DOB joinedabcde1234f15031990

For a company/firm, use the date of incorporation in DDMMYYYY in place of DOB. If the PDF still will not open, use Adobe Acrobat Reader — some browser and mobile viewers do not support this protection.

Common password mistakes

Typing PAN in UPPERCASE, adding a slash or space in the date, or using the assessment year instead of your date of birth are the usual reasons the ITR-V will not open. The PAN is always lowercase and the date is always eight digits with no separators.

Filed already but the return still shows unverified? Get it verified before the 30-day window closes.

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Six ways

How to E-Verify Your ITR

E-verification is instant and removes the need to post anything. Your return is only treated as filed once it is verified — an unverified return is invalid. Pick any one method below.

MethodSpeedRequirementRecommended
Aadhaar OTPInstantMobile linked to AadhaarYes · fastest
Net-banking EVC2-3 minNet banking with e-filing linkYes
Bank-account EVC2-3 minPre-validated bank accountYes
Demat-account EVC2-3 minPre-validated demat accountYes
TOTP (app)Instante-Filing mobile appYes
Physical ITR-V7-10 daysPrint, sign, post to CPCLast resort

Aadhaar OTP is the most common — the OTP is sent to the mobile number linked to your Aadhaar.

Posting a physical ITR-V

If you cannot e-verify, print the ITR-V, sign it in blue ink and send it by ordinary or speed post (no courier) to: Centralized Processing Centre, Income Tax Department, Bengaluru — 560500, Karnataka. It must reach CPC within 30 days of filing.

The 30-day rule

What Happens If You Miss the Verification Deadline

You have 30 days from the date of filing to e-verify or post the signed ITR-V (Notification 2/2024, effective 1 April 2024). What happens next depends on when you complete verification.

✓Verified within 30 days

  • Filing date is the original upload date
  • Return goes for processing by CPC
  • No late-fee consequence for verification
  • Refund (if any) is released after processing

!Verified after 30 days

  • Date of verification becomes the filing date
  • May become belated if it crosses 31 Jul 2026
  • Late fee u/s 234F up to Rs 5,000 can apply
  • Not verified at all = return treated as invalid
Late verification can trigger a Rs 5,000 late fee

If you file on time but verify after 30 days, the verification date becomes the filing date. If that date falls after the 31 July 2026 due date, the return is treated as belated and a late fee under Section 234F of up to Rs 5,000 (Rs 1,000 if total income is up to Rs 5 lakh) applies. Verify the same day you file.

After verification

Tracking Status After You Verify

Once verified, the status moves through Filed → e-Verified → Processing → Processed u/s 143(1). Processing usually takes 15-45 days but can run longer in peak season. Track it under e-File → View Filed Returns, and check your refund status separately if a refund is due.

  • Return filed and ITR-V generated
  • ITR-V PDF opens with PAN + DOB password
  • Return e-verified within 30 days
  • Acknowledgement number noted
  • Status shows e-Verified / Processing
  • Bank account pre-validated for refund
  • Form 26AS & AIS match the filed figures
  • Physical ITR-V posted (only if not e-verified)

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Sources
  1. ITR-V & e-verification: incometax.gov.in
  2. 30-day timeline: Notification No. 2/2024 (w.e.f. 1 Apr 2024)
  3. Late fee: Section 234F, Income-tax Act
  4. CPC address: Centralized Processing Centre, Bengaluru — 560500

Disclaimer: This guide is general information based on the law and notifications in force when it was last updated. It is not professional advice for your case — rates, thresholds and due dates change, so check the current position with the official source before you act on it.

People also ask

ITR Acknowledgement — Frequently Asked Questions

Short, direct answers to the 15 questions readers ask most on this topic.

Login to incometax.gov.in with your PAN and password, go to e-File → Income Tax Returns → View Filed Returns, select the relevant assessment year (AY 2026-27 for FY 2025-26), click the ITR entry, then Download and choose ITR-V / Acknowledgement. The PDF downloads to your device and is password-protected — open it with your PAN in lowercase followed by your date of birth in DDMMYYYY.

ITR-V (Income Tax Return — Verification) is the short one-page form you sign and post to CPC if you do not e-verify online. The ITR Acknowledgement is a longer summary of your income, tax and refund. Both appear under the same Download menu, carry the same acknowledgement number and use the same PAN + DOB password. If you e-verify online you do not need to send the ITR-V physically.

You need to log in to incometax.gov.in to download the ITR-V from View Filed Returns. There is no reliable way to download it without portal access. If you filed through a tax professional or a filing website, they can also provide the ITR-V, but the authoritative copy is always the one on the income-tax portal.

The password is your PAN in lowercase immediately followed by your date of birth in DDMMYYYY format, with no space or symbol between them. For example, PAN ABCDE1234F and DOB 15 March 1990 gives the password abcde1234f15031990. For a company or firm, use the date of incorporation in DDMMYYYY in place of the date of birth.

The usual causes are typing the PAN in UPPERCASE (it must be lowercase), adding slashes or spaces in the date, or using the assessment year instead of your date of birth. Enter the PAN in lowercase and the DOB as eight digits with no separators. If the correct password still fails to open the file, use Adobe Acrobat Reader on a computer — some browser previews and mobile PDF apps do not support this password format.

Yes, the format is always PAN in lowercase plus date of birth in DDMMYYYY, regardless of the assessment year. The password does not change from one year to the next because it is built from your PAN and DOB, which stay the same.

There are six options: Aadhaar OTP (sent to your Aadhaar-linked mobile), net-banking EVC, bank-account EVC (pre-validated account), demat-account EVC, TOTP from the e-filing mobile app, and the offline route of posting a signed physical ITR-V to CPC. Aadhaar OTP is the fastest and most widely used. E-verification completes instantly and needs nothing to be posted.

You have 30 days from the date of filing to e-verify or to send the signed ITR-V to CPC, under Notification 2/2024 effective 1 April 2024. If you verify within 30 days the original upload date is treated as your filing date. If you verify after 30 days, the date of verification becomes the filing date, which can make the return belated.

An unverified return is treated as invalid — in law it is as if you never filed. You would then need to file again (potentially as a belated return with a late fee) or submit a condonation-of-delay request for genuine reasons. This is why you should always e-verify immediately after filing.

No. Once you e-verify through Aadhaar OTP, net banking, bank or demat EVC, or the app TOTP, the return is verified electronically and you do not send any physical ITR-V. Posting the signed ITR-V to CPC Bengaluru is only for people who cannot or do not e-verify online.

Print the ITR-V, sign it in blue ink and send it by ordinary post or speed post (couriers are not accepted) to: Centralized Processing Centre, Income Tax Department, Bengaluru — 560500, Karnataka. It must reach CPC within 30 days of filing. Do not fold or staple it beyond what is needed, and do not enclose any other documents.

After e-verification the return moves to CPC for processing. The status flow is Filed → e-Verified → Processing → Processed u/s 143(1). Processing usually takes 15-45 days but can take longer in peak season. If it shows Processed with a refund, track it in your bank account or on the refund status page. If it is still processing after 90 days, you can raise a grievance on the portal.

Verification itself has no separate penalty, but if you verify after 30 days the verification date becomes the filing date. If that pushes the return past the 31 July 2026 due date it becomes belated, and a late fee under Section 234F of up to Rs 5,000 applies (Rs 1,000 if total income is up to Rs 5 lakh), plus interest under Section 234A on any unpaid tax.

Yes. Under e-File → Income Tax Returns → View Filed Returns you can select earlier assessment years and download the ITR-V and acknowledgement for those returns, as long as they were filed through the portal. The same PAN + DOB password applies to all of them.

Only after verification. For AY 2026-27 the ITR-V itself states that an unverified ITR-V is not evidence that the return-filing process is complete. The return is considered validly filed only once it has been e-verified or the signed ITR-V has been received by CPC within the 30-day window.