Which States File the Most ITRs? Maharashtra Leads with 1.12 Crore
Top 10 States by ITR Filings
| Rank | State | Filings (Lakh) | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maharashtra | 112.3 | 15.1% |
| 2 | Uttar Pradesh | 78.6 | 10.6% |
| 3 | Gujarat | 72.4 | 9.7% |
| 4 | Rajasthan | 52.1 | 7.0% |
| 5 | Tamil Nadu | 48.7 | 6.5% |
| 6 | Karnataka | 46.3 | 6.2% |
| 7 | West Bengal | 42.8 | 5.8% |
| 8 | Delhi | 39.2 | 5.3% |
| 9 | Madhya Pradesh | 35.6 | 4.8% |
| 10 | Andhra Pradesh + Telangana | 34.1 | 4.6% |
Top 5 states contribute 48.9% of all ITR filings. Top 10 contribute 75.6%. This concentration mirrors India's economic geography.
Per-Capita Filing Rate
Raw filing numbers favor populous states. Per-capita filing rates tell a different story — Delhi leads with 25.2% of its population filing returns, followed by Goa (18.1%) and Chandigarh (16.8%). Bihar has the lowest per-capita filing rate at just 2.3%.
Growth Trends
States with the fastest filing growth are typically tier-2 hubs experiencing IT/services expansion: Telangana (+14.2% YoY), Karnataka (+11.8%), and Haryana (+10.5%). Traditional manufacturing states show slower growth.
What Drives State-Level Differences
- Economic structure — Service-heavy economies produce more taxpayers than agricultural ones
- Urbanization rate — Higher urban population correlates with higher filing rates
- IT/ITeS presence — Tech hubs generate a large salaried taxpayer base
- Informal sector share — States with high informal employment have low filing rates
- Financial literacy and digital access — Affects both compliance and awareness