According to a report by the Income Tax Department, the number of women filing income tax returns in India has surged by 25.3 per cent over the last four years. In the Assessment Year (AY) 2019-20, approximately 1.83 crore women filed returns, which increased to over 2.29 crore in AY 2023-24. Maharashtra leads the way at 36,83,457, followed by Gujarat with 22,50,098, and Uttar Pradesh with 20,43,794. States like Punjab and Rajasthan also saw significant growth, with 36.23 per cent and 25.49 per cent increases, respectively.
Smaller states and Union Territories, including Mizoram and Jammu & Kashmir, showed impressive growth rates of 96 per cent, a jump of women filers to 2,090 and 49.2 per cent growth to 1,17,514 respectively, reflecting increasing women's employment and business ventures. Report also shows that the total income tax returns exceeding 7.97 crores in AY 2023-24, including individuals and corporates. Major states such as Tamil Nadu and Karnataka also showed significant growth during the four years. Women ITR filers jumped by 20 per cent in Tamil Nadu from 12,92,028 in AY20 to 15,51,769, whereas Karnataka saw an increase of 20 per cent from 11,34,903 to 14,30,345 in AY20.
The Income Tax Department reports a surge in women filing income tax returns in India over the past four years, primarily from the younger demographic aged 18-35. This indicates financial independence and early career success among young women.
