Income Tax Return Filing Deadline Extension AY 2025-26: The last date for Income Tax Return (ITR) filing for AY 2025-26 is September 15, 2025, with just 4 days remaining. But, as feared earlier, taxpayers are facing technical glitches while trying to file their returns on the e-filing portal of the Income Tax Department.
For in-depth analysis on whether the ITR filing due date may be extended, read here.
Days ahead of the deadline, ITR filers facing technical glitches
Income tax assessees are taking to social media platforms to vent their frustration against the technical issues they are facing while trying to file their income tax returns. Taxpayers as well as chartered accountants are saying that they are not able to access the Annual Information Statement (AIS), Form 26AS, and Taxpayer Information Summary (TIS). Though these issues have been major talking points for taxpayers for more than one month.
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How many returns have been filed so far?
According to the data of the Income Tax Department till September 11, about 5.48 crore ITRs have been filed. Out of these, 5.15 crore returns have also been verified. However, the picture is different in terms of processing—only 3.66 crore returns have been processed so far. That is, taxpayers who have already filed returns may have to wait longer for the refund.
Will there be an extension in the ITR deadline?
“The question of whether the government will extend the due date for filing income tax returns (ITRs) must be examined against the twin benchmarks of compliance data and systemic readiness. On both these counts, the current scenario suggests that a deadline extension is highly unlikely,” says Dinkar Sharma, Company Secretary and Partner, Jotwani Associates.
It is acknowledged that taxpayers have faced intermittent technical glitches, including slow loading of the income tax portal and difficulties during peak hours, he added.
What do ITR filing and processing figures suggest about likelihood of a deadline extension?
Looking at the trend of previous years, 8 crore ITRs are expected to be filed by the end of this September 15 deadline. Current figures show that to achieve this target, about 2.5 crore new ITRs should be filed in these remaining 4 days.
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