The government has not extended the ITR filing deadline to September 30, offering only a single day's relief from September 15 to September 16. There are four major reasons behind this: sufficient time has already been provided, there were no major issues with the portal, most people have already filed their ITR, and the importance of the deadline needs to be maintained.
ITR filing deadline: Despite demands from tax professionals, the government has refused to extend the ITR filing deadline to September 30. The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has extended the deadline to September 16, providing only 24 hours of additional relief. The reasons for this are that most taxpayers have already filed their returns, there were no significant technical issues with the portal, ample time was already given, and it is necessary to maintain the importance of the deadline. This sends a message that the government maintains a strict stance regarding deadlines.
Sufficient Time Was Already Provided
The government had already extended the ITR filing deadline for non-audit cases for Assessment Year 2025-26. In May 2025, it was announced that the last date for filing ITR was extended from July 31 to September 15. This means that most taxpayers had sufficient time to file their returns.
Nevertheless, due to a rush and minor glitches on the portal on the evening of September 15, the government provided an additional relief of just one day. Therefore, the deadline was extended to September 16.
No Major Technical Issues Occurred
The government usually takes steps to extend the deadline when there are significant technical glitches or a heavy rush on the portal. This was not the case this time. Only minor complaints were reported on the Income Tax portal before September 15; there were no major issues.
Experts suggest that the government has been quite strict with deadlines in recent years. It does not wish to extend the date for an extended period without any technical difficulties.
Maintaining the Importance of the Deadline is the Government's Objective
If the government had extended the deadline to September 30, a perception could have been created among taxpayers that deadlines might be extended in the future as well. This would have led to increased procrastination and diminished the importance of the deadline.
For the government, this would have directly impacted tax collection and the refund process. Delayed filings would have led to delays in tax collection and slower refunds. This is precisely why the government provided a grace period of only one day.
Most Taxpayers Have Already Filed
As of the night of September 15, approximately 7.3 crore people had filed their ITR. This number was even higher than the 7.28 crore returns filed by the July 31 deadline last year.
The Income Tax Department informed on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) that over 7 crore returns had been filed by September 15, and this number was continuously increasing. This indicates that most taxpayers have filed their returns on time.
What is the Situation for Taxpayers Now
Taxpayers should not expect any further extensions. The opportunity to file returns was only until September 16. Delaying filing may result in penalties and additional taxes.
Furthermore, if the ITR is not filed on time, several benefits such as loss carry forward may also be lost. Therefore, taxpayers are advised to file their returns without delay.
