Income Tax Return: Update came on extension of last date of ITR filing, department gave a big statement
Income Tax Return - Update came on extension of last date of ITR filing, department gave a big statement
Income Tax Return: The Income Tax Department has clarified the position regarding the last date for filing Income Tax Return (ITR) for the assessment year 2025-26. The department has clearly stated that the last date for filing ITR is 15 September 2025 and no decision has been taken to extend it. Refuting the news going on social media, which claimed that the deadline has been extended to 30 September 2025, the Income Tax Department shared a post on its official X handle (@IncomeTaxIndia) late on September 14. In this post, the department termed such news as fake and appealed to the taxpayers to trust only official sources.Refutation of misleading news on social mediaFor the last few days, many posts were going viral on social media, claiming that the last date for filing income tax returns has been extended to 30 September. The Income Tax Department termed these claims as completely false and requested taxpayers to be cautious and seek information only from the official handle @IncomeTaxIndia. The department clarified that 15 September 2025 is the last date and there is no plan to extend it.Department's response on technical problemsRecently, many chartered accountants and taxpayers complained on social media that there were technical problems in paying tax and downloading Annual Information Statement (AIS) on the e-filing portal of the Income Tax Department. In response to these complaints, the Income Tax Department said in an X post on Monday morning that the e-filing portal is working completely smoothly. The department advised taxpayers to clear their browser cache or try to access the portal using another browser.In addition, the Income Tax Department informed that their helpdesk is available 24/7 to assist taxpayers. Taxpayers can get assistance through phone, live chat, WebEx sessions, and X. The department also assured that their team is fully active to resolve any kind of problem in filing ITR, tax payment, and other related services.Estimation of 8 crore returnsExperts estimate that this time more than 8 crore income tax returns will be filed for the assessment year 2025-26. According to the latest update, more than 6 crore returns have been filed so far. This means that about 2 crore more returns are likely to be filed in the next few hours. It is worth noting that more than 7 crore returns were filed last year, and this time it is expected to increase by more than 10%.Demand to extend the deadline, but no decisionMany MPs, chartered accountants, and other experts have demanded extension of the last date for filing income tax returns. They say that in view of the technical problems and the huge number of taxpayers, it is necessary to extend the deadline. However, the Income Tax Department has not yet made any official announcement in this regard. Some experts believe that the department may announce the extension of the deadline by the evening of September 15, but there is no confirmation of this at the moment.Advice for taxpayersThe Income Tax Department has appealed to the taxpayers to file their returns before the last date so that any kind of inconvenience can be avoided. Also, the department has also suggested that taxpayers should not pay attention to any misleading information and rely only on the information received from official sources.