The Income Tax department extended the last date to file income tax returns for the Assessment Year 2025-2026 by a day to September 16, on Monday late night. The IT department’s move comes as technical glitches disrupted filings on the last day.
In a press release, the IT department stated that the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has decided to extend further the due date for filing ITRs for AY 2025-26 from September 15, 2025, to September 16, 2025.
“The due date for filing of Income Tax Returns (ITRs) for AY 2025-26, originally due on 31st July 2025, was extended to 15th September 2025. The Central Board of Direct Taxes has decided to extend further the due date for filing these ITRs for AY 2025-26 from 15th September, 2025 to 16th September, 2025,” the release informed.
“To enable changes in the utilities, the e- filing portal will remain in maintenance mode from 12:00 AM to 02:30AM on 16th September 2025,” the IT department added.
ITR Filing Due Date Extension: What CBDT said
CBDT, in a post on X, said a record over 7.3 crore ITRs were filed till September 15, surpassing last year’s 7.28 crore and to facilitate further filings of ITRs, the due date has been extended by one day to September 16, 2025.
“A record 7.3 crore+ ITRs have been filed till 15th Sept 2025, surpassing last year’s 7.28 crore. We sincerely thank taxpayers & professionals for their timely compliance. To facilitate further filings of ITRs, the due date has been extended by one day (16th September 2025),” the CBDT said in the post.
Huge traffic on Monday on “Having difficulty accessing the Income Tax e-Filing Portal?
On Monday, the Income Tax e-filing portal faced huge traffic as it was the last date for filing ITRs for AY 2025-26. Also, Monday was the last date for payment of the second quarterly instalment of advance tax for the ongoing fiscal year.
Earlier yesterday, the IT department has also shared a guide on resolving browser issues for those attempting to file ITR. These steps usually resolve most local access-related difficulties, the department said.
“Having difficulty accessing the Income Tax e-Filing Portal? Sometimes, access difficulties with the Income Tax e-Filing Portal may arise due to local system/browser settings. These simple steps often help resolve such issues,” it said in a post on X.
However, taxpayers kept complaining about the glitches even after following the steps. The last date to file ITRs without penalty is now September 16 for the income earned in the 2024-25 fiscal.
Many taxpayers and chartered accountants have taken to social media over the last couple of days to report technical issues with the Income Tax e-filing portal while making tax payment and downloading AIS (Annual Information Statement).
Earlier in May, the IT department had announced an extension of the due date for filing ITRs for AY 2025-26 (for the income earned in Financial Year 2024-25) by individuals, Hindu Undivided Families (HUFs) and entities that do not have to get their accounts audited from July 31 to September 15.
The extension was on account of “structural and content revisions” in the ITR forms, which were notified in late April and early May. The changes made in the ITR form for AY 2025-26 also need modifications to be made in ITR filing utilities and the back-end system.
ITR filings have shown consistent growth over the years, reflecting rising compliance and the widening of the tax base. For AY 2024-25, a record 7.28 crore ITRs were filed up to July 31, 2024, compared to 6.77 crore for AY 2023-24, registering a 7.5 per cent year-on-year growth.
