The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has extended the deadline for filing audit reports for income tax returns for the financial year 2024-25.
The new deadline is October 31, 2025, instead of the earlier date of September 30, 2025.
This announcement was made through a statement and a post on social media platform X.
Earlier, the government had already extended the deadline for filing income tax returns (ITRs) for FY 2024-25 (AY 2025-26) to September 15, 2025.
Because of this, auditors were left with only 15 days to complete audit reports. Since about 4 million audit reports are filed every year,
and only 400,000 had been filed by September 23, auditors said it was not possible to complete the remaining 3.6 million in such a short time.
CBDT’s Statement on Extension
The CBDT explained that several professional associations, including chartered accountants, had asked for more time.
They mentioned challenges faced by taxpayers and practitioners, along with disruptions caused by floods and natural disasters in some parts of the country. These issues were also raised before different High Courts.
In its statement, the CBDT said:
Considering the difficulties of tax professionals and the submissions made in courts, the deadline for audit report submission has been extended from September 30, 2025, to October 31, 2025.
This applies to taxpayers mentioned under section 139(1), Explanation 2(a) of the Income Tax Act, 1961.
A formal order or notification will be issued separately.
High Courts Also Directed Extension
The Rajasthan High Court (Jodhpur Bench) had earlier ordered CBDT to extend the deadline to October 31, 2025, while hearing a petition by the Jodhpur Tax Bar Association.
Similarly, the Karnataka High Court also directed that the deadline for filing tax audit reports (TAR) under Section 44AB be extended by one month to October 31, 2025.
This was based on a petition filed by the Karnataka State Chartered Accountants Association (KSCAA).
Filing Status So Far
The CBDT clarified that the Income Tax e-filing portal is working smoothly without any technical problems. Audit reports and other forms are being uploaded successfully.
By September 24, 2025, around 4,02,000 audit reports had been uploaded.
Of these, more than 60,000 audit reports were filed on September 24 alone.
By September 23, 2025, over 7.57 crore ITRs had already been filed.
