With around two weeks left to file Income Tax Returns (ITR), many taxpayers are still waiting.
According to the Income Tax Department, only about 50% of taxpayers have filed their returns so far, compared to last year.
Tax professionals say the late release of ITR forms and utilities has made the process harder.
There are also complaints about mismatches between the Annual Information Statement (AIS) and Form 26AS. This raises the question — will the ITR filing deadline be extended again this year?
Delay in ITR Forms and Utilities This Year
Himansh Singla, Partner at SBHS & Associates, explained that when ITR forms and utilities are released on time, filing returns becomes easier and less stressful.
He gave last year as an example: the Income Tax Department released ITR-1 to ITR-4 and ITR-6 on April 1, 2024, while ITR-5 came on May 31 and ITR-7 on June 21.
This gave taxpayers about three months to file returns before the July 31 deadline.
No Extension Could Create Last-Minute Chaos
This year, the situation is different. Although the CBDT extended the deadline for non-audited ITRs from July 31 to September 15, the utilities for ITR-5, ITR-6, and ITR-7 were only released in August.
Even ITR-2 and ITR-3 came out late, giving taxpayers and professionals very little time to prepare. CA Pratibha Goyal posted on X, saying, “The last date for filing ITR should be extended to avoid last minute panic.”
Deadlines for Different Returns Are Too Close
According to Singla, the gap between deadlines for different types of taxpayers is very small.
The deadline for audited returns is September 30, just 15 days after the deadline for non-audited returns.
Additionally, ROC filing under the Companies Act also falls in September. This makes compliance burdensome, especially for professionals and business owners.
CBDT Had Extended the Deadline Earlier
In May 2025, the CBDT extended the filing deadline for non-audited ITRs to September 15. However, since key utilities were released in August, this extension didn’t help many taxpayers.
Singla said that under the current situation, the government should extend the deadline further — not just for convenience but also for practical reasons.
So, if you haven’t filed your return yet, should you wait for the deadline to be extended again?
Don’t Wait for a Deadline Extension
Experts advise that waiting till the last minute can cause problems. With high website traffic, the Income Tax portal slows down.
Sujit Bangar, founder of TaxBuddy.com, said delays in receiving the Aadhaar OTP are also common during peak times.
Rushed filings increase the risk of errors, which can result in notices from the tax department.
