Social media forums such as X on Thursday saw a jump in users seeking an extension for Income Tax Returns (ITR) as the deadline nears. India's Income Tax authority had set the date of 15th September for filing Income Tax Returns. Previously, filing ITRs for assessment year 2025-26 or FY26 was set at July 31 2025. But the deadline was set to 15th September in the wake of system issues.
On Thursday, X was abuzz with keywords such "Extend Due Date Immediately".
WHY CALLS FOR EXTENSION?
Many netizens also requested for an extension owing to floods and natural calamities. Since July, many states have faced natural disasters. Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand have experienced floods, landslides and even cloudbursts. Additionally, rising river levels in Delhi and Jammu & Kashmir have led to significant human, economic, and environmental damage. Besides the damages, netizens wondered about the technological preparedness and capability of people in meeting the tax compliance. An X user also posted a video of a technical glitch while requesting for an extension of ITR filing.
Will Government Announce Extension?
It is important to note, that 5 crore ITRs had been filed (according to the IT agency) as of the time of publishing this story. For FY25, 7.28 crore ITRs were filed for previously the deadline of 31st July 2024.
However technical glitches and challenges in several states have prompted even institutions and trade-bodies to seek for an extension. On Thursday, institutions such as the Karnataka State Chartered Accountants Association, Central Council of Chartered Accountants of India, Advocates Tax Bar Association, reached out to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman requesting her for an extension in deadline.
The government has so far not responded to any of the recent extension requests. The deadlines as of the time of publishing this article therefore stands at 15th September 2025 for individuals filing ITRs. For tax audit cases the deadline is September 30 for audit reports and 31st Oct for ITR for tax audit cases. Meanwhile, penalty for ITRs after the deadline but before December 2025 is Rs 5,000 for individuals earning more than Rs 5 lakh per annum and Rs 1,000 for those earning below Rs 5 lakh per annum.
