Taxpayers who have not filed their income tax return for the assessment year 2025-26 yet, have one more day to do so without paying a fine. The Income Tax Department has extended the deadline from September 15 to Tuesday, September 16. While the news has come as a relief for some, many took to social media to vent out their frustration. Let’s find out why. 

Why was the ITR deadline extended? 

The extension came after many people faced problems filing their returns on the last day due to technical glitches. The e-filing portal was painfully slow. Monday was not just the ITR deadline but also the due date for the second installment of advance tax, which added to the traffic on the site. The Central Board of Direct Taxes said the extra day was given to make it easier for people to complete their filings. The portal was also down for maintenance from midnight to 2:30 am on Tuesday to update its utilities.

The department had shared a checklist on X (formerly Twitter) to help users fix common access issues. But many taxpayers reported that the portal continued to give trouble despite following the steps, which thus led to taxpayers slamming the Income Tax Department.

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Taxpayers and professionals voiced their frustration on social media, with hashtags like #extendduedateimmediately trending widely. Many reported that the e-filing portal was taking more than 40 seconds to load, making it extremely difficult to file returns before the deadline. The situation has caused added stress, especially as this marks the final extended deadline for non-audit taxpayers.

One user on X (formerly Twitter) wrote, “How much more time we’re expected to stay up to successfully file ITR? They’ve been incrementally increasing the maintenance time by 15 minutes since 2.30am!! I understand that we should’ve filled earlier, but the deadline has no point if you can’t even maintain your servers.”

Another frustrated user added, “First, your ITR portal hasn’t been working for a few days now. You know it, hence you extended deadline. Then the website says it’ll remain in maintenance till 2am, then 2:30am, & now 2:45am. Still not working. Just Vishwaguru things!”

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A third user also shared similar sentiment, the user remarked, “ITR filing deadline extended again because the portal can’t handle the traffic. Maybe the Income Tax Dept & Infosys should borrow a few interns from Amazon or Flipkart, those guys seem to manage sales with half the country logging in at once.”

ITR deadline extension: A much-needed relief for some

While many are frustrated, a section of taxpayers expressed relief at the extension. One user wrote, “Thank you, Hon’ble Finance Minister, for extending the ITR deadline! This much-needed relief helps millions of taxpayers navigate challenges and file their returns smoothly. Your support is truly appreciated.”

The original deadline to file ITRs was July 31, 2025. With two extensions now granted, taxpayers hope the department will resolve the portal’s issues once and for all. For now, the deadline remains September 16, but whether the system will hold up under pressure is still uncertain.