In a major relief for crores of taxpayers, the Income Tax Department recently extended the last date to file the income tax return (ITR) for AY 2025–26 to September 15, 2025. The earlier deadline for taxpayers in the non-audit category to file their ITR was July 31, 2025, which means these tax return filers will have an additional 45 days to meet their income tax return filing obligation.

ITR filing essentially means reporting your income, deductions, investments, and taxes paid during the year. As per the Income Tax Act, 1961, if your income crosses the basic exemption limit, filing a return and paying taxes becomes mandatory.

In a surprise decision, the government this year announced the ITR due date extension two months before the deadline was set to end. Usually, the government decides to extend the ITR filing deadline closer to the end of the due date. Also, in the past, any decision on a deadline extension has been taken based on extraordinary circumstances or technical glitches on the Income Tax Department portal.

Also read: ITR filing for AY2025-26 begins for THESE taxpayers: Over 54K income tax returns filed in 3 days

The Income Tax Department cited reasons such as ITR form revisions, TDS-related issues, and other challenges behind its decision to extend ITR filing by 45 days.

In the meantime, the tax department has released ITR utilities—necessary software tools that help taxpayers file ITRs electronically.

Despite the availability of necessary ITR forms and utilities, most salaried taxpayers would still wait until June 15 before they start filing their income tax return because most companies issue Form 16 — the key tax document for salaried employees — by the end of June or early July.

Key documents needed to file ITR

Once they will get Form 16, it’s time to gather a few more essential documents like Form 26AS, Annual Information Statement (AIS), Tax Information Statement (TIS), bank statements, and interest certificates. These help taxpayers cross-check their income and taxes deducted so far.

Once the paperwork is in place, the next step is choosing the right ITR form that suits one’s income type. The Income Tax Department has notified seven ITR forms (ITR-1 to ITR-7) for different categories of taxpayers for the financial year 2024-25.

Though ITR filing can still be done via offline and online mode both, most taxpayers nowadays prefer filing ITR online using the Income Tax Department’s e-filing website. The e-filing portal lets you log in using your PAN-based credentials, and offers helpful tools and pre-filled data that make the whole process smoother and faster.

Also read: ITR forms and Excel utilities out, but you still can’t file income tax return online – Know why

Steps to e-file ITR on income tax portal:

Step 1:

-Log in to visit the official income tax e-filing website and click on ‘Login’.
-Enter your PAN in the User ID section.
-Click on ‘Continue’ and enter your password.
-Click on ‘Continue’ to log in.

Step 2:

-Go To ‘File Income Tax Return’
-Click on the ‘e-File’ tab > ‘Income Tax Returns’ > ‘File Income Tax Return’.

Step 3:

-Select the Right ‘Assessment Year’
-Select ‘Assessment Year’ as ‘AY 2025-26’ if you file for FY 2024-25. Use the mode of filing as ‘Online’. Select the filing type as either original return or revised return.

Step 4:

-Select the Status
-Select your applicable filing status: Individual, HUF, or Others. For most people, select ‘Individual’ and ‘Continue’.

Step 5:

-Select ITR Type
-Now, select the ITR type. Determine which ITR form you need based on your income sources. There are 7 ITR forms, of which ITR 1 to 4 are applicable for Individuals and HUFs.

Step 6:

-Choose the Reason for Filing ITR
-Specify the reason for filing your returns: taxable income above the exemption limit, meeting specific criteria, etc.

Step 7:

-Validate Pre-filled Information
-Validate pre-filled details such as PAN, Aadhaar, name, contact information, and bank details. Review your income, exemptions, and deduction details.

Step 8:

-E-Verify ITR
-The last step is to verify your return within the time limit (30 days). You can e-verify using methods like Aadhaar OTP, EVC, Net Banking, or by sending a physical copy of ITR-V to CPC, Bengaluru.