The last date for Income Tax Return (ITR) filing is getting closer, but looking at the speed of processing, the demand for extending the deadline has intensified. The Finance Ministry has currently fixed the last date as 15 September 2025.
According to the latest data updated till 30 August 2025, the Income Tax Department has received more than 4.18 crore ITR filings. Out of these, more than 3.96 crore returns have been verified, but till now only 2.59 crore (about 2.6 crore) ITRs have been processed.
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That is, only 15 days are left for the deadline to end and even half the returns have not been processed yet. Amidst all this, chartered accountants and taxpayers are constantly demanding an extension of the filing deadline.
Why is the demand for extending the deadline rising?
Chartered accountants and tax experts say that technical problems are being faced many times on the portal. In such a situation, the verification and processing of lakhs of taxpayers is getting stuck. Also, there are complaints of delay in uploading documents and generating receipts after verification. For these reasons, tax professionals believe that the government should extend the deadline by giving relief.
What do the Income Tax Department’s figures say?
Total ITR filings till 30 August 2025: 4,18,21,225
ITRs verified by Income Tax Department: 3,96,03,743
Number of ITRs processed: 2,59,77,545
It is clear from these figures that the processing of returns is still stuck halfway.
Impact on taxpayers
If the deadline is not extended and issues like tech glitches and problems related to uploading continue as reported, crores of taxpayers may face a difficult time over the next 15 days. That said, taxpayers should not wait for the Income Tax Department to announce another extension and instead they should prepare, collect necessary documents and file their returns as soon as possible.
Late filers may have to face late fees and interest. At the same time, refunds may also be delayed due to non-processing of returns on time.
Will the government extend the deadline?
In the past, the government has extended the ITR filing deadline whenever taxpayers faced issues due to extraordinary circumstances. This year, the deadline has already been extended by 46 days—from July 31 to September 15. Now, it remains to be seen whether the finance ministry announces another extension. According to tax experts, considering the current pace of processing and the difficulties faced by taxpayers, the government may once again have to keep the option of extending the deadline open.
Summing up…
The deadline of September 15 is now just a few days away, but the latest processing figures are raising concerns. Lakhs of taxpayers and chartered accountants are eyeing the next step of the government. Whether the government will extend the deadline by giving relief to taxpayers will be clear in the coming days.