ITR Deadline Extension AY 2024-25: Today is the last day to file ITR as the Income Tax Department has reiterated that the tax return filing deadline will not be extended beyond July 31. As per the latest update on the number of ITRs filed as on July 30, over 6.09 crore taxpayers have submitted their income tax returns. Those who have filed their ITR recently and the I-T Department processed their tax returns are now awaiting their tax refunds. But there are millions of taxpayers who would be hoping to see the extension in ITR filing deadline.
Who are demanding ITR filing deadline extension?
The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) recently shot off a letter to the Income Tax Department, highlighting severe technical glitches on the e-filing portal. Citing these issues, the ICAI urged the government to extend the last date to file ITR.
On social media, taxpayers have continuously been raising their grievances regarding the issues they are facing on tax payments and ITR filing fronts. Netizens say that the Income Tax Department should have anticipated this surge in e-filing cases and better prepared to handle the load on the server.
This is not the first time that issues related to tax payments and e-filing portal have surfaced. In the previous years also, taxpayers faced similar issues while trying to file tax returns before ITR due date.
What did Income Tax Department say on chances of ITR due date extension?
The Income Tax Department has said that there won’t be any deadline extension and July 31 will remain the last date to file income tax returns for FY 2023-24. There are reports and speculations that the government might consider extending the due date to file ITR by a month to August 31. The department however clarified its position on the same and said there would be no deadline extension for ITR filing, urging taxpayers to complete their income tax returns filing process on time to avoid penalties.
Technical glitches on e-filing portal
The ICAI has highlighted several issues taxpayers are facing in payments of taxes and filing of returns on the e-filing portal due to technical glitches. The chartered accountants body has sought fast resolution of these issues to ensure seamless filing of ITR and payment of taxes within due date, which is July 31. It has also appealed to the government to consider a reliable income-tax e-filing portal to support taxpayers effectively.
In its letter the ICAI highlighted the difficulty in accessing Form 26AS/AIS/TIS and a discrepancy between figures in the statements. Due to glitches in the income-tax e-filing portal, many taxpayers are facing difficulty in accessing Form 26AS/AIS, it said. “Sometimes there is variance in figures of the same nature in TIS and AIS. Also, joint income gets reported in the statement of both joint account holders, leading to scrutiny notices in spite of taxpayers intimating the same on time.”