The Income Tax Department has extended the income tax return filing due date by a day despite achieving a big milestone of crossing the last year’s filing numbers (recorded till the deadline). Last year, around 7.28 crore ITRs were filed till July 31, while AY 2025-26 has so far seen 7.3 crore (provisional numbers) returns being filed with one more day to go.
This year’s tax return filing numbers reflect not only growing awareness among taxpayers but also an increase in compliance, even though many users struggled with technical glitches on the income tax e-filing portal during the last-minute rush.
Year-on-year growth in ITR filing
The steady rise in income tax return filing has been visible over the last few years. For AY 2024-25, 7.28 crore ITRs were filed till July 31, 2024, while for AY 2023-24, the total number of returns filed stood at 6.77 crore. This year, despite technical challenges and systemic changes over the last few months, the total filings have gone beyond expectations, showing consistent growth in taxpayer participation.
ITR deadline extended due to glitches
Initially, the last date to file ITR was September 15, 2025, but due to widespread complaints of portal errors, slowdowns, and downtime, the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) extended the ITR deadline by one day to September 16, 2025.
Taxpayers and tax professionals have been complaining for several days on social media about repeated login failures and submission errors, with some even claiming they had been trying for hours without success. Even after the government has stretched the due date, people who are yet to file their returns hope that there might be another extension as portal and other technical issues persist. The department, however, maintained that the income tax e-filing portal was working fine and advised users to check their local system settings.
What the rise in ITR filing means
Experts believe that the rise in ITR filing 2025 is an indicator of better tax compliance, deeper digital adoption, and an expanding tax base in India. More salaried employees, professionals, and small business owners are now filing their income tax returns on time to avoid penalties and to claim refunds faster. The data also suggests growing reliance on the e-filing portal despite recurring technical issues.
Advice to taxpayers
The department has once again urged taxpayers not to wait until the last hour. With the new ITR deadline of September 16, 2025, lakhs are expected to log in and complete their filings today. To avoid common problems, the department has suggested clearing cache, deleting temporary files, trying a different browser, or using incognito mode for smoother access. Filing early helps avoid penalties, reduces last-minute stress, and ensures timely refunds.
Here’s what experts have to say on the deadline extension
Aarti Raote, Partner, Deloitte India, says, “Taxpayers should avail of this extra day to try and submit their tax returns in time as missing the deadline may have serious repercussions.”
What would taxpayers lose if they miss September 16 deadline?
The first is a penalty of up to Rs 5,000 for delayed filing. In addition, there would be interest of 1% on amount of taxes unpaid for each month till the return is filed. Further, one would lose the chance to carry forward current year losses like capital losses if the return is filed beyond the due date. These losses would otherwise be available for set-off against gains of future years.
A bigger implication is also that one losses the right to switch to the tax regime that is more favourable to them and hence may land up paying a higher tax, she adds.
“In addition to the above financial implications, one should expect refunds slower and taxpayers could be at a higher risk of receiving notices and scrutiny by the tax department also. may also face the risk of a scrutiny Thus it is ideal that the tax returns are filed in time,” according to Raote.