The government has once again extended the deadline for filing income tax returns, giving individual taxpayers until September 15 to complete the process for assessment year 2025–26. The original deadline was July 31, but the extension was announced citing the extensive changes introduced in this year’s ITR forms and the corresponding digital utilities.
The official filing process began on May 29 when the Income Tax Department released the Excel utilities for ITR–1 and ITR–4, albeit with a delay of almost two months. Since then, utilities for most other forms have been made available. However, the utilities for ITR–7 remain pending, and even ITR–6 utilities were rolled out only last week. These delays in system readiness and testing prompted the Central Board of Direct Taxes to provide taxpayers with additional time.
While the filing process has gathered momentum, processing of returns has been sluggish. Data from the Income Tax Department shows that around 3.29 crore returns have been filed so far, with 3.19 crore already verified. Yet, only about 1.13 crore verified returns have been processed. That means less than 40 percent of total filings have been completed, despite nearly three months passing since the filing window opened. This slow pace has left many taxpayers uncertain about their refunds and acknowledgments.
The ministry has explained that the notified ITRs for this year were structurally revised to simplify compliance, improve transparency, and enable accurate reporting. Such large-scale changes required additional development time, system integration, and testing. While this extension offers relief to taxpayers, it also highlights the importance of timely rollouts of filing utilities to ensure smoother processing in the future.
The delays, however, should not discourage taxpayers from filing their returns early. Filing before the new deadline ensures that individuals avoid last-minute technical glitches and penalties. It also allows the tax department more time to process returns and issue refunds. With more than 9 crore active tax accounts in India, timely filing plays a vital role in keeping the system efficient.
The current extension demonstrates how the government is balancing structural reforms with the practical realities faced by millions of taxpayers. As new systems are refined, the expectation is that processing will become faster and more transparent in the coming years. For now, taxpayers must use this extended window to review their details carefully and file their returns without further delay.
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