Income Tax Return filing due date extended by a day, to September 16

The due date for filing Income Tax Returns (ITRs) has been extended by a day to September 16, the Income Tax Department informed in a late evening post on Monday.

“The Central Board of Direct Taxes has decided to further extend the due date for filing these ITRs for AY 2025-26 from 15th September 2025 to 16th September 2025,” the post on X said.

This extension comes on the back of several taxpayers and professionals facing issues with the Income Tax e-filing portal on Monday, as the portal went down for scheduled maintenance in the early hours of September 15, 2025.

Some taxpayers even took to X and complained about the difficulties they faced during the documents upload process. Further, the completion and upload of the latest ITR forms and audit reports require extensive disclosures, which increase the time taken per filing.

To facilitate ITR filing for taxpayers on Tuesday, the e-filing portal had been ‘in the maintenance mode,’ for two and a half hours until 2:30 AM today.

“To enable changes in the utilities, the e- filing portal will remain in maintenance mode from 12:00 AM to 02:30 AM on 16th September 2025,” the post added.

This is the second extension granted to taxpayers by the department. The original due date for filing Income Tax Returns for the assessment year 2025–26 was July 31, 2025, which was later extended to September 15, 2025.

"The further extension of the ITR filing deadline for AY 2025-26 until 16th September 2025 is a real and meaningful relief for genuine taxpayers who, despite their best efforts, were unable to complete the filing process at the last minute. While only for a single day, such extensions ensure that those facing genuine system-related issues or unavoidable delays are not unfairly penalised," said Rajat Mohan, Senior Partner, AMRG & Associates.

As of Monday, the Income Tax department had revealed that more than 7 crore Income Tax Returns (ITRs) had already been submitted for the Assessment Year 2025-26.

This deadline extension is set to bring relief to taxpayers who would have otherwise faced penalties upon missing the September 15 deadline of filing the returns. Missing the ITR deadline results in late fees of up to ₹5,000, interest on unpaid taxes, and loss of benefits like carrying forward losses. Severe cases may lead to prosecution and imprisonment. Taxpayers should file on time to avoid these financial and legal repercussions.

"These short-term extensions play a critical role during peak filing periods, particularly when the portal experiences heavy traffic or undergoes maintenance. By providing this window, CBDT has safeguarded the interests of honest taxpayers and reinforced its intent of facilitation rather than penalisation. At the same time, the move underscores the importance of continuing to strengthen digital infrastructure to minimise the need for last-minute extensions," added Mohan.