Taxpayers Get Extension: ITR Filing Deadline Extended to September 16, 2025

The Income Tax Department has extended the deadline for ITR filing to 16 September 2025.

The Income Tax Department has provided taxpayers with significant relief by extending the deadline for Income Tax Return (ITR) filing by one day. The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) announced on Monday that the deadline for ITR filing for the financial year 2024-25 (assessment year 2025-26) has been extended to 16 September 2025. This extension is in consideration of technical glitches on the e-filing portal and the last-minute rush.

Over 7.3 Crore ITRs Filed

The originally scheduled deadline of 31 July 2025 was already extended to 15 September 2025 to address issues arising from changes made to the ITR forms. However, following complaints of glitches on the portal, the CBDT extended it further by one day. According to the department, over 7.3 crore ITRs have been filed so far, exceeding the previous year's 7.28 crore. This figure reflects the increasing compliance rate among taxpayers.

When Will Filing Resume?

The e-filing portal will be closed for maintenance from 12:00 AM to 2:30 AM on 16 September. Filing will resume thereafter. If a taxpayer fails to file their ITR by 16 September, a belated return can be filed until 31 December 2025, but with a penalty.

• A maximum penalty of ₹5,000 if the total income exceeds ₹5 lakh.
• A maximum penalty of ₹1,000 if the total income is ₹5 lakh or less.
• Interest will also be levied under Section 234A.

Number of ITR Filers in India Over the Past 5 Years

The number of Income Tax Returns (ITR) filers in India has been steadily increasing. These figures are primarily sourced from official sources of the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) and the Ministry of Finance. Below are the figures for the last 5 financial years (FY 2020-21 to FY 2024-25), based on the assessment year (AY). The total number is approximately 38.77 crore ITR filings.

Financial Year (FY)	Assessment Year (AY)	ITRs Filed (in Crores)	Year-on-Year Growth (%)
2020-21	2021-22	6.72	–
2021-22	2022-23	7.40	10.1
2022-23	2023-24	8.09	9.3
2023-24	2024-25	9.00 (Up to January)	11.2 (Estimated)
2024-25	2025-26	–	–

• FY 2020-21 data is taken from FY 2019-20, as the precise AY 2021-22 data available in sources is 6.72 crore.
• For FY 2022-23, 8.09 crore ITRs were filed, representing only 6.68% of the population.
• For FY 2023-24, over 9 crore ITRs were filed until January 2025, showing a 43% increase.
• The increase over the 5 years is attributed to pre-filled ITRs.

These figures are based on official reports and may be updated over time.