Filing your Income Tax Return (ITR) can be a stressful last-minute rush, but you don’t have to go through it. With the ITR filing deadline for non-audit cases of September 15, 2025, less than a month away, it’s wise to file your return now. As of August 19, 2025, over 3.2 crore returns have already been filed for FY 2024-25.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Although the government has extended the ITR deadline in the past, including this year’s extension from July 31 to September 15, you shouldn’t count on it. These extensions usually happen due to specific issues like technical glitches or delays in new ITR forms. Relying on a last-minute extension is risky and can result in late-filing fees and other penalties. It’s much better to file early and avoid potential issues with the e-filing portal.
History of ITR Deadline Extensions
For the past 5-10 years, the Income Tax Department has extended the ITR filing deadline on a few key occasions, primarily during the COVID-19 pandemic and for system upgrades.
FY 2024–25 (AY 2025–26)
The original deadline of July 31, 2025, was extended to September 15, 2025, because of delays in releasing new ITR forms and system updates.
FY 2020–21 (AY 2021–22)
Due to the ongoing pandemic and technical problems with the new income tax portal, the deadline was moved from July 31, 2021, to December 31, 2021.
FY 2019–20 (AY 2020–21)
This was the most significant extension, with multiple changes due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
- The initial deadline of July 31, 2020, was first extended to November 30, 2020.
- It was then extended again, with different dates for various groups:
- Taxpayers requiring audits: The deadline was extended to January 31, 2021.
- Other taxpayers: The deadline was extended to December 31, 2020.
- Finally, the dates were pushed back one last time:
- Audit cases: The deadline was moved to February 15, 2021.
- Others: The deadline was moved to January 10, 2021.
In total, there have been three major ITR deadline extensions in the last decade, mostly due to exceptional circumstances.
