Taxpayers and chartered accountants are facing a compliance bottleneck for the current ITR filing season, citing multiple issues with the Income Tax Department’s e-filing portal. The problems are so widespread that many are urging the government to extend key deadlines.
Here’s a breakdown of the key hurdles:
Technical Glitches and Delays
- Unavailable Forms: Tax professionals are reporting that the Annual Information Statement (AIS) and Taxpayer Information Summary (TIS)—two documents critical for accurate tax filing—have been unavailable for download.
- Slow Portal Performance: The e-filing portal is described as operating “at a snail’s pace,” with users experiencing slow logins, page timeouts, and system errors when trying to upload returns and forms.
- Data Mismatches: Users have reported discrepancies between data on Form 26AS, AIS, and TIS, with mismatched figures appearing for the same PAN.
New and Complex Forms
The new ITR forms are more detailed than ever, requiring taxpayers to provide additional information that was not previously mandatory. For instance, those claiming House Rent Allowance (HRA) must now include the landlord’s PAN and property address. Similarly, claiming insurance deductions requires taxpayers to input policy numbers. This increased complexity has reportedly doubled the time needed to prepare a single return.
Compressed Timeline
- Late Release of Utilities: Tax utilities, which are essential software for preparing returns, are typically released in April. This year, however, their release began in July, with some key forms like ITR-6 and ITR-7 still awaiting their online utilities.
- Insufficient Time: Although the ITR deadline for non-audit cases was extended to September 15, 2025, professionals argue that the late release of these utilities has negated the benefit of the extension, leaving them with an unmanageably short window to complete filings for numerous clients.
Leading industry bodies, including the Gujarat Chamber of Commerce & Industry (GCCI), have formally requested an extension of deadlines for ITR, tax audits, and other compliance filings to provide taxpayers and professionals with much-needed breathing room.