The deadline for filing income tax returns (ITR) for the financial year 2023-24 is set for July 31. In anticipation of this date, the Income Tax department has urged taxpayers to submit their tax returns promptly.
Is an Extension of the ITR Filing Deadline Possible?
It is unlikely that the ITR filing deadline will be extended this year. The Income Tax department reported that over 5 crore ITRs for AY 2024-25 had been filed by July 26, compared to the same time last year. The government did not extend the deadline last year, although it did grant an extension two years ago due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
What Has the Income Tax Department Stated About the Deadline?
Following circulating reports about a possible extension of the ITR deadline, the Income Tax Department issued a public alert. They shared a screenshot of a false announcement on social media claiming the ITR e-filing deadline had been extended to August 31, 2024. The department clarified that this information is incorrect and reaffirmed that the deadline for filing ITR for FY 2023-24 remains July 31, 2024.
Technical Issues on the E-Filing Portal
Taxpayers have encountered several technical problems on the e-filing portal, such as difficulties with Aadhaar-based OTP authentication, slow page loading, and upload errors. Various organizations, including ICAI, All Gujarat Federation of Tax Consultants, and the Income Tax Bar Association, Karnataka State Chartered Accountants Association (KSCAA), have raised concerns and requested these issues be addressed.
Last week, the CBDT chairman stated, as per news agency PTI, “We are engaging closely with our service providers Infosys, IBM and Hitachi who are on the job. The volumes are high and the compliance is also good… I have been assured that the website will function properly.”