ITR Filing Deadline Extended to September 16 After Technical Glitches on Portal

New Delhi, Sep 15: The government on Monday extended the deadline for filing income tax returns (ITRs) for Assessment Year 2025-26 by one day, moving it from September 15 to September 16, after technical glitches on the e-filing portal disrupted last-minute submissions.

The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) said in a post on X that a record 7.3 crore ITRs were filed till September 15, surpassing last year’s 7.28 crore. “To facilitate further filings of ITRs, the due date has been extended by one day (16th September 2025),” it announced.

The surge in traffic on the e-filing portal caused widespread complaints, with many taxpayers unable to log in, upload returns, or make payments. Monday was also the last date for paying the second instalment of advance tax for the current fiscal year.

Late in the evening, the Income Tax Department issued troubleshooting steps for browser-related issues, but several users reported that glitches persisted. Many chartered accountants and individuals took to social media to highlight difficulties in tax payment and downloading Annual Information Statements (AIS).

Replying to complaints, the department said the portal was functioning normally for most users and advised clearing browser cache or switching browsers. It also requested affected taxpayers to share details with PAN and mobile numbers at designated email addresses.

This marks the second extension for AY 2025-26 filings. Earlier, the government had pushed the deadline from July 31 to September 15 due to revisions in ITR forms that required updates to filing utilities and backend systems.

The CBDT also announced that the portal would undergo maintenance from 12 am to 2:30 am on September 16 to enable system changes.

Tax compliance has been steadily rising, with filings growing year-on-year. For AY 2024-25, over 7.28 crore ITRs were submitted by July 31, 2024, compared to 6.77 crore the previous year a growth of 7.5%.