With just two days left to file your Income Tax returns, many taxpayers are wondering whether the government will extend the deadline this year. While the Income Tax Department has extended ITR filing deadlines in the past, there is currently no indication of any such move for Assessment Year 2026-27.
"There is no such discussion on the table. We recommend that taxpayers file their taxes asap and not wait for the last-minute filing," CBDT sources told Business Today.
Adhil Shetty, CEO of Bankbazaar, said the Income Tax Department has extended deadlines in the past only under special circumstances and taxpayers should not assume that an extension will be announced this year.
"With nearly two crore income tax returns already filed, taxpayers should not assume that the 31 July deadline will be extended," said Chandni Anandan, tax expert at ClearTax. She added, "Unless the government makes an official announcement, taxpayers should plan to complete their filing well before the due date."
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What does history suggest?
In the last six assessment years, ITR deadlines were extended on five occasions. But this year, the situation is different because many taxpayers have already completed their filings and there have been fewer complaints about technical issues.
So far, more than 4 crore income tax returns have been filed for Assessment Year 2026-27. According to the Income Tax Department's e-filing portal, 9.19 crore returns were filed in FY2024-25, compared with 8.52 crore in FY2023-24 and 7.78 crore in FY2022-23.
For taxpayers with business or professional income who are not required to get their accounts audited, the government has already extended the deadline to August 31, 2026.
AY 2020-21
The deadline was extended multiple times because of disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. The original July 31, 2020 deadline was eventually pushed to January 10, 2021.
AY 2021-22
The deadline was first extended from July 31, 2021, to September 30, 2021. Later, it was further extended to December 31, 2021.
AY 2022-23
The government extended deadlines mainly for taxpayers who needed to submit audit reports. Audit-related deadlines were pushed ahead due to administrative reasons.
Also Read | ITR Filing: Your Last-Minute Guide To File Returns Without Errors And Avoid Tax Notices
AY 2023-24
No extension was announced for ITR filing deadlines.
AY 2024-25
Some deadlines related to audit reports and taxpayers requiring audits were extended. The deadline for filing certain returns was also moved ahead.
AY 2025-26
The July 31, 2025 deadline was extended to September 15, 2025, because of delays in releasing new ITR forms and required system updates. It was later extended by one more day to September 16, 2025.
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