As of September 15, 2025, the Income Tax Department has officially announced that there will be no extension to the Income Tax Return (ITR) filing deadline for the Assessment Year 2025-26. The due date remains September 15, 2025.

This clarification comes in response to fake news circulating on social media, which falsely claimed that the deadline had been extended to September 30, 2025. The Income Tax Department has urged taxpayers to disregard such misinformation and rely solely on official updates from its verified channels.

The original deadline for filing ITRs was July 31, 2025, but it was extended to September 15, 2025, due to "structural and content revisions" in the income tax return forms. These revisions necessitated modifications to the ITR filing utilities and the back-end system.

The Income Tax Department is providing 24x7 support to assist taxpayers with filing their returns. This support is available through various channels, including phone calls, live chats, WebEx sessions, and social media platforms like X (formerly Twitter).

Taxpayers who miss the September 15 deadline can still file a belated return until December 31, 2025. However, late filing will attract penalties. If the taxable income is less than ₹5 lakh, a late fee of ₹1,000 will be charged. For incomes exceeding ₹5 lakh, the penalty will be ₹5,000. Additionally, interest at 1% per month will be levied on any unpaid tax from the original due date until the tax is paid.

Missing the ITR deadline can also lead to other financial setbacks. Taxpayers may lose the option to switch between the old and new tax regimes and forfeit the benefit of carrying forward losses. While an updated return (ITR-U) can be filed until March 31, 2030, refunds cannot be claimed through this route.

As of September 13, 2025, over 6 crore ITRs had already been filed for the Assessment Year 2025-26. The Income Tax Department has thanked taxpayers and tax professionals for their efforts in reaching this milestone and encouraged those who have yet to file to do so as soon as possible to avoid last-minute issues.

To file your ITR, follow these steps:

1. Log in to the official income tax portal using your PAN as the user ID and password.
2. Navigate to the ITR filing section.
3. Select the correct Assessment Year.
4. Choose your filing status and the appropriate ITR form.
5. Review all details carefully and pay any applicable tax dues.
6. Submit the return and e-verify it within 30 days to validate the filing.

The Income Tax Department urges all taxpayers to file their ITRs before the September 15 deadline to avoid penalties, interest, and other potential financial losses.