Income Tax Filing: Last Date for AY 2025–26 Tax Returns

The ITR filing deadline is finally here. Millions of taxpayers are making a last-minute dash to complete their income tax return filing for AY 2025–26. As of September 13, more than 6.29 crore ITRs have already been filed, compared to 7.28 crore for the whole of last year. With nearly 1 crore filings expected on the last day, the rush is testing both taxpayers and the system.

Along with the ITR filing last date, September 15 also marks the due date for paying the second instalment of advance tax. For many professionals and individual taxpayers, this overlap, combined with reports of portal slowdowns, has made the online income tax return filing process a stressful experience.

Despite the challenges, the income tax filing numbers show a steady rise in compliance. Over the past 3 years, ITR filings have grown by more than 25%, reflecting a widening tax base and stronger digital adoption.

Why is Income Tax Return Filing 2025 Different

Every year, the final days of the ITR filing deadline bring a surge of activity. But this year, taxpayers are facing extra pressure for two reasons.

First, the tax filing deadline for income tax returns is falling just as the second instalment of advance tax is also due. For many individuals and businesses, this overlap means managing two major compliance tasks at once.

Second, reports of portal slowdowns have made things tougher. Even though the income tax department says the system is stable, many users have experienced delays during peak hours of online income tax return filing.

As chartered accountants point out, even without glitches, the bunching of deadlines would have stretched professionals and taxpayers. With glitches added in, the challenge has only grown.

ITR Filing Trends to Show Steady Growth

Despite the last-minute rush, India’s income tax return filing numbers highlight a positive trend. 

As said above, more than 6.29 crore ITRs have been filed for AY 2025–26, narrowing the gap with last year’s total of 7.28 crore. Tax experts say that more people are filing their returns on time instead of waiting until the very last day.

The trend has remained steady over the past year. During AY 2023–24, 6.77 crore returns were submitted, as against 5.82 crore in AY 2022–23 and 5.77 crore in AY 2021–22. 

Tax professionals indicate that this is a sign of growing use of online income tax filing and increased awareness among individuals and companies of the importance of remaining compliant. The push for digitalisation by the government and tightened reporting requirements have also played a role in this growth.

Conclusion

The closure of the present ITR filing deadline highlights two parallel realities of India’s tax landscape. While on the one hand, the overlap of several compliance dates and reports of portal slowdown point to operational issues that continue to confront taxpayers and professionals, on the other, the consistent year-on-year growth in the number of income tax return filings points towards growing compliance, greater digital adoption, and a maturing tax culture.

Source: MoneyControl

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