Reasons for Extending the Income Tax Return Filing Date

The All Gujarat Federation of Tax Consultants and the Income Tax Bar Association have requested an extension of the Income Tax Return (ITR) filing deadline for the Assessment Year (AY) 2024-25 from July 31, 2024, to August 31, 2024. They cited ongoing issues with the Income Tax Portal and delays in updates to the Annual Information Statement (AIS) and Tax Information Summary (TIS). These concerns were formally communicated in a letter to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, which can be viewed on the Income Tax Bar Association’s X (formerly Twitter) handle.

Supporting this request, the Karnataka State Chartered Accountants Association (KSCAA) and The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) have also highlighted technical issues with Form 26AS, TIS, AIS, and the e-filing portal.

Despite these challenges, over 4 crore ITRs were filed by July 22, 2024, an 8% increase over the previous year. The daily filing rate exceeded 15 lakh on July 16, with milestones of 1 crore, 2 crore, and 3 crore ITRs reached on June 23, July 7, and July 16, respectively. The 4 crore milestone was achieved on July 24 last year. Taxpayers facing technical issues can contact the Income Tax Department’s helpdesk at 1800 103 0025 or 1800 419 0025 or email Efilingwebmanager@incometax.gov.in.

The letter outlined several technical problems with the e-filing portal, including slow portal speed, upload failures, non-responsive pages, and issues with Aadhar-based OTP verification. The Income Tax Department addresses these issues through a grievance redressal mechanism and provides responses to queries via their official handle on X (@IncomeTaxIndia).

The organizations emphasized the urgent need for an extension due to these persistent technical issues and the heavy reporting requirements faced by taxpayers. They highlighted the complexities introduced by provisions like sections 44AD, 44AB, TDS, 269SS/T, 43B, and GST, which require considerable time and effort for accurate ITR preparation and filing. They also noted the removal of the DSC requirement and the preference for Aadhar OTP for e-verification, making smooth portal functioning critical. Until the portal operates reliably, any extension of the due date or relief measures will be ineffective.

Therefore, they requested:

• Immediate action to ensure the portal functions smoothly, as it did last year, to accommodate the growing taxpayer base.
• An extension of the due date for AY 2024-25 from July 31, 2024, to August 31, 2024.

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