The Income Tax Department has cautioned taxpayers about a fake message doing the rounds on social media and messaging platforms. The false claim suggests that the deadline for filing Income Tax Returns (ITRs), initially set for 31 July 2025 and later extended to 15 September 2025, has now been further extended to September 30, 2025. Clarifying the matter, the department said that the official last date for filing ITRs continues to be September 15. The department added, "Taxpayers are advised to rely only on official @IncomeTaxIndia updates (sic)."
24x7 helpdesk support for taxpayers
To ensure smooth filing and related services, the Income Tax Department highlighted that its helpdesk is operating round-the-clock. Assistance is being offered through calls, live chats, WebEx sessions and also via Twitter/X.
Fake notice flagged
The department also shared a copy of the fake notice in circulation that wrongly claimed, "CBDT extends the due date of filing of ITRs which were due for filing by 15th September 2025."
Step-by-step guide to filing ITR
- Log in to the income tax portal using your PAN as the user ID and password.
- Navigate to the ITR filing section.
- Select the relevant Assessment Year.
- Choose your filing status.
- Pick the appropriate ITR form.
- Review and confirm all the details entered.
- Pay any outstanding tax dues, if applicable.
- Submit the return.
- E-verify the return within 30 days to validate the filing.
Penalties and interest on late filing
It is to be noted here that filing beyond the deadline would attract a penalty of Rs 5,000 for incomes above Rs 5 lakh and Rs 1,000 for lower incomes under Section 234F. Taxpayers can still file belated or revised returns until December 31, 2025, with updated returns (ITR-U) accepted until March 31, 2030. Interest at 1% per month on unpaid tax applies from the due date until payment, as per Section 234A. Notably, filing alone isn't sufficient as e-verification within 30 days is necessary to avoid invalid returns and ensure refunds. Failure to e-verify can lead to penalties and stalled refunds.
How much income tax returns filed so far?
Earlier on Saturday (September 13), the Income Tax department said more than six crore income tax returns for Assessment Year 2025-26 have been filed so far. "Thank you taxpayers & tax professionals for helping us reach the milestone of 6 crore Income Tax Returns (ITRs) as of now and still counting," the I-T department said in a post on X. Notably, ITR filings have shown consistent growth over the years, reflecting rising compliance and the widening of the tax base. For AY 2024-25, a record 7.28 crore ITRs were filed up to July 31, 2024, compared to 6.77 crore in AY 2023-24, registering a 7.5 per cent year-on-year growth.
(With PTI inputs)
