ITR filing last date July 31: Will the deadline be extended? Here’s what we know

ITR filing deadline: As the Income-Tax filing deadline approaches, most taxpayers have this one question: will the July 31 deadline be extended? There have been instances in the past when the deadline had been extended. Last year too, the ITR deadline was extended due to glitches on the income tax e-filing portal.

However, Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) sources told Business Today that nothing in those lines were being discussed now. The sources said: "There is no such discussion on the table. We recommend the taxpayers to file their taxes asap and not wait for the last minute filing."

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Adhil Shetty, CEO of Bankbazaar, also pointed out that the Income Tax Department extended deadlines in the past only under exceptional circumstances, such as widespread technical issues or other administrative reasons.

Meanwhile the Income Tax Department also urged eligible taxpayers to file ITR-1 and ITR-2 before the July 31 deadline. It said that more than 4 crore income tax returns have been filed so far for the assessment year 2026-27.

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The department advised taxpayers to avoid the last-minute rush by filing their returns early. It has repeatedly urged those yet to file to complete the process well before the deadline, saying early filing helps avoid heavy traffic on the e-filing portal and ensures smoother processing of returns.

ITR filings have also recorded steady growth in recent years. The Income Tax Department's e-filing portal shows that 9.19 crore returns were filed in FY2024-25, up from 8.52 crore in FY2023-24 and 7.78 crore in FY2022-23.

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ITR-1, or Sahaj, is meant for resident individuals with a total income of up to Rs 50 lakh from salary, one house property and other sources, including agricultural income of up to Rs 5,000. The department said Sahaj is a simpler form that caters to a large number of small and medium taxpayers.

ITR-2 applies to individuals and Hindu Undivided Families that do not have income from business or profession but have income from sources such as capital gains.