Income Tax Return Deadline 2025: Will CBDT Extend ITR Filing Date Beyond September 30?

The deadline for filing Income Tax Returns (ITR) for the assessment year 2025-26 is currently set at September 30, 2025. However, growing concerns from taxpayers and professionals may push the government to reconsider the timeline. The Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) has formally urged the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) to extend the deadline, citing delayed release of essential ITR forms and technical hurdles as the main reasons.

Why an Extension Has Been Demanded

GCCI highlighted in its letter to CBDT that several important forms and utilities required for ITR filing were released almost three months late this year. For instance, while ITR-1 to ITR-4 forms were made available between May and July, other crucial forms came much later—ITR-5 was issued on August 8, ITR-6 Excel utility was released on August 15, and ITR-7 has still not been rolled out. Audit-related forms such as 3CA-3CD and 3CB-3CD were only released on July 29.

According to GCCI, this delayed rollout has significantly reduced the time available for taxpayers and chartered accountants to prepare and submit returns. As a result, the industry body has requested that the ITR filing deadline as well as the tax audit report submission date of September 30 be pushed further to allow fair compliance.

Government’s Previous Relief

Earlier this year, the government extended the deadline for non-audit taxpayers from July 31 to September 15, 2025. While this move provided partial relief, GCCI argues that the benefit was limited since most forms were still unavailable at that time. With frequent changes in utilities and persistent issues with slow internet connectivity in many regions, professionals have struggled to meet compliance requirements.

Current Deadlines for Different Categories

• September 15, 2025: Last date for filing ITR by taxpayers who are not subject to audit.

• September 30, 2025: Last date for submitting tax audit reports.

• October 31, 2025: Final deadline for companies, partnership firms, and taxpayers whose accounts require audit.

• November 30, 2025: Final deadline for taxpayers with international transactions or specific domestic dealings.

What’s Next?

At present, the CBDT has not announced any official extension beyond September 30. However, with repeated requests from industry bodies such as GCCI and mounting pressure from tax professionals, many believe that the government may soon take a decision to extend the deadline.

For taxpayers, the key takeaway is to continue preparing for their filings within the current timeline but also stay alert for any official announcements from CBDT regarding possible extensions.

Conclusion

While the September 30 deadline still stands, uncertainty remains due to the delays in form availability and compliance challenges faced by both taxpayers and chartered accountants. If CBDT accepts GCCI’s request, taxpayers could get much-needed extra time to file returns without last-minute stress. Until then, timely preparation remains the safest approach.