The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has extended the last date for filing the Income Tax Return (ITR) for the assessment year 2025-26 from 31 July to 15 September. The CBDT said in a press release that the last date has been extended to provide a spontaneous and convenient filing experience for taxpayers. According to Section 234A, if you file ITR by the new due date and pay any pending self-assessment tax, you will not have to pay any interest. Whether you are self-employed or salaried, new time limit, punishment and revised filing time-limit, what you need to know is given here.

 

According to the press release issued by the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), the ITR notified for the pricing year 2025-26 has been made structural and content amendments, whose purpose is to simplify compliance, enhance transparency and enable accurate reporting. These changes require additional time for system development, integration and testing of related utilities.

In addition, credits generated from TDS details to be filed by 31 May, 2025 will begin to appear in early June, which will limit the effective period of filing returns in the absence of such expansion. This detail is expected to reduce the concerns raised by the stakeholders and provide sufficient time to comply, which will ensure the integrity and accuracy of the process of filing returns. The change in the Income Tax Slab under the new tax system and capital advantage regulations has complicated the process of filing ITR for FY 2024-25. Therefore, the Income Tax Department has extended the last date for filing ITR to provide additional time to taxpayers of this category.

 

By October 31, 2025, the last date for filing ITR applies to taxpayers whose accounts are required to be audited. Typically, taxpayers of this category include companies, owned firms and executive partners of a firm, etc. Taxpayers of this category have to submit their audit report by 30 September, so that they can file their ITR by 31 October. The Income Tax Department has not yet extended the time limit for these taxpayers filing ITRs.