With income-tax utilities being released late this year, tax experts are grappling with a bottleneck. Adding to the pressure are persistent portal glitches, from frequent session timeouts to mismatches between the Annual Information Statement (AIS) and Form 26AS.
“In every tax season, timely availability of return forms and utilities plays a crucial role in ensuring smooth compliance. A fair filing window allows both taxpayers and professionals to discharge obligations accurately and without unnecessary pressure. Last year is a good example as ITR-1 to ITR-4 and ITR-6 were released on April 1, 2024, followed by ITR-5 on May 31 and ITR-7 on June 21. This gave taxpayers nearly three months to prepare returns before the July 31 deadline,” says Himank Singla, Partner, SBHS & Associates.
This year, however, the situation is different. Although the CBDT extended the due date for non-audit cases from July 31, 2025, to September 15, 2025, the utilities for ITR-5, ITR-6 and ITR-7 were released only in August. ITR 2 and 3 also came out much later than usual on 11th July, 2025, leaving taxpayers and professionals with a narrow window to complete filings.
“ITR due date should be extended to avoid last-minute chaos. The late release of ITR utilities has messed up everything,” said CA Pratibha Goyal in a recent X post.
The pressure is compounded by overlapping deadlines. Tax audit reports are due on September 30, leaving little time to transition from non-audit return filing to audit reporting. At the same time, ROC deadlines under the Companies Act also fall in September, creating a heavy compliance burden across laws, explains Singla.
Relief has been granted in the past. In May 2025, CBDT acknowledged practical difficulties and extended the non-audit ITR deadline to September 15. But since key utilities were released only in August, experts argue that taxpayers haven’t been able to benefit from this extension. “A further extension beyond September 15 is essential, not as a matter of convenience, but of fairness and practicality,” adds Singla.
Should you wait for an extension? Tax experts advise against it. Filing close to the deadline comes with its own risks. “Last-minute filing brings real problems. The income-tax portal slows down or freezes under high traffic. Technical glitches such as failed verifications, Aadhaar OTP delays, or portal maintenance disruptions are common,” says Sujit Bangar, Founder, Taxbuddy.com.
He also warns about the stress of collating income details and deduction proofs at the last moment. Errors made under pressure could cost taxpayers valuable benefits such as set-off of losses. “Early filing not only ensures accuracy but also reduces stress,” he adds.
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