Income Tax Return 2025: What Is the Last Date to File ITR This Year?
As the tax season approaches, one of the most pressing questions for taxpayers is: What is the last date to file Income Tax Returns (ITR) for FY 2024–25? While the financial year officially begins on April 1, most taxpayers effectively get just 30–45 days to file their returns, despite the early notification of ITR forms by the Income Tax Department.
Why Early Filing Remains Challenging
This year, the release of ITR forms (1–7) was slightly delayed due to the incorporation of amendments announced in the previous budget. Though the forms are now notified, the corresponding online and offline utilities on the Income Tax Department’s e-filing portal are still awaited — they are expected to be available within the next week.
Even after the utilities are made live, another hurdle remains: the Tax Deducted at Source (TDS) data for the final quarter of the financial year is typically updated in Form 26AS only by May 31. Therefore, any attempt to file ITR before that may lack complete TDS information.
Salaried individuals face an additional delay. Employers issue Form 16 — a key document for ITR filing — roughly 15 days after TDS reflects in Form 26AS. This means salaried taxpayers can usually only begin filing around mid-June. That said, filing without Form 16 is possible using Form 26AS and other documents.
Will the ITR Deadline Be Extended?
Naturally, many are wondering whether the ITR deadline might be extended beyond the usual July 31 cut-off this year. Historically, the government has extended the deadline only in exceptional cases — such as during the COVID-19 pandemic or due to widespread technical issues with the e-filing portal.
CA (Dr.) Surana notes that deadline extensions have typically occurred only under extraordinary circumstances, such as natural disasters, systemic glitches, or delays in the release of key documents like Form 16 or AIS. As of now, no such situations have arisen.
Abhishek Mundada, Partner at Dhruva Advisors, believes there is sufficient time for taxpayers to comply with the July 31 deadline, provided the remaining utilities are released soon and no technical disruptions occur.
Unless unforeseen issues emerge, the deadline to file ITR for non-audit cases is likely to remain July 31, 2025. Taxpayers are advised to stay updated on the release of filing utilities and ensure all necessary documents, including Form 26AS and Form 16, are in place for smooth and timely filing.
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