The last date for filing Income Tax Return (ITR) in non-audit cases for the financial year 2024-25 (Assessment Year 2025-26) has now been extended from 31 July to 15 September 2025. The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has taken this decision at the end of May so that taxpayers can get more time to prepare returns according to the new form and updated data. If someone is unable to file the return by 15 September, then they will have a chance to file the return till 31 December 2025, but during this time, a late fee and interest will have to be paid. Apart from this, some taxpayers have also been given an exemption to file returns till 31 October 2025.

The date is the same in audit cases.
There is no change in the last date for filing Income Tax Return (ITR) for taxpayers whose accounts are required to be audited. In such cases, the last date for filing returns will remain 31 October 2025 as before. Meaning, if it is necessary to get audited according to your income or business, then you must file your ITR by 31 October 2025. After this, a penalty or late fee may be levied on filing the return.

Filing started late this time.
This time, the ITR filing for the assessment year 2025-26 has started a little late. Usually, this process starts in April, but this time, the filing of returns started from 30 May 2025 itself. The reason for this delay is that this time, many major changes have been made in the ITR form and its related facilities. After Budget 2024, new columns have been added to the form, such as new reporting of capital gains, a separate section for tax credit, and additional data fields to increase transparency of taxpayers. Apart from this, the data of TDS and tax credit in Form 26AS was also updated in June instead of May this time, due to which many taxpayers had to wait to file returns. Due to all this, the filing work has started a little late.

Penalty for filing returns late
If your total income is more than Rs 5 lakh and you file your income tax return after September 15, then you will have to pay a late fee of Rs 5,000. On the other hand, if your income is less than Rs 5 lakh, then the late fee will be only Rs 1,000. Keep in mind that after December 31, 2025, it will not be possible to file ITR in the normal way. After this date, you will be able to file only delayed returns or updated returns, on which both interest and penalty will be charged. Therefore, it is very important to file returns on time so that additional expenses can be avoided.

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