By Sunita D
The deadline for filing an Income Tax Return for the assessment year 2025-26 is approaching in 3 days from today i.e. September 15, 2025. Notably, this due date applies to individuals, Hindu Undivided Families (HUFs) and other taxpayers whose account doesn’t require auditing.
A document released by the Finance Ministry noted, “Filing an Income Tax Return is an important compliance requirement under the Income Tax Act. It enables individuals and entities to declare their income, report taxes paid, and claim refunds where applicable.” Failing to adhere to the deadline will lead to serious repercussions which are as follows:
》 A penalty of Rs 5,000 will be applicable to individuals whose total income is Rs 5 lakh
》A penalty of Rs 1,000 will be applicable for individuals with total income below Rs 5 lakh
And if the income is below the taxable threshold, no penalty would be charged. However, they may face certain consequences in some cases. If refunds are filed after the due date, they get credited late as the process gets slowed down.
Moreover, Taxpayers can still file the returns after the deadline up to 31 December 2025, but it will however attract penalties. It would also limit the individual’s ability to carry forward certain losses.
In some cases, the Income Tax department launches prosecution against citizens deliberately evading tax filing.
As per Income Tax Department’s latest record, nearly 5.95 crore income tax returns have been filed till September 2. Moreover, over 5.51 crore ITR’s have already been verified, and 3.78 crore verified returns are processed by the I – T department.
With taxpayers facing a technical glitch while filing an ITR, the Advocates Tax Bar association and the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India have requested a deadline extension. However, the Income Tax department is yet to issue any update regarding deadline extension.