Government Extends Deadline to File Income Tax Returns to August 5 After Online System Overload

The complaints of slow website mounted in last few hours of filing income tax returns and left many people clueless about the further process.

New Delhi, July 31: The Income Tax department extended the deadline of filing I-T returns from July 31, i.e., today to August 5. This came amidst complaints of technical snags on the website of the Income Tax Department on the last day of filing Income Tax returns. The complaints of slow website mounted in the last few hours of filing income tax returns leaving many people clueless about the further process.

Earlier, the department had denied any possibility of extending the deadline. “The last date for filing of ITRs remains July 31. There are no plans to extend this deadline. The department has already received over 2 crore returns filed electronically. The department requests taxpayers to file their return in time,” an I-T official was quoted as saying by PTI. (Here is how you can file your ITR in 4 simple steps)

“Taxpayers this year have been facing many new difficulties, so prima facie there is a genuine case to extend the deadline,” said a government official while speaking to Economic Times. He further claimed that I-T department would most likely extend the final date of filing ITRs, considering the non-availability of chartered accountants following the GST roll-out.

The linking of Aadhaar number with the PAN (Permanent Account Number) of a taxpayer has also been made mandatory for filing of an ITR, beginning July 1.

The department has also asked taxpayers to declare cash deposits made in bank accounts aggregating to Rs 2 lakh or more, post demonetisation between November 9 and December 30 last year, in the ITRs.

(With inputs from PTI)