Taxpayers and chartered accountants across the country are facing major difficulties in filing Income Tax Returns (ITR) and tax audits this year.
Several associations are demanding that the last date for filing ITR be extended from 15 September to 15 October.
At present, the deadline is 15 September, but constant technical glitches on the ITR portal, late release of forms, and overlapping compliance dates are troubling both taxpayers and professionals.
To address this, the Karnataka State Chartered Accountants Association (KSCAA), ICAI’s Central India Regional Council (CIRC),
and the Advocates Tax Bar Association (ATBA) have written to the Finance Minister requesting an extension.
ATBA’s Demand
The ATBA has specifically suggested two changes:
The deadline for filing non-audit ITR should be extended to 15 October 2025.
The deadline for submitting the tax audit report should be extended to 30 November 2025.
ATBA highlighted that even the Supreme Court has stated that timelines should ensure justice and not unnecessarily penalize taxpayers.
Om Kumar, ATBA’s National General Secretary, said their representation to the Finance Minister listed several difficulties. These include:
Disruption of life and work due to floods in many parts of the country.
Late release of ITR utility forms.
Technical issues on the portal.
Heavy compliance burden during the festive season.
Because of these challenges, ATBA has strongly urged an extension.
KSCAA and CIRC’s Concerns
The KSCAA, in its 10 September 2025 representation, pointed out that ITR-5, ITR-6, ITR-7, and several audit forms were released only in July–August, whereas they should have been available by 1 April. This delay gave taxpayers and professionals very little time.
Other major issues raised include:
Errors in AIS data and wrong entries for shares and securities.
TDS showing under the wrong head.
Unnecessary requirement of CGAS details.
Frequent portal errors and downtime.
They also highlighted that multiple filing deadlines like GST, MCA, and tax audit fall between July and October, further increasing workload. On top of this, holidays and weather disruptions have made the situation worse.
The ICAI’s CIRC also echoed these concerns, saying that tax professionals are under extreme pressure, and given the late release of ITR forms and portal issues, it is nearly impossible to file tax audit reports by 30 September.
