Fake News Red Alert: Is ITR Filing Deadline Extended Again? Here's What Income Tax Dept Warns

ITR Filing Deadline Extended? No! The Income Tax Department on Sunday debunked a fake press release circulating online, confirming that there has been no extension of the ITR filing deadline. The department clarified that the last date to file Income Tax Returns (ITR) remains 15 September 2025 and urged taxpayers not to fall for misleading posts on social media.

The ITR deadline was earlier extended from July 30 to September 15. As many users are raising issues while using the Income Tax website on the last day, most of them have urged the government to extend the ITR deadline one more time.

Income Tax Clarifies ITR Deadline

Debunking the fake news related to the ITR deadline extension, Income Tax India, on Sunday, released a social media post.

"A fake news is in circulation stating that the due of filing ITRs (originally due on 31.07.2025, and extended to 15.09.2025) has been further extended to 30.09.2025. The due date for filing ITRs remains 15.09.2025," stated Income Tax India in its post. The department also advised taxpayers to rely only on its official social media handles for updates.

"To assist taxpayers for ITR filing, tax payment and other related services, our helpdesk is functioning on a 24x7 basis, and we are providing support through calls, live chats, WebEx sessions & Twitter/X," the post read further.

Income Tax Deadline

The deadline to file ITR for the assessment year 2024-25 ends on Monday, September 15. Taxpayers who will miss ITR deadline can attract penalty while filing the belated ITR.
The Income Tax Department (I-T) imposes a late fee under Section 234F of the Income Tax Act, 1961 on those who miss the ITR deadline. For those with an income exceeding Rs 5 lakh, a penalty of Rs 5,000 is imposed. If your income is below Rs 5 lakh, the fine is limited to Rs 1,000. However, no penalty applies if your income falls below the taxable threshold.

Other than penalties on filing a belated ITR, in some cases, taxpayers may end up paying interest on their unpaid taxes. Taxpayers would be required to pay an interest rate of 1% on outstanding tax amounts, as per Section 234A. The interest is added to the late fees amount.

For those who miss the ITR deadline, they can still file a belated ITR till December 3, 2025. To file the belated ITR, taxpayers are required to visit the Income Tax website and login with their credentials. While filing a belated ITR is possible, taxpayers would be required to pay penalties and restrictions on loss carry-forward.