ITR Filing Deadline Nears, Income Tax Department Asks Taxpayers To Reconcile Records And Avoid Last-Minute Rush

New Delhi: With the July 31 deadline for filing income tax returns (ITRs) approaching, the Income Tax Department has asked taxpayers to complete the process early and avoid last-minute problems.

The deadline applies to eligible taxpayers filing ITR-1 and ITR-2 for Assessment Year 2026-27, relating to income earned during FY 2025-26.

Avoid Delays

In a post on social media platform X, the department warned that delaying tax filing until “tomorrow” could lead to panic on the final day.

It advised taxpayers not to wait until July 31, 2026. Filing early can help them avoid heavy traffic on the income tax portal, possible technical issues and unnecessary stress.

Taxpayers should also keep sufficient time to correct any errors found while preparing their returns.

Check Records

Before submitting the return, taxpayers should carefully compare their financial documents. These include Form 16, the Annual Information Statement (AIS), Form 26AS, bank statements and records of other income.

Details related to salary, bank interest, dividends, capital gains, tax deducted at source and advance tax should be checked properly.

Any difference between these records and the information entered in the ITR may cause processing delays or lead to a notice from the tax department.

Filing Progress

The advisory came days after the department said that more than 4 crore ITRs had already been filed for AY 2026-27. It asked the remaining eligible taxpayers to submit their returns before the deadline.

More than 9 crore taxpayers filed returns during FY 2024-25, as of March 31, 2025. Of these, around 8.64 crore returns were electronically verified.

The department also issued income tax refunds worth Rs 4,35,008 crore during FY 2024-25 up to March 31, 2025.

The Central Board of Direct Taxes earlier notified revised ITR forms for AY 2026-27. The forms include updated disclosure rules covering long-term capital gains, share buyback losses and certain trading transactions.