3 reasons why ITR filing due date extension for AY 2026-27 may not happen. What to do now?

Every year, a large number of taxpayers wait until the last moment to file their Income-tax Return (ITR). Some even continue to hope for a last-minute extension. In the past few years, this strategy has not always hurt taxpayers as the Income Tax Department has occasionally extended the due date at the last minute.

The first extension was announced as early as May 27, 2025 when the CBDT shifted the July 31 deadline to September 15, 2025. The due date was again shifted by a day on September 15 as the e-filing portal witnessed glitches on the last day.

However, when it comes to a possible extension of the due date for AY 2026-27, there are at least three strong reasons why the Income Tax Department is unlikely to announce any extension this year. This article explains those reasons and what you should do now.

Reason 1: Deadline already changed for many taxpayers

• An assessee having income from business or profession, whose accounts are not required to be audited, and to whom the provisions of Section 92E of the Income-tax Act, 1961 do not apply

• A partner of a firm whose accounts are not required to be audited, or the spouse of such partner (where Section 5A of the Income-tax Act, 1961 applies), to whom the provisions of Section 92E of the Income-tax Act, 1961 do not apply.

However, July 31 remains the ITR filing deadline for most individuals, including salaried taxpayers, stock traders and investors, whose accounts do not need to be audited.

2. ITR forms and utilities released early

The Income Tax Department has been proactive this year, releasing most relevant ITR forms and online/offline filing utilities early. As of June 22, 2026, the following is the availability status of all key utilities used by a majority of taxpayers.

ITR-1 to ITR-4 are used by a majority of tax payers. As the department has released tax filing utilities for these forms early, taxpayers eligible to file them should not expect further extension of the deadline.

3. Less glitches likely this year

Unlike last year, when the Income-tax e-filing portal faced several glitches leading to the extended deadline, the tax-filing is expected to be smooth year.

The glitches reported last year were due to the multiple changes announced in the Union Budget 2024. For the current year, the tax department had enough time to make the tax filing journey smooth for taxpayers.

What should you do now?

Instead of waiting for any deadline extension, it would be better to start filing your ITR now.

As of June 21, over 56 akh returns have already been filed by taxpayers till June 21 2026, of which over 53 lakh returns have also been verified by the taxpayers.

If you are salaried and already received Form 16 from employer, then their is no point waiting till the last minute. Early filers often get their refunds early (if applicable). Moreover, they also get time to revise ITRs on finding any error later.