More Than 6 Crore Income Tax Returns Filed For AY 2025-26; Department Urges Taxpayers To Meet September 15 Deadline

New Delhi: The Income Tax Department announced that over 6 crore income tax returns (ITRs) have already been filed for Assessment Year (AY) 2025-26, thanking taxpayers and professionals for helping cross the milestone.

“Thank you taxpayers & tax professionals for helping us reach the milestone of 6 crore Income Tax Returns (ITRs) as of now and still counting,” the department posted on X.

With the September 15 deadline to file ITRs without penalty approaching, the department has urged those yet to file to do so promptly to avoid last-minute congestion. To facilitate smooth filing, its 24×7 helpdesk is offering support via calls, live chat, WebEx sessions and social media.

Earlier this year, the government extended the due date for individuals, Hindu Undivided Families (HUFs) and other non-audit cases from July 31 to September 15 to accommodate major revisions in ITR forms and back-end systems introduced in April–May.

The steady growth in filings underscores India’s expanding tax base. For AY 2024-25, a record 7.28 crore returns were filed by July 31, 2024, up from 6.77 crore the previous year—a 7.5 percent rise.

This season, the department has also launched new online filing utilities. ITR-1 and ITR-4 (for small and medium taxpayers) went live in June, followed by ITR-2 in July for individuals and HUFs with capital gains but no business income.