India’s Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has given taxpayers a one-month breather on filing audit reports. The deadline for certain income tax audit reports for the assessment year 2025-26 now runs until October 31, up from the original September 30 cutoff.
This extension targets specific taxpayers outlined in clause (a) of Explanation 2 to sub-section (1) of section 139 of the Income Tax Act, 1961. CBDT made the announcement on Thursday in response to pleas from groups like Chartered Accountants, who pointed out real hurdles like floods and other natural disasters disrupting business and professional work across parts of the country. These issues have even reached the High Courts, adding weight to the requests.
Despite the challenges, the Income Tax e-filing portal keeps humming along without any technical snags. Taxpayers have successfully uploaded reports, with the system handling everything from statutory forms to filings smoothly. As of September 24, over 402,000 Tax Audit Reports (TARs) had gone live on the portal, including more than 60,000 just that day. Plus, by September 23, Indians had filed over 7.57 crore Income Tax Returns (ITRs) overall.
CBDT weighed the tax professionals’ concerns and court mentions before deciding on the extension. For context, section 139(1) covers both voluntary and required income tax return filings—anyone or any business with income above the basic exemption limit must submit by the due date to stay compliant. This move should ease some pressure amid the ongoing tax season.
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