As of July 30, 2026, around 5.44 crore taxpayers have filed income tax returns for the financial year 2025-26 (AY 26-27), according to the latest update on the income tax portal. While many of these filers likely completed their ITR Forms 1 and 2, there are still some taxpayers among the 14.16 crore registered users on the e-filing ITR portal who haven’t filed their ITRs yet, with a deadline of July 31, 2026. For those with business and professional income who don’t need a tax audit, the deadline is August 31, 2026.
Some individuals may still be pending with their ITR submissions. So, for them could the Income Tax Department possibly extend the July 31, 2026 deadline? Here’s what experts say
Can the government extend the ITR filing deadline of July 31, 2026?
Chartered accountant Sandeep Bhalla, partner, Dhruva Advisors, told ET Wealth Online that a lot of taxpayers have filed their ITR but he didn’t rule out an ITR deadline extension.
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Bhalla says while the Income-tax Department has significantly strengthened its e-filing infrastructure and many taxpayers have already filed their returns, taxpayers and tax professionals have continued to report intermittent technical issues, particularly during peak filing periods.
“Professional bodies have also made representations to the CBDT seeking an extension, citing the delayed release of certain ITR utilities and the compressed compliance window. Whether the government grants an extension will likely depend on the persistence of these issues, the overall filing trend, and whether taxpayers have had a reasonable opportunity to comply accurately," says Bhalla.
CA Abhishek Soni, CEO & co-founder, Tax2win, however, says that the chances of the July 31 ITR deadline extension is quite low.
“The chances of the deadline extension are low because the Income Tax e-filing portal has been working smoothly, and a large number of taxpayers have already filed their returns. In the past, the government extended the deadline only when there were major issues like portal glitches, delayed ITR forms, or exceptional situations such as COVID-19,” says Soni.
