India just got extra time to file income tax returns, again. The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has shifted the ITR filing deadline 2025 for most individual and non-audit taxpayers to September 15, 2025. That is a six-week breather from the original July 31 cut-off. The reason? The Income Tax Department has reworked return forms and had to ready fresh utilities and backend systems before asking millions to comply.

What exactly has changed — and who gets time till when

The extension covers FY 2024-25 (Assessment Year 2025-26). If you are a salaried individual, a professional without audit, an HUF, an AOP, or a BOI that does not need a tax audit, your new due date is September 15, 2025. This is the window most people care about.

For businesses and professionals that need audits, the dates are different and unchanged from the standard calendar. Here is the current timeline in plain terms:

• Non-audit cases (individuals, HUFs, small firms without audit): due by September 15, 2025.
• Audit cases (tax audit under the Act): due by October 31, 2025.
• Cases with transfer pricing (TP) reports for international or specified domestic transactions: return due by November 30, 2025. The TP report itself is typically due before the return is e-filed.
• Belated and revised returns: can be filed until December 31, 2025, unless an assessment is completed earlier.

Why did CBDT move the date? The department has notified updated ITR forms with structural and content changes. The pitch is familiar: simpler compliance, better transparency, cleaner reporting. But to make that work at national scale, the tech stack needs to be updated, utilities must be rolled out, and pre-fill data flows have to be stable. That takes time. Professional bodies have also flagged portal glitches and delayed utilities, and the government chose to give users extra breathing room.

Practitioners say the extension reduces last-minute rush and errors. It also pushes the filing peak closer to the audit season, which is always a crunch. Still, on balance, more taxpayers now get a fair shot at filing correctly the first time.

There is one more practical upside: refunds. Filing early in the extended window (rather than waiting until mid-September) usually means faster processing and quicker refunds, assuming there are no mismatches with your tax credit statement or annual information statement.

Deadlines, penalties, interest — and the traps to avoid

Miss the September 15 due date? You can still file a belated return up to December 31, 2025. But it will cost you money, and sometimes much more than you expect.

Late fee under Section 234F:

• If your total income is over Rs 5 lakh: late fee is Rs 5,000.
• If your total income is up to Rs 5 lakh: late fee is Rs 1,000.

Note: This late fee can apply even if you do not owe any additional tax, as long as your total income crosses the basic exemption threshold. The fee is charged for filing after the due date but before the belated deadline.

Interest under Section 234A:

• If you owe any unpaid tax as on the due date, you pay 1% per month (or part of a month) from the day after the due date until the date you actually pay.
• This is in addition to the late fee. It runs automatically, so a small delay can add up.

Quick example: You miss the September 15 deadline. You still owe Rs 50,000 in self-assessment tax. You pay it on November 10. Interest under Section 234A is 1% per month for September (part), October, and part of November — treated as three months. That is Rs 1,500. If your income is above Rs 5 lakh, add Rs 5,000 late fee. Total: Rs 6,500, plus any interest under other sections that may apply.

Other interest you might face:

• Section 234B: for shortfall in advance tax (usually when you have significant non-salary income but did not pay enough advance tax).
• Section 234C: for deferment of advance tax (installments paid late or short).

These are common for freelancers, landlords with high rental income, or anyone with large capital gains or interest income during the year. Salaried taxpayers with proper TDS may still face 234B/234C if they had big one-time gains or interest that was not covered by TDS.

Belated vs revised return: what is the difference?

• Belated return is when you file after the due date but before December 31. It attracts 234F late fee and interest if tax was due.
• Revised return is a corrected version you file after your original return, to fix a mistake. For AY 2025-26, the last date for revised returns is also December 31, 2025, or before assessment is completed — whichever comes first.

What if you do nothing and miss December 31? You normally cannot file on your own after that. The department can allow a late filing in rare cases (condonation for genuine hardship), but that is discretionary. Also, missing the original due date (September 15 for non-audit cases) can hit your ability to carry forward certain losses:

• Losses under the heads business/profession and capital gains generally cannot be carried forward if you miss the due date. That can be far more expensive than the late fee.
• House property loss and unabsorbed depreciation can still be carried forward even if you file late.

Who must file — even if income is below the basic exemption?

The Act triggers mandatory filing in some high-value situations, even if your income is otherwise low:

• You spent Rs 2 lakh or more on foreign travel during the year.
• You paid Rs 1 lakh or more in electricity bills during the year.
• You deposited Rs 1 crore or more into current accounts during the year.

If any of these apply, you need to file a return. There are other filing triggers in law as well; when in doubt, check your annual information statement (AIS) and tax credit statement (Form 26AS) to see what transactions have been reported against your PAN.

What is changing in the ITR forms and utilities?

CBDT has said the notified forms have been reworked to simplify compliance and improve accuracy. In practice, this usually means:

• Cleaner pre-fill of data such as TDS/TCS, interest, dividends, and salary figures where available.
• More structured schedules to report capital gains, business income, and deductions — reducing free-text errors.
• Tighter validation to catch mismatches early (for example, when figures do not align with AIS/26AS).

These changes help, but they also rely on a stable e-filing portal and timely release of utilities. Several professional bodies, including the Bombay Chartered Accountants' Society (BCAS), have flagged glitches and delays this year and asked for breathing room on audit filings. While the September 15 extension is now official for non-audit cases, there is no formal signal that audit or TP timelines will move. Plan on the current calendar staying put.

What to do now — a practical checklist

• Collect documents: Form 16 from your employer, interest certificates from banks, TDS/TCS certificates, capital gains statements from brokers, rent receipts, loan interest statements, and investment proofs for Chapter VI-A deductions.
• Match your data: Cross-check your figures with AIS and Form 26AS. Resolve mismatches early — they are the number one reason returns get held up for clarification.
• Compute taxes correctly: Include interest income, dividends, capital gains, and any foreign income. If you have large non-salary income, calculate advance tax interest exposure under 234B/234C.
• Pay self-assessment tax in time: If any tax is due, pay before you file. It cuts down 234A interest.
• Choose the right ITR form: ITR-1/4 for simpler cases; higher forms for capital gains, business income, or foreign assets. Using the wrong form can invalidate your filing.
• Report all bank accounts: You must list active accounts (except dormant) and select one for refunds. Pre-validate the refund account in your e-filing profile for smooth credit.
• E-verify within 30 days: Filing is not complete until you e-verify. Use Aadhaar OTP, net banking, or other electronic methods. If you miss 30 days, the return is treated as invalid unless you re-verify within the permitted window.
• Keep proofs handy: Rent agreements, donation receipts, medical insurance, and home loan interest certificates should be stored for at least a few years in case of queries.

Salaried vs self-employed: small differences, big impact

Salaried taxpayers often assume Form 16 is the whole story. It is not. Add bank interest, dividends, capital gains, rental income, and any side gigs. If your employer did not capture all deductions (say, late proof submission), you can still claim them in your return — but make sure you have documents.

For freelancers and small businesses, watch your advance tax. If your tax liability (after TDS) is Rs 10,000 or more, you should be paying advance tax in four installments during the year. Missing them means 234B/234C interest. Also check if you need a tax audit, especially under presumptive schemes. If your books require audit, your due date is October 31, and you should coordinate early with your auditor.

Capital gains and the scrip-by-scrip trap

Equity and mutual fund investors often trip on capital gains details. Short-term, long-term, grandfathering of listed equity, indexation for debt — all need careful reporting. Broker statements can help, but they may not map 1:1 to ITR schedules. Take the extra time this extension gives to clean up the numbers, especially if you had corporate actions like splits, bonuses, or rights issues during the year.

Rental income and home loans

Landlords need to report gross rent, municipal taxes paid, and claim the standard deduction. If you have a home loan, claim interest correctly under the right head. For self-occupied properties, there is a cap on interest that can be set off. For let-out properties, the treatment differs. Get these right to avoid later notices.

Foreign travel, electricity, and big deposits — why these matter

The law flags certain high-spend items (foreign travel of Rs 2 lakh+, electricity payments of Rs 1 lakh+, current account deposits of Rs 1 crore+) to widen the tax net. Banks and companies report many of these. If you crossed these thresholds, file your return even if your income is otherwise low. Non-filing in such cases can invite notices because the system already sees the transactions.

Will there be more extensions?

The short answer: do not count on it. While the tech and utility updates triggered this round, official signals now point to sticking with the revised schedule. Professional bodies may continue to ask for more time for audits, but there is no clear sign of a blanket pushback. If you are in a non-audit category, treat September 15 as hard stop.

Three common mistakes to avoid this year

• Waiting for the last week: Portal traffic spikes, OTP delays, and bank downtime are real. Early filing reduces stress and errors.
• Ignoring AIS mismatches: If your AIS shows more interest or dividends than you reported, fix it upfront. Small differences trigger automated flags.
• Forgetting to e-verify: Many returns sit in limbo just because the last click did not happen. Put a calendar reminder for the 30-day window.

The bottom line for taxpayers is simple: use the extra time well. Clean up your documents, reconcile your numbers, file early, and e-verify. If your case needs an audit or a transfer pricing report, align with your professionals now. And if you think you might miss the due date, at least pay any expected self-assessment tax sooner to reduce interest. The goal is a clean filing that goes through the first time — without fees, interest, or carry-forward losses lost to a missed deadline.