Taxpayers Struggle to File Returns as Key Tax Forms Remain Unavailable

The upcoming income tax return (ITR) filing deadline of September 15, 2025 is fast approaching, but many taxpayers are still unable to complete their filings. The reason? The Income Tax Department has not yet released the necessary online (JSON) utilities for several key forms, including Forms 5, 6, and 7, which are commonly used by companies, trusts, and partnership firms.

The department had earlier extended the original filing deadline from July 31 to September 15, citing major changes in ITR forms and the need for more time to prepare systems. However, with just 48 days left until the new deadline, the required tools are still not fully ready.

While Excel-based utilities have been introduced for some forms, they are only useful to a limited number of users. For example, the more convenient online version of ITR-3 is still pending. Without access to these essential filing tools, lakhs of taxpayers are unable to even begin the process.

The ITR forms were notified only by the end of May this year, much later than usual. After that, the utilities were rolled out in phases, but key tools are still missing. This has given taxpayers a shorter compliance window to complete their filings, further exacerbating the issue.

Although many expect another deadline extension, there has been no official announcement from the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) so far. In past years, deadlines were extended in similar situations when technical delays made timely filing difficult.