ITR filing deadline today, over 5 crore tax returns received till now

ITR: Unlike previous years, this year, the due date is unlikely to be extended beyond the existing deadline.

July 31, the deadline to make tax payment for financial year 2021-22 and assessment year 2022-23, is finally here, and this year, the Centre looks in no mood to extend the deadline.

Today is the last date to submit ITRs for FY 2021-22 and AY 2022-23 (Representative Image)

The Income Tax department said on Saturday – a day before the due date – that till 8:36pm, it had received more than 5 crore returns in total, including over 44 lakh on the day itself.

“Please file your your ITR now, if not filed as yet.#FileNow to avoid late fee. Pl visit: http://incometax.gov.in. #ITR,” the department said in a tweet.

Meanwhile, senior officials of the finance ministry and the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) – which frames policies for the IT department – said they were continuously monitoring the ITR filing exercise.

“A ‘war room’ of technical experts working on the e-filing portal and the social media team of the CBDT that is gathering individual and public responses to the filing are working together 24x7,” an official told news agency PTI.

On July 22, revenue secretary Tarun Bajaj said the central government was not considering extending the due date. “People thought the routine now is that dates will be extended. So they were a little slow in filling the returns. Last time 9-10 per cent or more than 50 lakh returns were filed on the last date. This time, I have told my people to be ready for 1 crore,” Bajaj had said.

During the last fiscal, i.e. 2020-21, about 5.89 crore returns were submitted by the extended due date of December 31, 2021.