The Gujarat Chamber Commerce & Industry (GCCI) has asked for an extension for the income tax return (ITR) deadline since the ITR filing utilities were made available very late this year.
The GCCI has also urged the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) to consider extending the income tax audit deadline which is currently set for September 30, 2025 for the assessment year (AY) 2025-26.
While the central government had extended the deadline from July 31, 2025 to September 15, 2025 for individuals not liable for income tax audit, the ITR forms were released late. This means that the extension of the deadline did not exactly prove to be very useful, which is why GCCI made an exception.
What Did GCCI Write In Its Letter?
“We are writing this letter to bring to your attention several practical difficulties being faced by taxpayers, Chartered Accountants and other stakeholders in timely filing of the Income Tax Returns and Tax Audit Reports for the FY 2024–25 (AY 2025-26). We humbly request your good self to consider the genuine challenges and grant appropriate extension of the due dates for filing of ITR and Tax Audit Report,” the GCCI wrote in its representation letter dated August 11, 2025.
| Sr. No. | Income Tax Return/Form | Date of release of Latest Utility |
| 1 | ITR-1 | 30-Jul-2025 |
| 2 | ITR-2 | 30-Jul-2025 |
| 3 | ITR-3 | 30-Jul-2025 |
| 4 | ITR-4 | 30-Jul-2025 |
| 5 | ITR-5 | 08-Aug-2025 |
| 6 | ITR-6 | yet to be released |
| 7 | ITR-7 | yet to be released |
| 8 | Form 3CA-3CD | 29-Jul-2025 |
| 9 | Form 3CB-3CD | 29-Jul-2025 |
Why Should The Deadline Be Extended?
As per GCCI representation, there was a delay in releasing the ITR utilities and other forms.
These are typically made available in the month of April every year, however, for AY 2025-26, the release has been delayed on an average by three months and it only began in July 2025, with several forms still pending as of the first week of August, 2025.
Additionally, the timely filing of returns largely depends on the availability of functional and final versions of utilities for ITRs and Tax Audit Forms.
The delay in the release of ITR utilities on the Income Tax portal, caused an inevitable delay in commencing the compliance process.
Further, in a country like India where there are issues like internet connectivity in remote areas and large cities, the late release could give taxpayers little to no time to file accurate income tax returns.
