Extension of ITR filing deadline? 11 glitches on e-filing portal; difficulty in logging in, e-verification, discrepancy in forms

The last date to file income tax return (ITR) is July 31, 2024, which just a few weeks away. According to the Income Tax Department website, “over 2.7 crore ITRs have been filed as on 14 July 2024, which is 13% more compared to returns filed during the same period last year.”

Even though there are about three weeks left for the ITR filing deadline, many tax filers have been faced with major tech issues when using the Income Tax Department’s. These include basic glitches like logging into the e-filing portal to resetting the password to big ones like discrepancy in pre-filled data in ITR forms and difficulty in e-verification.
Chartered accountant associations have been writing to the tax department asking them to rectify these issues at the earliest.


Extend ITR deadline to August 31; 'Why the income tax return filing last date needs to be extended this year'

Will ITR filing deadline be extended beyond July 31, 2024? ICAI writes to tax department with 9 issues regarding Form 26AS, TIS, AIS, e-filing income tax return forms

"Taxpayers are experiencing mixed feelings while the Income Tax Department is sending reminders about due dates, the portal is behaving differently. With just 15 days remaining to file IT returns. The taxpayers face difficulty due to slowness in downloading reports and OTP for password reset We appreciate the ministry's efforts in addressing most of our recent concerns and hope that the latest representation from KSCAA will resolve this issue as well," said CA Sujatha G, president, Karnataka State Chartered Accountants Association (KSCAA).

CA Sujatha said that the Karnataka State Chartered Accountants Association has written to the tax department requesting them to resolve the problems, and make it possible for income returns to be filed without incident.

She shared with ET Online the list of issues KSCAA has written about.

The Karnataka State Chartered Accountants Association listed out the issues raised in the spast few days, assessees and professionals have been facing the following issues/ challenges while trying to file their Income tax returns:

1. Intermittent difficulty in logging into the Income tax portal: On several occasions, stakeholders have reported that they are unable to access the portal to file income tax returns. These disruptions appear to be due to temporary overloading of the system or ongoing maintenance activities, leading to service unavailability. The same is also affecting other compliances on the portal like giving reply to notices, etc.,

2 Numerous instances where they were unable to access or download these vital forms. This problem has resulted in significant loss of time and inefficient use of resources. With the filing deadline only 15 days away, this issue has heightened anxiety among stakeholders. The repercussions of not filing on time are substantial, including penalties, interest charges, and the inability to choose the most suitable taxation scheme.

3 Discrepancy in Pre-filled Data: There is a significant mismatch between the prefilled data on the Income Tax Portal and the information as available in Form 26AS/ AIS. Sometimes, there is inconsistency in the data available in these forms. This discrepancy is causing considerable confusion and panic among the stakeholders. Immediate resolution is needed to ensure data accuracy and reduction of the issues faced by stakeholders.

Also read: ITR filing deadline should be permanently extended beyond July 31: Salaried get only 45 days to file tax returns

4 Restricted options to submit responses in AIS and TIS in the Income tax portal: There are ongoing issues for submitting responses to the data in the AIS and TIS sections of the Income Tax Portal. Assessees are encountering difficulties in completing their responses. Additionally, when responses are submitted, there are delays or failures in updating these responses in the AIS or TIS. This problem is affecting the accuracy and timeliness of the information provided and thereby delaying the process of filing the return of income.

5 D ifficulty in resetting Password: Stakeholders are experiencing difficulty in resetting their passwords due to the non-generation of OTPs. This issue is causing delays in filing income tax returns.

6 Difficulty in generating challan for payment of tax: There are glitches in generating challans for tax payments on the portal. This issue is causing significant stress for assessees, impacting their ability to pay taxes on time and file their income returns. The potential consequences of late filing or non-filing further demand urgency of resolving this issue.

7 Error Messages popping up during submission of return for filing: During the submission stage of filing returns, unknown and vague error messages are appearing frequently. These errors often lack clear resolutions or explanations, causing significant difficulties for assessees in completing their income tax return filing on time.

8 Difficulty in filing the return of Income: Stakeholders are encountering difficulties in filing their income tax returns due to technical glitches and buffering issues on the Income Tax Portal.

9 Difficulty in e-verifying the return of Income that has been filed: Stakeholders are experiencing difficulties in e-verifying their income tax returns which has been filed, due to non-receipt of OTPs. Additionally, the reduction of the e-verification deadline to 30 days is causing increased anxiety among stakeholders.

10 Generation of multiple OTPs: Due to the failure of OTPs to be generated in real-time, assessees are resorting to generating multiple OTPs. However, none of these OTPs are being validated, causing additional frustration and delays in filing various forms and income tax returns.

11 Difficulty in downloading the ITR receipt: Stakeholders, in several cases, are unable to download the ITR receipt after filing their return.