With just days to go before the July 31 income tax return (ITR) filing deadline, many people have reported technical issues as they enter the Income Tax Department's e-filing portal. Users have reported login issues, filing problems, and payment issues, leading to a rush to complete their taxes before the due date.
Some taxpayers wrote on social media about how the portal either didn’t load, was down, or hung up on the server at critical times in the filing process. Some users also struggled with filling out returns and paying taxes, and they were not sure if their filing would be completed before the deadline.
The technical disruption is occurring at a time when millions of salaried employees, professionals, and small business owners are expected to file their income tax returns before July 31 to avoid penalties and additional compliance requirements.
Analysts have speculated that the high traffic during the last week of ITR filing might have caused the portal’s slow performance. Each year, the income tax e-filing portal has a sharp increase in user activity as taxpayers wait until the last few days to submit their returns. That kind of high demand can sometimes cause server performance and response times to suffer.
Despite the mass complaints, the Income Tax Department has not extended the July 31 deadline. Tax professionals still advise taxpayers not to wait until the last day and to keep filing in the middle of the day when they can't get the work done.
Chartered accountants also suggest keeping screenshots or records of any portal errors encountered during the filing process. These records may be helpful if taxpayers have to describe the time delay caused by technical difficulties in terms of the process.
Taxpayers who are experiencing payment problems should check whether payments are successfully made to their bank before attempting another payment to reduce duplicate payments. Those who experience login problems should ensure they are using the latest browser version, clear browser cache, or try accessing the portal after some time.
At this point, there is no official announcement that an extension will be available, but taxpayers have to keep track of the information from the Income Tax Department and make every effort to submit their filings as soon as possible. Taxpayers filing early helps avoid last-minute stress, technical issues, and penalties for late filing.
As the deadline gets closer, experts say portal traffic will increase even more, and so filing early is the safest option for taxpayers who have not yet submitted their Income Tax Return.
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