Last date to file Income Tax Return won't be extended: FM Nirmala Sitharaman

New Delhi: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday said the last date for filing Income Tax Return (ITR) will not be extended. Taxpayers must note that the due date for filing ITR will remain December 31, 2021. Revenue Secretary Tarun Bajaj said December 31 remains the official deadline for filing of income tax returns. He said returns filed so far are more than those filed in the previous year. So far, 5.62 crore ITRs have been filed till Friday. On Friday, 20 lakh returns were filed. Out of the total, three lakh ITRs have been filed in the last hour.

Meanwhile, taxpayers who have not e-verified their ITRs for the financial year 2019-20 can complete the verification process by February 28, 2022, as the Income Tax department has given a one-time relaxation to assessees. According to law, an ITR, filed electronically without a digital signature, has to be verified electronically through Aadhaar OTP, or net banking, or code sent through a Demat account, pre-validated bank account and ATM within 120 days of filing the return.