Deadline of filing ITRs not extended; do it by Aug 31: I-T dept

The I-T department on Friday dismissed social media reports which claimed that the government has extended the due date for filing of income tax returns (ITRs) by a month and advised taxpayers to complete the process by the set deadline of August 31.

"It has come to the notice of CBDT that an order is being circulated on social media pertaining to extension of due dt (date) for filing of IT Returns. It is categorically stated that the said order is not genuine. Taxpayers are advised to file Returns within extended due dt (date) of 31.08.2019," the Income-Tax department said on its official Twitter handle.

The handle, @IncomeTaxIndia, is operated by the Central Board of Direct Taxes that frames policy for the I-T department.

The clarification came after a fake order dated August 29 started doing the rounds on various social media platforms, including Twitter and WhatsApp groups, claiming that the government has extended the due date for filing income tax returns for individuals (financial year 2018-19) by a month till September 30.

The I-T department also put up a photo of the fake order on its Twitter handle and put a red cancellation cross across it making clear that the contents are not genuine.

On July 23, the government had extended the due date for filing income tax returns by individuals for financial year 2018-19 by a month till August 31.

The earlier deadline was July 31.

Individuals, including salaried taxpayers, and entities- who do not need to get their accounts audited - are required to file their ITRs for fiscal 2018-19 (assessment year 2019-20) by Saturday, August 31.