ITR filing 2025: AIS, TIS download issues hit tax filing; CAs warn of compliance bottleneck

ITR filing 2025: A growing number of tax experts and chartered accountants have raised concerns over persistent glitches on the Income Tax Department’s e-filing portal, warning that technical delays and compressed timelines could disrupt the ongoing income tax return (ITR) filing process for FY 2024-25.

Several professionals took to the social media platform X this week, reporting that the Annual Information Statement (AIS) and Taxpayer Information Summary (TIS) — both crucial for accurate return filing — were unavailable for download on Tuesday. By Wednesday, the portal itself was functioning “at a snail’s pace,” leading to widespread frustration.

Chirag Chauhan, a Mumbai-based chartered accountant, posted on X: “Taxpayers & professionals are currently unable to access AIS & TIS on the IT portal… @IncomeTaxIndia should communicate via Twitter to inform users about error and provide an estimated timeline for when it will be resolved.”

Chauhan added that the new ITR forms are demanding significantly more detail from taxpayers, doubling the time required for preparation. For example, to claim house rent allowance (HRA), individuals must now input the landlord’s PAN, property address and other details directly into the return. Similarly, deductions for insurance require policy numbers, which were not previously mandatory in ITR forms.

On Wednesday, CA Himank Singla appealed to the government to extend not just the ITR filing deadline, but also the due dates for tax audits, company law audits/ROC filings, and GST annual returns.

“The ITR deadline must be extended! The tax audit deadline must be extended! The company law audit/ROC deadline must be extended! The GST annual filing deadline must be extended! All of these should be announced well in advance to prevent last-minute chaos,” Singla emphasized, highlighting that the delayed release of ITR utilities has disrupted the compliance calendar for both professionals and taxpayers.

Deadline Pressure

The last date for filing returns for non-audit cases is September 15, leaving just over a month for taxpayers. However, professionals argue that this is insufficient, as several key ITR utilities were released only recently. While ITR-5 was made available on August 9, online utilities for ITR-6 and ITR-7 are still awaited.

The Gujarat Chamber of Commerce & Industry (GCCI) has formally sought an extension, pointing out that delayed release of utilities has severely cut short the effective filing window. In a representation to the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), GCCI argued that extending both the ITR and tax audit deadlines — currently September 30 for audit cases — would provide much-needed breathing space for taxpayers and professionals.

The government had earlier extended the ITR deadline for non-audit individuals from July 31 to September 15. However, experts say the late release of utilities has nullified the benefit of this relaxation.

Portal glitches

Apart from delayed utilities, users are battling persistent technical problems. These include:

System errors while uploading ITRs and tax audit forms.

Discrepancies in Form 26AS, AIS, and TIS data, sometimes showing mismatched figures for the same PAN.

Performance issues, including slow log-ins, page timeouts, and session failures during peak hours.

Utility compatibility problems, with newly released utilities often requiring multiple fixes before becoming stable.

“These glitches make it nearly impossible to manage multiple client filings within the current timelines,” a Delhi-based tax consultant told this newspaper.

Larger concern

Industry bodies argue that the timely release of stable utilities is critical to ensuring compliance. Typically, utilities are issued in April, giving taxpayers several months to prepare. This year, however, the release began only in July, leaving professionals scrambling.

With ITR deadlines fast approaching, stakeholders fear that without prompt intervention — either in the form of portal fixes or extended timelines — both taxpayers and the administration could face a last-minute compliance bottleneck.