ITR Deadline Aug 31: File Now or Pay ₹5,000 Fine

The income tax deadline for salaried and non-audit taxpayers is 31 August. Missing it means a ₹5,000 penalty, interest on dues, and possible loss of deductions. File your ITR today — it takes under 30 minutes online.

Here's what happened: Over 7 crore ITRs have already been filed for FY2024-25, but the income tax department is urging remaining taxpayers to file before 31 August to avoid last-minute portal congestion.. 31 August is the ITR deadline for salaried employees, HUFs, and other non-audit taxpayers — those who don't need a chartered accountant audit of their accounts.. Filing after 31 August triggers a ₹5,000 penalty under Section 234F, plus 1% monthly interest on any outstanding tax liability under Section 234A..

What you should do: Log into the Income Tax e-filing portal (incometax.gov.in) today, download your pre-filled ITR form, and cross-check it against your Form 26AS and AIS before submitting.. Check whether your employer has deposited your TDS correctly — any mismatch between Form 16 and Form 26AS must be resolved before you file to avoid a defective return notice.. If you had capital gains, losses, or rental income this year, choose ITR-2 instead of ITR-1 — filing the wrong form can lead to a rejection and force a fresh filing after the deadline..

File by 30 August, not 31 — the IT portal historically crashes on deadline day due to last-minute traffic, and a failed submission is NOT the department's liability.

For readers weighing their credit and loan options, our personal loan guide and CIBIL score resources put this update in context.