New Delhi, Sep 13 (PTI) More than six crore income tax returns for Assessment Year 2025-26 have been filed so far, the Income Tax department said on Saturday.

The last date to file ITRs without penalty is September 15.

"Thank you taxpayers & tax professionals for helping us reach the milestone of 6 crore Income Tax Returns (ITRs) as of now and still counting," the I-T department said in a post on X.

To assist taxpayers for ITR filing, tax payment and other related services, our helpdesk is functioning on a 24x7 basis, and the department is providing support through calls, live chats, WebEx sessions & Twitter/X, it added.

It also asked taxpayers who haven't filed ITR for AY 2025-26 to file at the earliest to avoid a last-minute rush.

The Income Tax department in May announced an extension of the due date for filing ITRs for Assessment Year (AY) 2025-26 (for income earned in financial year 2024-25) by individuals, HUFs and entities who do not have to get their accounts audited from July 31 to September 15.

The extension was on account of "structural and content revisions" in the income tax return (ITR) forms, which was notified in late April and early May. The changes made in the ITR form for AY 2025-26 also need modifications to be made in ITR filing utilities and the back-end system.

ITR filings have shown consistent growth over the years, reflecting rising compliance and the widening of the tax base. For AY 2024-25, a record 7.28 crore ITRs were filed up to July 31, 2024, compared to 6.77 crore in AY 2023-24, registering a 7.5 per cent year-on-year growth. PTI JD MR

ITR filing deadline extension: taxpayers urged to submit returns to avoid penalty with department helpdesk support. The due date for filing Income Tax Returns for Assessment Year 2025-26 was extended to September 15 for individuals, HUFs and non-audit entities to accommodate structural and content revisions in ITR forms, which required updates to filing utilities and the department's back-end systems. The department urged taxpayers to file promptly to avoid penalty and provided 24x7 helpdesk support through calls, live chat, WebEx sessions and social media while noting milestone filing figures and broader growth in tax compliance.