ITR Filing 2026: Government Reviews Portal Performance Ahead of July 31 Deadline

The government has informed Parliament that measures are being taken to address performance-related concerns surrounding the Income Tax Department’s e-filing portal ahead of the July 31, 2026 deadline for filing income tax returns.

Taxpayers have reported occasional login difficulties, delayed responses and slower processing on the portal, particularly during periods of high traffic. However, the government stated that the platform has remained largely stable despite a substantial increase in return filings and user logins during the current filing season.

In a written reply to Parliament, Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary stated that daily ITR filings between July 8 and July 14, 2026, more than doubled compared with the corresponding period of the previous year on several days. The number of returns filed reached 12.22 lakh on July 14, while daily logins increased to nearly 99 lakh.

The significant rise in portal activity indicates increasing taxpayer participation as the statutory filing deadline approaches. The government acknowledged that some users may experience temporary delays when traffic reaches peak levels but maintained that the portal has continued to handle the higher workload with overall operational stability.

The Finance Ministry also disclosed that Infosys, the managed service provider responsible for the upgraded income tax e-filing system, has been subjected to contractual penalties. These penalties relate to delays in project delivery, failure to meet specified service-performance standards, application outages during peak filing periods and extensions of ITR deadlines attributable to service-provider-related issues.

The government’s response highlights its ongoing monitoring of the e-filing infrastructure to minimise technical disruptions and facilitate smoother return filing during the remaining period before the deadline. Taxpayers are advised to complete the filing process in advance rather than waiting until the final days, when portal traffic is expected to increase further. CA Sansaar