While the deadline to file Income Tax Returns (ITRs) for the financial year 2025-26 is July 31, 2026, taxpayers who have already submitted their returns should keep an eye on June 30. It is the final date on which the Income Tax Department can issue scrutiny notices under Section 143(2) for eligible returns selected for detailed verification.
Receiving a scrutiny notice does not automatically indicate tax evasion or wrongdoing. Instead, it means the department wants to verify information such as declared income, deductions, exemptions, tax credits or other financial details reported in the return.
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Returns may be selected for scrutiny if discrepancies are found between the ITR and records available through Form 26AS, the Annual Information Statement (AIS), the Taxpayer Information Summary (TIS), bank details or other financial data. Cases involving unusually large transactions, reassessment proceedings or links to tax searches may also attract scrutiny.
Taxpayers who receive a notice should log in to the Income Tax e-filing portal and access the ‘e-Proceedings’ section under the Worklist tab. They can submit the requested documents, respond to the department’s observations or explain any disagreement. Ignoring a notice may lead to penalties, additional tax demands, delayed refunds or interest liability.
After June 30, several important compliance deadlines follow in July. These include TDS deposit and reporting deadlines on July 7 and July 15, filing of challan-cum-statements on July 30, and the crucial July 31 deadline for filing ITR-1 and ITR-2 for Assessment Year 2026-27. The same date also applies to several TDS, TCS and prescribed tax forms.
Taxpayers are advised to review all pending tax obligations well before the deadlines to avoid penalties and ensure smooth processing of their returns and refunds.
