I-T returns: Last minute rush slows down e-filing portal

Those who missed the deadline face a penalty of ₹5,000

As hundreds of people logged online on Friday to file their returns before the deadline, the Income Tax Department’s e-filing portal for I-T returns slowed down under heavy traffic.

While July 31 was the initial deadline, the government extended it by a month. By Friday afternoon, several tax filers had given up on the idea of trying to file returns on their own and hurried to counters set up by the I-T Department. The department had opened counters at its offices in HMT Bhavan, Koramangala and at the head office on Infantry Road. Tax Return Preparers (TRPs) were specially appointed for the purpose.

However, online filing of returns was a challenge even at the department’s counters. Several people who hoped to complete the process on Friday were unable to do so, and are now facing a penalty of ₹5,000.

K. Vinay, a government employee, attempted to file his return online, but the server was too slow, he said. “I did not know about the penalty. I got to know about it today. I tried doing it on my own, but the website was not working. I approached the Income Tax office, where I faced a similar problem. I was directed to go to HMT Bhavan to get it done manually,” he said.

R. Krishna, a resident of Avenue Road also found it a challenge to finish filing the returns. “I was trying for the last four days. But I faced a problem logging in to my profile. On Friday, I decided to approach the counter at the I-T office,” he said.

Chartered accountants were busy trying to get all the work done before the 6 p.m. deadline.

Archit Gupta, founder and CEO of city-based online tax portal ClearTax, said the number of people trying to file their returns over the last three days was 10 times that of the previous weeks. “While many had finished the process before the July 31 deadline, some kept it till the last minute after the extension. This surge in traffic caused a slowdown in the portal.”

Raghuram Kikkeri, a tax consultant, said, “What would have otherwise taken me not more than five minutes took me more than 15 minutes today.”