Income Tax e-Filing Portal To Be Temporarily Shut Down For 3 Days

The Income Tax department in India has announced that the e-filing portal for tax returns will not be operational for three days, starting from the afternoon of February 3rd (Saturday) till the morning of February 5th (Monday). 

This temporary shutdown is scheduled for maintenance and technical upgrades of the system. Taxpayers need to know that during these days, from 2 pm on Saturday to 6 am on Monday, they won’t be able to access the portal for any tax-related services.

The department urges taxpayers to plan their tax-related activities keeping this closure in mind. This upgrade is a part of the government’s ongoing efforts to improve taxpayer services. 

In recent years, there have been significant reforms like faceless assessment and updated income tax returns. The new Form 26AS and the pre-filling of tax returns have also been introduced to simplify the tax filing process.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman highlighted the government’s focus on enhancing taxpayer services amid Budget 2024. 

She mentioned that the average processing time for tax returns has drastically reduced from 93 days in 2013-14 to just 10 days currently. 

This significant improvement is a result of the technological advancements that have streamlined processes and increased efficiency, leading to a better experience for taxpayers.

Therefore, it is advisable for all taxpayers to complete any pending work or plan their activities before or after the mentioned shutdown period of the e-filing portal. 

The Income Tax department’s efforts in upgrading and maintaining the portal are aimed at providing a smoother and more efficient service experience for its users.

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Finance Minister Sitharaman announced no new changes in income tax or other taxes for the financial year 2024-25. The income tax exemption limit remains at Rs 7 lakh. 

However, small old tax demands up to Rs 25,000 will be removed for earlier years till 2009-10, and up to Rs 10,000 for 2010-11 to 2014-15, helping about one crore taxpayers.