ITR Filing Last Date: 5 consequences you may face for missing income tax return filing deadline

Income Tax Season, Income Tax Season Penalty, Belated ITR: With just a few hours left in the income tax return filing deadline (ITR filing last date) of July 24, 2024, taxpayers who are yet to file it are rushing to complete it in time. If they miss the deadline, not only do they have to pay a penalty of Rs 5,000, but they also have to file a belated ITR for the financial year 2023-24. The last date for filing belated ITR is December 31, 2024. However, if you miss the July 31 ITR deadline, along with the monetary penalty, there are many other consequences that you may face. Let's discuss them here:

How much late fee you have to pay

The Income Tax Department (I-T Department) charges a late fee of Rs 5,000 under Section 234F of the Income Tax Act, 1961. However, if your income is less than Rs 5 lakh a year, the late fee is Rs 1,000.

Can't choose old tax regime

If you do not file ITR even today, you will not be able to choose the old tax regime for the financial year 2023-24. From August 1, the option of filing ITR under the old tax regime for the financial year 2023-24 will be closed. In such a situation, if you have invested a lot under Section 80C of the Income Tax Act and wanted to file ITR under the old tax regime, you can't do it.

Interest penalty will also be charged
Under Section 234A, a taxpayer will also have to pay interest at the rate of 1 per cent per month on the unpaid tax amount. So the more months you delay, the more interest will be charged.

Income tax refund can be delayed

The Income Tax Department takes about 4-5 weeks to send a refund to your PAN Card-linked bank account. But if you file your ITR late, your refund may get delayed. The sooner you file ITR, the sooner the refund will be processed.

You can't carry forward loss

Under the income tax rules, you can carry forward some losses to the next year. However, if you file ITR late, you will not be able to carry it forward.