ITR-6 Utility Out, Companies Left Racing Against Deadline

On August 14, the Income Tax Department quietly released the Excel utility for ITR-6. According to a recent report in Business Today, the timing has raised eyebrows because it leaves companies less than a month to file their returns before the September 15 cut-off. ITR-6 is the form used by companies that do not claim exemptions under Section 11, which is meant for charitable or religious trusts.

The delay has added to the workload of accountants and finance teams. ITR-5 had been released only a week earlier, and many firms are still struggling to wrap up audit reports that are due by September 30. “The gap is too short. With ITR-5 just out, companies hardly have breathing space to manage both audits and return filings,” CA Pratibha Goyal, partner at PD Gupta & Company, told Business Today.

Pressure On Professionals

The late rollout has made matters worse for chartered accountants who are already juggling multiple deadlines. Some warn that the rush to file returns could easily lead to mistakes. And errors in corporate filings are not minor — they often draw follow-up questions from tax officers and may even result in penalties.

Rollout Timeline And Technical Issues

The tax department has been staggering the release of utilities over the last few months. ITR-1 and ITR-4 were made available in May and June. ITR-2 and ITR-3 followed in July. Then came ITR-5 on August 8, and now, ITR-6. Updated versions of forms for earlier years have also been pushed out.

Despite this phased approach, technical glitches haven’t gone away. Companies have reported problems with the Annual Information Statement (AIS) and the Tax Information Summary (TIS), especially while using ITR-2. Professionals have been asking the department to sort out these issues quickly, warning that last-minute fixes will only make compliance harder.

What ITR-6 Demands

ITR-6 isn’t a simple form. It calls for detailed information: audited financials, profit and loss accounts, disclosures of related-party transactions, taxes paid, deductions claimed, and particulars of directors. Filing has to be done electronically, with no paper option available.

In real terms, companies now have just a few weeks to prepare accurate returns, finalise accounts, and submit everything online. The lesson, according to tax advisers, is straightforward: start working on ITR-6 immediately. Leaving it until the deadline is no longer an option.