If you are someone who typically files taxes using ITR-2 or ITR-3, chances are you are still on hold this year and not by choice. The Income Tax Department has yet to release the Excel utilities for these forms, leaving a significant chunk of taxpayers, including salaried professionals with capital gains, High Net Worth Individuals (HNIs), and self-employed professionals, stuck in limbo.
The last date to file is now September 15, 2025, pushed back from the usual July 31 deadline. The extension gives some breathing room, sure, but that doesn’t help people who like to finish things early or tax professionals trying to avoid a pile-up closer to the deadline.
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Why These Forms Matter
ITR-2 and ITR-3 forms are used by a large and diverse set of taxpayers.
ITR-2 is meant for individuals and Hindu Undivided Families (HUFs) with income from salary, capital gains, more than one house property, or foreign assets. You can also club the income of a spouse or minor child, as long as none of it comes from business or professional activity.
ITR-3, on the other hand, is for people running a business or practising a profession. So if you are a doctor, lawyer, chartered accountant, or run a consultancy, and your income depends on your own work or a business you operate, this is the form you will eventually need.
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What’s Behind the Delay?
All ITR forms (1 to 5) for the financial year 2024–25 have been notified, and the utilities for ITR-1 and ITR-4 have already gone live. The Excel versions for ITR-2 and 3, though, are still pending. The CBDT says the delay is due to technical changes and system updates needed after some significant revisions to the forms.
On paper, that sounds reasonable but the silence from the department on when the tools will actually be available has not gone unnoticed. Some users on X (formerly Twitter) have flagged this openly. One even asked when ITR-2 and ITR-3 would be “enabled,” while professionals like CA Himank Singla (on platform X) pointed out the absence of a clear timeline.
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For now, all anyone can do is keep checking the official portal or their social media announcements. No one likes waiting, especially when paperwork is involved, but that is where things stand for now.
