Late-fee paid by the taxpayer will be refunded: Income Tax Department

When filing the return for the year 2020-21

The taxpayers had to suffer due to the defect of the software introduced by the income tax

New Delhi: The Income-tax department on Wednesday said it would reimburse taxpayers who had to pay extra interest and late fees for filing income-tax returns for the financial year 2020-21 due to software glitches.

The last date for filing income tax returns for the last financial year was July 31, but the department extended the deadline to September 30 in a bid to alleviate the plight of taxpayers. However, some taxpayers complained that if they filed their returns after July 31, they were charged extra interest and late fees.

The Income Tax Department said in a tweet that the flaw in the software was removed on August 1. This shortcoming forced taxpayers to pay extra interest and late fees. All taxpayers are advised to use the latest updated software or file their returns online, the department said in another tweet.