Karnataka Taxpayers Association Raises Alarm Over Income Tax e-Filing Portal Glitches — Seeks Urgent CBDT Intervention

Background and Context

As the deadline for filing Income Tax Returns draws near, a formal representation has been submitted to the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) highlighting persistent technical disruptions on the Income Tax e-Filing Portal. The Karnataka Taxpayers Association (R), Shivamogga, addressed this representation dated 27 August 2026 to the Chairman, CBDT, Department of Revenue, Ministry of Finance, Government of India, urging immediate corrective action.

The representation arrives at a particularly sensitive juncture — with 31 August 2026 serving as the prescribed due date for assessees earning business or professional income who fall outside the audit requirement. Any sustained disruption to portal access during this window carries direct consequences for statutory compliance.

Nature of the Technical Difficulties Reported

The Association's representation describes a pattern of login failures that has been observed across multiple devices and user accounts. Specifically, the portal has been repeatedly rejecting valid login credentials in numerous cases. In certain instances, the same credentials eventually succeed after several repeated attempts — suggesting intermittent server-side issues rather than user-end errors.

Key technical concerns flagged in the representation include:

  • Repeated rejection of correct login credentials without any apparent error on the part of the assessee or tax professional
  • Inconsistent portal behaviour — where the same credentials work after multiple attempts, indicating unreliable authentication processes
  • Issues experienced across different devices and accounts, ruling out device-specific or browser-specific causes
  • Significant inconvenience and anxiety caused to assessees and practitioners already operating under tight statutory deadlines

"Tax professionals are working under severe time pressure to complete the filing of returns within the prescribed time. Technical failures of the portal at this crucial stage may result in genuine taxpayers being unable to comply with their statutory obligations within time."
— Karnataka Taxpayers Association (R), Representation dated 27 August 2026

Full Text of the Representation

To,
The Chairman,
Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT),
Department of Revenue,
Ministry of Finance,
Government of India.

Date: 27-08-2026

Subject: Failures on Income Tax E-Filing Portal Before the Due Date

Respected Sir/Madam,

I, on behalf of the Karnataka Taxpayers Association (R), Shivamogga, wish to bring to your kind attention the serious difficulties being faced by taxpayers and tax professionals while accessing the Income Tax e-Filing Portal.

For the past several hours, many taxpayers and professionals have reported that the portal is repeatedly rejecting correct login credentials, while in some cases the same credentials work only after several attempts. The issue is being experienced across different devices and accounts, causing considerable inconvenience and unnecessary anxiety, particularly when the due date for filing Income Tax Returns is approaching.

Tax professionals are working under severe time pressure to complete the filing of returns within the prescribed time. Technical failures of the portal at this crucial stage may result in genuine taxpayers being unable to comply with their statutory obligations within time.