The government on Thursday extended the deadline till December 31 for filing of income tax returns by individuals for the financial year 2021, amid the coronavirus pandemic and technical glitches in the IT portal.

Earlier, the deadline was extended to September 30, 2021. Usually, the last date for filing the ITR (Income Tax Returns) for the individual taxpayers is July 31.

"On consideration of difficulties reported by the taxpayers and other stakeholders in filing of Income Tax Returns and various reports of audit for the Assessment Year 2021-22 under the Income-tax Act, 1961, Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has decided to further extend the due dates for filing of Income Tax Returns and various reports of audit for the Assessment Year 2021-22," the finance ministry said in a statement.

The CBDT has also extended the ITR filing deadline for companies till February 15, 2022 from November 30, 2021.

The due date for filing the tax audit report and transfer pricing certificate has been extended to January 15, 2022 and January 31, 2022, respectively, from the existing deadline of October 31 and November 30, respectively.

For filing belated or revised return of income, the last date has been extended by another two months to March 31, 2022.

With regard to resolution of glitches in the tax portal, the finance ministry on Wednesday said it is continuously engaging with Infosys to ensure a smooth filing experience for taxpayers.

On April 1, the CBDT notified the forms for filing I-T returns for 2020-21 fiscal.

For the 2020-21 fiscal, the government had given taxpayers the option to choose a new tax regime under section 115BAC of the I-T Act.