After an otherwise smooth Income Tax Return (ITR) filing season, several taxpayers and tax professionals reported technical difficulties in importing Form 26AS through the Income Tax Department’s systems during the final hours before the filing deadline.

Users attempting to access Form 26AS through the TRACES portal encountered prolonged loading screens, preventing the successful import or verification of tax credit details. A screenshot shared by users shows the portal remaining stuck on a “Loading please wait…” message while attempting to generate the Annual Tax Statement for Assessment Year 2026-27.

The issue appears to have surfaced only during the last few hours of the filing deadline. According to users, the Income Tax e-filing portal had otherwise functioned efficiently throughout the return filing season, handling a large volume of filings without significant disruptions.

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Tax professionals have appreciated the overall stability of the Income Tax Department’s digital infrastructure this year, noting that the portal has delivered a considerably improved filing experience compared to previous years. However, they have also urged the Department to exercise additional vigilance on the due date, when portal traffic reaches its peak and uninterrupted access to critical services such as Form 26AS becomes essential.

Form 26AS is an important tax document that reflects tax deducted at source (TDS), tax collected at source (TCS), advance tax, self-assessment tax, refunds, and other tax-related information. Many taxpayers verify or import the statement before submitting their income tax returns to ensure that the tax credits claimed match the records available with the Income Tax Department.

The temporary disruption has caused inconvenience for taxpayers who were completing or revising their returns in the final hours before the deadline, particularly those seeking to reconcile TDS credits before filing.

Tax experts have requested the Income Tax Department to restore the Form 26AS import facility at the earliest so that taxpayers can complete their return filing without unnecessary delays. They have also expressed confidence that the Department will address the issue promptly, given the overall positive performance of the e-filing ecosystem during the current filing season.

As of now, taxpayers experiencing difficulties are advised to retry after some time and monitor official updates from the Income Tax Department regarding restoration of the affected service.

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