The Income Tax has released user manual titled ‘Filing of ITR after Condonation of Delay’. It guides taxpayers who, due to genuine hardship, failed to file their income tax returns on time and wish to claim refunds or carry forward losses. Taxpayers in such situations have two options:
1. file ITR-U under Section 139(8A) with additional taxes and within a limited time window, or
2. file ITR under Section 139(9A) after getting condonation approval under Section 119(2)(b), which exempts them from additional penalties and interest.
It provides practical support for taxpayers navigating delayed ITR filings due to reasonable cause.