Income Tax Offices to Remain Open on FY 2025-26 End Day Despite Public Holiday

On the end day of the financial year 2025-26, i.e., on March 31, 2026 (Tuesday), the government has directed all the income tax officers to remain open all across the country despite it being a public holiday on the day due to the occasion of Mahavir Jayanti. The government has made this decision through a CBDT Order (F.N. o.225/53/2024-IT A-II), dated March 18, 2026, issued under section 119 of the Income-tax Act, 1961.

The action has been taken to avoid bottlenecks in the completion of pending departmental works and to make sure all the pending official work is completed before the start of the next financial year, 2026-27. March 31, 2025, is a key compliance due date for several tax-related activities, like making advance tax payments and investments in PPF, NPS, and insurance payments. Taxpayers are advised not to avoid the March 31 deadline if they want to avoid penalties.

During the last few days of FY 2025-26, income tax officials have noticed a significant boost in workload, leading to an extension in the working hours in order to avoid missing key deadlines. From the upcoming financial year 2026-27, India will be completely shifted to the Income Tax Act 2025, replacing the earlier 60-year-old Income Tax Act 1961.

The new income tax framework is designed to reduce the ambit of litigation and remove uncertainty in the nation’s tax system. In the new income tax rules, the government has tried to simplify the language and added proposals introduced in the Union Budget 2026. The changes have been introduced, keeping the existing tax rates unchanged.