With the September 15, 2025 income tax return (ITR) filing deadline set to end in just a few hours, lakhs of taxpayers are locked in a race against time. But instead of smooth submissions, many have been battling a bigger opponent, the Income Tax Department’s e-filing portal.

A Day of Crashes and Comedy

The e-filing portal spent most of the day freezing, timing out, or flatly refusing to process returns. Taxpayers joked that the site had entered “Do Not Disturb” mode just when they needed it most.

One meme summed it up perfectly: “ITR file karne ja hi raha tha utne mein dost ne berozgar bol diya.”

Memes > Maths

While the servers struggled, social media overflowed with creativity.


“Finance Minister rn: wo chilate hai chilaane do” became a viral caption, and midnight warriors celebrated with posts like: “When you hit submit at 11.59 pm: Thank God.”



Berozgars (unemployed friends) also joined the fun, mocking stressed taxpayers with “Tum log portal refresh karo, hum log memes refresh karte hain.”

The Numbers Behind the Meltdown

By 14 September, the Income Tax Department reported that 6.69 crore taxpayers had filed their returns out of 13.43 crore registered users. But the final-day rush created server overloads that left lakhs refreshing browsers in despair.



The department did suggest quick fixes like updating browsers, enabling cookies and JavaScript, but as one user quipped: “Bhai maths samajhna mushkil tha, ab coding bhi seekhein?”

Consequences for the Latecomers

For those who couldn’t beat the clock, missing the deadline means late fees of up to Rs 5,000, delayed refunds, and possibly extra scrutiny from the department.

Chartered accountants warn that the price of procrastination could sting more than the memes.