Circular No. 12/2021

Extension of time limits of certain compliances to provide relief to taxpayers in view of the severe pandemic

What this is

Circular No. 12/2021 was issued by the Central Board of Direct Taxes on 25 June 2021. Its subject is Extension of time limits of certain compliances to provide relief to taxpayers in view of the severe pandemic.

This is an extension of time. It moves a date that the Act or the Rules otherwise fix, and it does so only for the compliance and the period it names — not for anything else that happens to fall due at the same time.

What it does

Pushes back twelve separate compliance dates under section 119 because of the pandemic. Objections before the Dispute Resolution Panel and the Assessing Officer under section 144C falling due on or after 1 June 2021 may be filed by 31 August 2021 or within the section's own time, whichever is later. The last-quarter statement of deduction of tax for financial year 2020-21 moves to 15 July 2021 and Form No. 16 to 31 July 2021; Form No. 64D to 15 July 2021 and Form No. 64C to 31 July 2021; registration and approval applications under sections 10(23C), 12AB, 35(1)(ii)/(iia)/(iii) and 80G in Form No. 10A or Form No. 10AB due by 30 June 2021 move to 31 August 2021. Investments and other acts needed to claim exemption under sections 54 to 54GB whose date falls between 1 April 2021 and 29 September 2021 may be done by 30 September 2021, and Form No. 15CC, the equalisation levy statement in Form No. 1, Form No. 3CEK, the quarterly upload of Forms No. 15G and 15H and the Form No. 34BB option under section 245M all get fresh dates.

Why it was issued

The Board acted on the genuine hardship taxpayers were facing in making compliances in view of the severe pandemic.

Who it reaches

Assessees with a transfer pricing or other draft order who must object before the Dispute Resolution Panel
Deductors filing the fourth-quarter statement and issuing Form No. 16 for financial year 2020-21
Trusts, institutions and research associations applying for registration or approval
Taxpayers reinvesting capital gains to claim exemption under sections 54 to 54GB
Investment funds and authorised dealer banks filing Forms No. 64C, 64D and 15CC

The provisions it speaks to

Left, the provision of the Income-tax Act, 1961 as the instrument itself names it. Right, the section of the Income-tax Act, 2025 that the department’s own concordance maps it to — which is where the same ground is now covered.

Under the 1961 Act	Now
s.9A	s.9
s.10	s.11, s.19
s.54	s.82
s.119	s.239
s.144C	s.275, s.532

The instrument, as the Board published it

The department publishes this one only as a PDF, so the words below were read out of that PDF by machine. That reading can carry its own mistakes — a misread number, a broken line. Check the signed document before you rely on a figure in it.

F. NO.225/49/2021·IT A·II
Government of India
Ministry of Finance
Department of Revenue
Central Board of Direct Taxes
Circular No ~ of 2021
-it.
New Delhi. Dated 25 June. 2021
Subject: Extension of time limits of certain compliances to provide relief to
taxpayers in view of the severe pandemic· reg.

On consideration of genuine hardship being faced by the taxpayers in making
various compliances under the Income-tax Act. 1961 (hereinafter referred to as "the
Act") in view of severe pandemic, the Central Board of Direct Taxes, in exercise of its
power under Section 119 of the Act, provides relaxation in respect of the following
compliances as under:

1) Objections to Dispute Resolution Panel (DRP) and AsseSSing Officer under
section 144C of the Act. for which the last date of filing under that Section is
1st June. 2021 or thereafter, may be filed within the time provided in that Section
or by 31 st August. 2021, whichever is later;

2) The Statement of Deduction of Tax for the last quarter of the Financial Year
2020-21 , required to be furnished on or before 31 st May, 2021 under Rule 31A
of the Income-tax Rules,1962 (hereinafter referred to as "the Rules"), as
extended to 30th June, 2021 vide Circular NO.9 of 2021 , may be furnished on or
before 15th July. 2021;

3) The Certificate of Tax Deducted at Source in Form No.16, required to be
furnished to the employee by 15th June, 2021 under Rule 31 of the Rules, as
extended to 15th July, 2021 vide Circular NO.9 of 2021 , may be furnished on or
before 31 st July. 2021 ;

4) The Statement of Income paid or credited by an investment fund to its unit
holder in Form No. 64D for the Previous Year 2020-21 , required to be furnished
on or before 15th June, 2021 under Rule 12CB of the Rules, as extended to 30th
June, 2021 vide Circular NO.9 of2021 , may be furnished on or before 15th July.
2021 ;

5) The Statement of Income paid or credited by an investment fund to its unit
holder in Form No. 64C for the Previous Year 2020-21, required to be furnished
on or before 30th June, 2021 under Rule 12CB of the Rules, as extended to 15th
July, 2021 vide Circular NO.9 of 2021 , may be furnished on or before 31 st July.
2021 ;

Page lof2

· ; 6) The application under Section 10(23C), 12AB, 35(1 )(ii)!(iia)!(iii) and 80G of
the Act in Form No. 10Af Form No.10AB. for registration! provisional
registration! intimation! approval! provisional approval of Trusts! Institutions!
Research Associations etc. required to be made on or before 30th June. 2021 .
may be made on or before 31 st August, 2021 ;

7) The compliances to be made by the taxpayers such as investment, deposit,
payment, acquisition, purchase, construction or such other action, by whatever
name called, for the purpose of claiming any exemption under the prov isions
contained in Section 54 to 54GB of the Act, for which the last date of such
compliance falls between 1st April,2021 to 29th September, 2021 (both days
inclusive), may be completed on or before 30lh September, 2021;

8) The Quarterly Statement in Form No. 15CC to be furnished by authorized
dealer in respect of remittances made for the quarter ending on 30th June, 2021 ,
required to be furnished on or before 15th July, 2021 under Rule 37 BB of the
Rules, may be furnished on or before 31 sl July, 2021 ;

9) The Equalization Levy Statement in Form No.1 for the Financial Year 2020-
21 , which is required to be filed on or before 30lh June, 2021 , may be furnished
on or before 31 s1 July,2021 ;

10)The Annual Statement required to be furnished under sub-section (5) of
section 9A of the Act by the eligible investment fund in Form No. 3CEK for
the Financial Year 2020-21 , which is required to be filed on or before 29th June,
2021 , may be furnished on or before 31 st July,2021;

11 )Uploading of the declarations received from reCipients in Form No. 15G!15H
during the quarter ending on 30lh June, 2021 , which is required to be
uploaded on or before 15th July,2021 , may be uploaded by 31 s1 August,2021 ;

12) Exercising of option under sub-section (1) of Section 245M of the Act in
Form No. 34BB which is required to be exercised on or before 27th June, 2021
may be exercised on or before 31 S1 July, 2021.

-sJ - (Prajna Paramita)
Director to the Government of India

Copy to:
1. PS to F.M.I PS to MoS (F).
2. PS to Revenue Secretary.
3. Chairman (CBDT)& All Members of CBDT.
4. All Pr. CCstT/CCstT/Pr. DGslT/DGsIT.
5. All Joint Secretaries/CslT, caOT.
6. Directors/Deputy Secretaries/Under Secretaries of CBDT.
7. Web Manager, with a request to place the order on official Income-tax website.
8. CIT (M&TP), Official Spokesperson of caor with a request to publicize widely.
9. JeIT, Data Base Cell for placing it on irsofficersonline.gov.in.
10. The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India, lP Estate, New Delhi.
11. All Chambers of Commerce
12. The Guard File.

-vY'-'..~~ (Praj Paramita)
Director to the Govern ent of India

Page 2 of 2

What to watch

Several of these dates had already been extended once by the Board's earlier circular of 2021; this is a second extension, so work from the latest date, not the original one.
The section 144C limb is a "whichever is later" rule — it does not shorten a period that already runs past 31 August 2021.
The sections 54 to 54GB relief covers only acts whose own last date falls in the 1 April 2021 to 29 September 2021 window; a date falling outside it gets nothing.
Every date fixed by this circular has passed, so it now matters only in showing that a 2021 filing was in time.

Where you meet it

In a late-filing fee or default notice for financial year 2020-21 statements, in a rejection of a registration application as time-barred, or when an exemption under sections 54 to 54GB is questioned because the reinvestment was made after the original date.

What it names

Forms it names. Form No. 1, Form No. 10AB, Form No. 10AF, Form No. 15CC, Form No. 15G, Form No. 16, Form No. 34BB, Form No. 3CEK, Form No. 64C, Form No. 64D

Rules it names. Rule 12CB, 31, 31A, 37 of the Income-tax Rules, 1962. The 1962 Rules were replaced by the Income-tax Rules, 2026, which renumbered nearly everything: a rule number quoted here almost never means the same rule today.

It mentions. Circular No. 9/2021

On the same provision

Other instruments in this library that name the same provision of the 1961 Act. They are not necessarily still operative, and a later one may have replaced an earlier one without saying so.

Notification No. 59/2022 [F. No. 370142/11/2022-TPL] / S.O. 2602(E) — Ministry of Finance 6 June 2022
Notification No. 13/2021 [F. No. 142/15/2015-TPL]/ GSR No. 162(E) — Ministry of Finance 9 March 2021
Circular No. 1/2021 — Amount of remuneration prescribed under section 9A 3 m of the income tax act 1961 15 January 2021
Notification No. 41/2020 [F. No. 142/15/2015-TPL- Part (1)] / SO 2148(E) — 2 the Gazette of INDIA : Extraordinary [Part Ii—sec. 3(ii)] 30 June 2020
Circular No. 8/2019 — Clarification regarding definition of fund manager under section 9A 4 b of the income tax act 1961 10 May 2019
Notification No. 27/2019 [F.No. 500/182/2018 -FT&TR - V] /SO 1420(E) — jftLVªh laö Mhö ,yö&33004@99 REGD. NO. D. L.-33004/99 20 March 2019

← Circular No. 13/2021 · Circular No. 11/2021 →

A circular binds the department, not you and not a court. The Board issues a circular to its own officers. An assessee may hold the department to a circular that helps him; the department cannot hold an assessee to one that hurts him, and the Tribunal and the courts decide the law for themselves.

Source: the Income Tax Department’s own published text — its page for this instrument.