The Original Filing Deadlines
For the first time, non-audit taxpayers no longer share a single common deadline:
- For Salaried individuals, pensioners (simple income) - ITR-1 : 31 July 2026
- For Individuals/HUFs with capital gains, foreign assets, multiple properties - ITR-2 : 31 July 2026
- For Professionals & small businesses (non-audit) - ITR-3 / ITR-4 : 31 August 2026
- For Businesses requiring a tax audit - ITR-3 / ITR-5 / ITR-6 : 31 October 2026
- For Taxpayers with transfer pricing reporting Form 3CEB cases : 30 November 2026
Where things stand as of today: the July 31 and August 31 deadlines for this filing season are already behind us. If you haven't filed yet, you're either looking at the audit-case deadline of 31 October 2026 (if applicable to you), or you've moved into belated return territory for non-audit filings - more on that below.
Tax Audit Report Deadline
If your accounts require an audit under Section 44AB, the audit report itself (Form 3CA/3CB and 3CD) is due by 30 September 2026, one month ahead of the ITR filing deadline of 31 October 2026. Businesses in this category should be finalising documentation now if they haven't already engaged their auditor.
Missed the Deadline? Here's What Happens
If you miss your original due date, you can still file a belated return up to 31 December 2026. But here Some costs come with this:
- A late filing fee under Section 234F (up to ₹5,000, or ₹1,000 if total income is below ₹5 lakh)
- Interest under Section 234A at 1% per month on any unpaid tax
- Loss of the option to carry forward certain losses
- For taxpayers having business or professional income, opting for the old tax regime requires Form 10-IEA to be filed within the prescribed due date. Therefore, filing a belated return may prevent the taxpayer from opting for the old tax regime for that year.
Spotted an error after filing - a missed deduction, wrong bank details, unreported income? A revised return can be filed up to 31 March 2027 for AY 2026-27, regardless of whether your original return was filed on time or was itself a belated return.
The Updated Return (ITR-U) Window
If you've missed both the original and belated deadlines, or need to voluntarily disclose income you'd left out, an Updated Return can be filed up to 31 March 2031 - four years from the end of the assessment year. Note that no additional deductions or refund claims can be made through an updated return; it exists to bring you into compliance, not to optimise your tax outcome.
A Note on the Transition Year
This is the last filing season fully governed by the Income Tax Act, 1961. The Income Tax Act, 2025 comes into force from 1 April 2026, but since AY 2026-27 relates to income earned in FY 2025-26 (before that date), your return this year is still assessed under the familiar 1961 framework. Returns for income earned from April 2026 onward will fall under the new Act.
Our Recommendation
Whichever deadline applies to you, don't wait for the final week. Get your books to us well before September so the audit report can be filed comfortably ahead of the 30 September cutoff.