Last Date to File ITR for AY 2026-27: Everything You Need to Know

Income tax return filing for Assessment Year 2026-27 (income earned in FY 2025-26) follows a staggered deadline calendar rather than one common date for everyone. Your due date now depends on which ITR form applies to you — and, for the first time, non-audit business and professional taxpayers get an extra month compared to salaried filers.

This year also marks a transition point: the Income Tax Act, 2025 comes into force from April 1, 2026, but since AY 2026-27 covers income earned before that date (FY 2025-26), your return is still governed entirely by the old Income Tax Act, 1961. This is effectively the last filing season under the familiar 1961 framework — returns for income earned from April 2026 onwards (Tax Year 2026-27) will fall under the new Act and won’t be due until 2027.

Missing your applicable deadline triggers a late filing fee under Section 234F — up to ₹5,000 — plus interest on any unpaid tax. Knowing your correct ITR form early is the first step to knowing your real deadline.

Here’s the confirmed ITR filing calendar for FY 2025-26 (AY 2026-27):

The most important change this year: ITR-3 and ITR-4 filers who don’t require an audit now get until August 31, 2026 — a full month more than salaried ITR-1/ITR-2 filers, and separate from the earlier shared July 31 deadline. This was introduced through the Finance Act, 2026 to give small businesses and professionals more time to finalize accounts.

Salaried employees filing ITR-1 face the earliest cutoff — July 31, 2026 — if their income comes from salary, up to two house properties, or interest income under specified limits (ITR-1 now covers up to two house properties, up from one previously).

Business proprietors and professionals filing ITR-3 or ITR-4 without audit requirements get until August 31, 2026. If your books require audit under Section 44AB, you move to October 31, 2026 regardless of form type. Partnership firms and companies requiring statutory audit also fall under the October 31 deadline, while those needing a transfer pricing report get until November 30, 2026.

Selecting the correct ITR form determines your deadline, your applicable schedules, and how complex your filing becomes.

Key selection factors:

• Total income threshold – ITR-1 caps at ₹50 lakh; higher earners default to ITR-2
• Income composition – Capital gains, foreign assets, or more than two house properties disqualify you from ITR-1
• House property count – ITR-1 now permits up to two house properties (new for AY 2026-27); a third property requires ITR-2
• Directorship status – Company directors must file ITR-2 or ITR-3, not ITR-1
• Agricultural income – Exceeding ₹5,000 from farming pushes you beyond ITR-1
• Business/professional income – Requires ITR-3 (regular) or ITR-4 (presumptive taxation, turnover within prescribed limits)

Misidentifying your form can delay processing or trigger notices, so confirm your correct form before planning your filing timeline.

The new tax regime under Section 115BAC remains the default regime for FY 2025-26, with no change to slabs announced in Budget 2026:

A 4% Health and Education Cess applies on top of computed tax.

Key relief points:

• Standard deduction of ₹75,000 for salaried individuals and pensioners.
• Section 87A rebate of up to ₹60,000 makes taxable income up to ₹12 lakh effectively tax-free under the new regime (₹12.75 lakh for salaried taxpayers, after the standard deduction). This rebate applies only to normal-rate income — capital gains under Sections 111A/112A aren’t covered.
• Opting for the old regime: Salaried taxpayers with no business income can switch between old and new regimes every year, directly in the ITR, provided they file by the due date. Taxpayers with business or professional income must file Form 10-IEA on or before the due date to opt out of the new regime — and switching back to the new regime later is allowed only once in a lifetime.
• Critical penalty-adjacent rule: If you file a belated return (after your original due date), you cannot opt for the old regime for that year — you’re mandatorily taxed under the new regime. This makes filing on time, not just filing eventually, financially significant.

Start by logging into the e-filing portal using your PAN as your username; first-time users register and verify identity via Aadhaar OTP or net banking.

Navigate to “e-File” → “Income Tax Return.” Select Assessment Year 2026-27 and your correct ITR form based on your income sources — this choice directly determines your deadline. Fill in personal information, income details, deductions under Chapter VI-A (if opting for the old regime), and tax computation.

Before submitting, verify all entries — common mistakes include transposed bank account digits or mismatches with Form 16 or your Annual Information Statement (AIS). Submit digitally, then complete e-verification within 30 days via Aadhaar OTP (instant), net banking, EVC, or a signed ITR-V sent to CPC Bengaluru. An unverified return is treated as if it was never filed, so don’t skip this step.

Technical portal issues peak in the final week before deadlines. File 10–15 days early to avoid server congestion, and keep login credentials updated in advance.

Missing documents — Form 16 delays, misplaced investment proofs, incomplete bank statements — are common. Maintain a digital tax folder year-round rather than scrambling near the deadline.

Calculation errors in capital gains or deductions often trigger notices. Cross-check against your Form 26AS and AIS before submission; the portal’s pre-fill feature reduces manual entry mistakes.

Regime confusion is a frequent issue this year — with the new regime as default and different opt-out mechanics for salaried versus business taxpayers, a quick comparison using an income tax calculator (or a chartered accountant consultation) before filing prevents costly mistakes.

Late Filing Penalties

Section 234F penalties remain unchanged: taxpayers with total income up to ₹5 lakh face a maximum penalty of ₹1,000; those exceeding this threshold face ₹5,000 — regardless of whether any tax is payable. These penalties apply even to nil-return situations.

Interest on Outstanding Tax

Section 234A imposes interest at 1% per month on unpaid tax, accruing from the day after the original due date until actual payment. A taxpayer owing ₹50,000 would accumulate roughly ₹6,000 in additional interest after twelve months of delay.

Loss of Regime Choice

Beyond the fixed penalty and interest, filing late (as a belated return) forfeits your ability to opt for the old tax regime for that year — an often-overlooked cost of missing your original deadline.

A few structural changes are specific to this filing season:

• ITR-1 now covers up to two house properties — previously, owning a second house property forced a move to ITR-2. This simplifies filing for many salaried individuals and pensioners with a rented-out second home.
• ITR-3/ITR-4 non-audit deadline extended to August 31, 2026 — a permanent change under the Finance Act, 2026, not a one-off extension.
• Revised return window extended to March 31, 2027 — up from the earlier December 31 cutoff, giving taxpayers more time to correct genuine errors after filing.
• This is the final AY under the Income Tax Act, 1961 — from Tax Year 2026-27 (income earned after April 1, 2026) onward, filings will be governed by the Income Tax Act, 2025, which also replaces the terms “Previous Year” and “Assessment Year” with “Tax Year.”

A salaried professional filing ITR-1 for AY 2026-27 must submit by July 31, 2026, avoiding the ₹5,000 penalty threshold. If they miss this but file by December 31, 2026, it’s treated as a belated return — with late fees and, importantly, no option to switch to the old regime for that year.

A freelance consultant using ITR-4 without audit requirements has until August 31, 2026. If they discover an error after filing on time, they can revise their return any time up to March 31, 2027.

A business owner requiring a tax audit faces the October 31, 2026 deadline for ITR-5 or ITR-6. Successful filers in this category typically engage professionals by June or July to ensure documentation — including the audit report, due one month before the ITR deadline — is ready in time.

The revised return window for AY 2026-27 closes on March 31, 2027. However, revision isn’t a universal fix — if you filed the wrong ITR form entirely or missed the original due date altogether, revision doesn’t apply; you’d need to file a belated or updated return instead. Only one revised return is typically processed per correction cycle, so corrections should be comprehensive.

Missing the original due date also affects loss carry-forward: certain losses, particularly capital losses and business losses, generally cannot be carried forward to future years if the original return is filed late. This is one of the more expensive, easy-to-overlook consequences of delayed filing.

If both the original and belated return deadlines are missed, an Updated Return (ITR-U) remains available up to March 31, 2031 (48 months from the end of the assessment year), though it comes with additional tax requirements under Section 139(8A).

• ITR-1 and ITR-2 filers: due July 31, 2026
• ITR-3 and ITR-4 filers (non-audit): due August 31, 2026
• Audit cases: due October 31, 2026
• Transfer pricing cases: due November 30, 2026
• Belated return deadline: December 31, 2026
• Revised return deadline: March 31, 2027
• Late filing fee: ₹1,000 (income up to ₹5 lakh) or ₹5,000 (above ₹5 lakh) under Section 234F, plus 1%/month interest under Section 234A
• Belated filers lose the option to choose the old tax regime for that year
• The new tax regime remains default, with income up to ₹12 lakh (₹12.75 lakh for salaried) effectively tax-free via the Section 87A rebate