ITR Filing Deadlines for FY 2025-26 (AY 2026-27): Key Dates You Shouldn't Miss

Every year, a large number of taxpayers end up paying late fees or losing the ability to carry forward losses simply because a filing deadline slipped past them. Here's a straightforward look at the key Income Tax Return (ITR) deadlines for Financial Year 2025-26 (Assessment Year 2026-27), and what each one means for you.

Who needs to file by when

• Individuals and entities not requiring an audit (most salaried employees, freelancers, and small proprietorships): the standard due date, usually July 31 following the end of the financial year.
• Businesses and professionals requiring a tax audit under Section 44AB: a later due date, typically October 31, since the audit report has to be filed first.
• Businesses involved in international or specified domestic transactions requiring a transfer pricing report: the latest due date, typically November 30.
• Belated or revised returns: can generally be filed up to December 31 of the assessment year, subject to applicable late fees.

The government does occasionally extend deadlines, especially when there are changes to the ITR forms or the e-filing utility. We track these extensions and update our clients directly, but it's safer to plan around the original due date rather than count on an extension.

What happens if you file after the deadline

• A late filing fee under Section 234F — up to ₹5,000, or ₹1,000 if your total income is below ₹5 lakh.
• Interest under Section 234A on any unpaid tax, calculated from the original due date.
• You lose the ability to carry forward certain losses (like capital losses or business losses) to future years.
• Refunds, if any, get delayed simply because processing starts later.

How to make sure you don't miss it

1. Collect your Form 16, Form 26AS, and AIS (Annual Information Statement) as soon as they're available, usually by mid-June.
2. Reconcile any capital gains from stocks, mutual funds, or property well before the deadline — these often take the longest to compute correctly.
3. Decide between the old and new tax regime based on an actual computation, not a guess.
4. File a few weeks before the deadline rather than on the last day, so there's time to fix any errors flagged by the portal.

If you'd rather not track all of this yourself, we handle the entire process — from collecting documents to filing and confirming your acknowledgment. Get in touch with us before the season gets busy.