As the income tax filing season is running for the AY 2026-27, taxpayers must stay aware of urgent deadlines to avoid tax litigation under the Income Tax Act.
Kashish Bhardwaj | Mar 23, 2026 |
Income Tax Filing Season Approaching for AY 2026-27: Know Key Deadlines and Consequences of Non-Compliance
As the income tax return (ITR) filing season is running, taxpayers must stay aware of urgent deadlines to avoid penalty under the Income Tax Act for the financial year 2025-2026 (AY 2026-27).
Income tax is a direct tax charged on the income earned by an individual or entity. It applies to income generated from sources such as salary, house property, business, capital gain, and other sources. Taxpayers are required to pay tax if their total income exceeds the constitutional immunity limit after deductions.
| Category of Taxpayer | Due Date (Original Return) |
| Company (whether tax audit applicable or not applicable) | 31st October 2026 |
| Other than a company to which the tax audit is applicable | 31st October 2026 |
| Partner of the firm to whom the tax audit is applicable | 31st October 2026 |
| Assessee includes the partner’s firm or the spouse of such partner, who is needed to be provided report under section 172 | 30th November 2026 |
| Assessees who are not required to get their accounts audited | 31st July 2026 |
| Belated Return | 31st December 2026 |
| Revised Return | 31st March 2026 |
| Updated Return (ITR-U) | Upto 31st March 2031 |
Income tax return (ITR) due dates vary depending on the category of the taxpayers and whether their accounts are subject to audit. The different categories of taxpayers include individuals, HUFs, firms, LLPs, companies, trusts, and AOPs/BOIs. The due date for filing returns depends on whether their accounts need to be audited or not, as per Section 263 of the Income Tax Act, 2025.
The ITR filing due date for non-audit cases is October 31, 2026, for the financial year (FY) 2026-27.
July 31, 2026, is the due date for furnishing an ITR for Non-Bussiness taxpayers whose accounts are not required to get audited for the assessment year (AY) 2026-27.
For Taxpayers having Business Income, 31st August is the due date if No Tax Audit is applicable.
The last date for filing a belated return is nine months from the end of the relevant tax year or before the completion of the assessment, whichever is earlier, i.e., 31st December 2026.
The last date for filing a Revised return is 12 months from the end of the relevant tax year or before the completion of the assessment, whichever is earlier, i.e., 31st March 2026.
Filing ITR after the due dates may result in a penalty of up to Rs 5000; however, if the total income does not cross the Rs 5 lakh limit, the penalty is limited to Rs 1000.
For the taxpayers who are required to file a report under Section 92E of the Income Tax Act, the due date for filing an ITR is November 30, 2026.
Missing the ITR filing deadlines can lead to serious consequences for the taxpayers, such as your return may be under investigation from the tax department, which can delay your refund and require extra documents. You may also have to pay interest on any unpaid taxes.
Along with this, you might lose the benefits of carrying forward losses or deductions for future tax savings. Filling out your ITR on time helps you avoid these problems and keeps the process simple and stress-free.
If a taxpayer’s total tax responsibility exceeds Rs 10,000 in a financial year, advance tax must be paid. Taxpayers under presumptive taxation are required to pay advance tax by 15 March, although payments made until 31 March are also considered valid.
| Due Date | Compliance Nature | Tax Paid |
| 15th June 2026 | First Instalment | 15% |
| 15th September 2026 | Second Instalment | 45% |
| 15th December 2026 | Third Instalment | 75% |
| 15th March 2027 | Fourth Instalment | 100% |
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