ITR Filing AY 2026-27: Deadlines, Choosing the Right Form, and the Last-Minute Checklist

The deadlines for AY 2026-27

31 July 2026 (now passed) — this was the due date for ITR-1 and ITR-2 filers: salaried individuals, pensioners, and anyone without business income. No extension was notified — if you did not file, your only route now is a belated return (see below).

31 August 2026 — due date for ITR-3 and ITR-4 filers without audit requirements (business and professional income, including presumptive taxpayers). The Finance Act 2026 shifted this one month later on a permanent basis — but it does not apply to ITR-1/2.

31 December 2026 — last date for a belated return under Section 139(4), with a late fee under Section 234F (₹5,000, or ₹1,000 if total income is up to ₹5 lakh) plus interest on any unpaid tax.

31 March 2027 — last date to file a revised return under Section 139(5), or the completion of assessment if that comes first. The Finance Act 2026 moved this from the old 31 December cut-off to the end of the assessment year, so a correction now has three extra months. It only helps if you filed something in the first place — there is nothing to revise if you never filed.

Which ITR form is yours? The 60-second decision

ITR-1 (Sahaj) — resident individual, total income up to ₹50 lakh from salary/pension, up to two house properties (widened from one this year), interest and dividends, agricultural income up to ₹5,000, and equity LTCG under Section 112A up to ₹1.25 lakh with no losses to carry forward.

ITR-2 — everything ITR-1 covers plus: any other capital gains (property sales, equity beyond the 112A window, crypto, gold), more than two house properties, income above ₹50 lakh, foreign assets or income, NRI/RNOR status, directorships, or unlisted shares. If you sold property this year, our capital gains on property guide walks through the 12.5% regime that feeds this form.

ITR-3 — business or professional income with books of account. ITR-4 (Sugam) — presumptive taxation under 44AD/44ADA (small businesses at 8%/6% of turnover, professionals at 50% of receipts).

Filing the wrong form can render the return defective — even ₹500 of short-term equity gain pushes you from ITR-1 to ITR-2.

The 12-point pre-filing checklist

1. Collect Form 16 from every employer you had in FY 2025-26 (they were due to issue it by 15 June).
2. Open your AIS and Form 26AS on the portal and reconcile every TDS entry — for credit mismatches, 26AS prevails.
3. Submit AIS feedback now for entries that aren't yours; mismatches are the top cause of notices and refund delays.
4. Decide old vs new regime — the new regime is the default, and HRA exemption exists only in the old one.
5. If you claim HRA above ₹1 lakh annual rent, keep the landlord's PAN and rent receipts ready.
6. Received salary arrears? File Form 10E BEFORE the ITR or the Section 89(1) relief is denied.
7. Claiming donations? You need the donee's Form 10BE certificate — the department cross-checks it.
8. Sold property? Compute gains under the 12.5%-vs-20%-indexation choice and check the buyer's 1% TDS shows in 26AS.
9. Pay any balance as self-assessment tax via e-Pay Tax before submitting — an ITR with unpaid tax is defective.
10. Pre-validate the bank account that should receive your refund.
11. Verify personal details: a wrong IFSC or un-linked PAN-Aadhaar blocks processing.
12. E-verify within 30 days of submitting — Aadhaar OTP is instant; an unverified return counts as never filed.

Missed the deadline? Your real options

Until 31 December 2026 you can file a belated return under Section 139(4) with the Section 234F late fee and interest — you also lose the ability to carry forward most losses.

Once you have filed — on time or belated — you can still correct it with a revised return under Section 139(5) up to 31 March 2027, three months later than the old December cut-off. A revised return carries no extra fee, so it is worth filing something imperfect before the deadline rather than nothing at all.

After that, the only route is ITR-U, the updated return — now available up to 48 months after the assessment year ends, but at a steep price: 25% to 70% additional tax depending on how late, no refunds, and no loss claims.

The department's data net is wide: property registrars, banks and brokers all report into your AIS, so unfiled income surfaces on its own. Filing late but voluntarily always beats being found.

After filing: refunds and what to watch

Refunds are processed only after e-verification, typically within a few weeks. Track them on the portal — and run our tax refund calculator to sanity-check the amount before you file.

The intimation under Section 143(1) will flag any mismatch between your return and the department's data. Respond within the window it states — small mismatches are usually AIS reconciliation issues you can explain with the feedback trail you created before filing.