AY 2026-27 Deadlines Left: Belated, Revised Return and ITR-U

If you missed your ITR due date for AY 2026-27 (income of FY 2025-26), or filed and then found a mistake, these are the dates still open:

Each of these is a return for AY 2026-27, so the Income-tax Act, 1961 governs it even though the Income-tax Act, 2025 has applied since 1 April 2026. Section 536 of the new Act keeps the old one running for these years.

The 31 March 2027 date for revised returns is new. The Finance Act, 2026 extended the revision window from nine to twelve months and added a fee for the extra three months.

Belated return: until 31 December 2026

A belated return under section 139(4) is a return filed after your due date: 31 July 2026 for salaried people, 31 August 2026 for non-audit business and professional cases, and 21 November 2026 for audit cases after Circular 07/2026. Our post on ITR due dates by taxpayer type explains which applies to you. The last date is three months before the end of the assessment year, which is 31 December 2026, or earlier if the department completes an assessment for the year first.

What a belated return costs:

• Late fee under section 234F: ₹1,000 if total income is up to ₹5 lakh, ₹5,000 above that. If you weren't required to file at all, the fee doesn't apply.
• Interest under section 234A: 1% a month on unpaid tax after the due date.
• Carry-forward of losses: business and capital losses from a belated return can't be carried forward. A house property loss can.
• Old tax regime: without business income, you can choose the old regime only in a return filed by the due date, so a belated return is taxed under the new regime.
• Refund interest: interest on a refund runs from the date you file, not from 1 April 2026 as it would for a return filed on time.

How to file it

1. Log in to the e-filing portal and go to e-File > Income Tax Returns > File Income Tax Return.
2. Choose Assessment Year 2026-27 and the filing mode.
3. For filing section, choose 139(4) (belated).
4. Pay the tax, the 234F fee and the 234A interest through e-Pay Tax before you submit, and enter the challan in Schedule IT.
5. Submit and e-verify within 30 days. If you verify later, the verification date becomes the filing date, and a verification after 31 December 2026 would put the return outside the belated window.

Revised return: fee-free until 31 December, then until 31 March 2027

Section 139(5) now lets you revise an original or belated return "before the end of the relevant assessment year", or before the assessment is completed, whichever is earlier. For AY 2026-27 that is 31 March 2027.

The extra three months come with a fee under the new section 234-I. The text charges it for a revised return filed beyond nine months but within twelve months, and the CBDT's ITR validation rules for AY 2026-27 apply it to any revised return filed after 31 December 2026:

Worked example

Ananya filed her original return in July 2026 with total income of ₹14,20,000. In February 2027 she notices she left out ₹38,000 of savings bank and FD interest. A revised return in February costs her the tax on the interest plus a ₹5,000 fee under section 234-I. The same revision filed on 30 December 2026 would have cost only the tax. If her total income had been ₹4,60,000, the fee would be ₹1,000.

The change matters most to people who file late. Earlier, a belated return filed on 31 December could never be revised, because both windows closed the same day. Now a belated return filed in December can be revised until 31 March 2027, with the fee. The validation rules add one restriction: when you revise a belated return, the old regime can't be selected.

How to file it

Follow the belated-return steps above but choose filing section 139(5), and enter the acknowledgement number and date of the return you are revising. Fill the return in full; a revised return replaces the earlier one completely. If CPC has already processed your return and the problem is a credit or arithmetic mistake, a rectification may be the better tool. See rectification or revised return: which to use.

Updated return (ITR-U): until 31 March 2031

After 31 March 2027, the only way to add income for AY 2026-27 is an updated return under section 139(8A). It can be filed up to 48 months from the end of the assessment year, so until 31 March 2031, with additional tax under section 140B on the extra tax and interest:

An updated return can only add tax. It can't claim or increase a refund, reduce your tax or report a fresh loss, and it generally isn't allowed where search, survey, assessment or reassessment proceedings are pending or completed for the year. Our ITR-U guide covers the conditions and how to compute the additional tax.

Which one should you use?

• You haven't filed and it's before 31 December 2026: file a belated return now. Every month adds interest, and after 31 December only ITR-U remains, which can't give you a refund.
• You filed and found a mistake: revise before 31 December 2026 to avoid the fee. Between January and March 2027, revise with the fee.
• You got a 143(1) intimation with a demand you think is wrong: check whether a rectification fits better. Our post on a demand raised after you paid walks through it.
• It's after 31 March 2027 and you left out income: ITR-U, the earlier the cheaper.
• You are owed a refund and missed every deadline: ITR-U won't help. The remaining route is a request to condone the delay in claiming the refund, which the department decides case by case. Ask a CA before you start.

myutils.me shows each PAN's ITR filings per assessment year with the portal's status, so after you add a PAN or press Sync you can see whether a revised or belated return reached the portal and was e-verified. It is an independent app that reads the portal for you; the returns themselves are filed on the portal.

FAQ

What is the last date to file a belated return for AY 2026-27?

31 December 2026, unless the department completes an assessment for that year earlier. Circular 07/2026 moved the audit-case due date to 21 November 2026 but did not move the belated-return deadline.

Is there a fee for a revised return for AY 2026-27?

Only if you file it after 31 December 2026. Between 1 January and 31 March 2027 the fee under section 234-I is ₹1,000 if total income is up to ₹5 lakh, ₹5,000 otherwise.

Can I revise a belated return?

Yes. A belated return can be revised under section 139(5) until 31 March 2027, with the section 234-I fee if you revise after 31 December 2026. The old tax regime can't be selected in such a revision.

Can I claim a refund through ITR-U?

No. An updated return cannot create or increase a refund, so a missed refund claim needs a belated return by 31 December 2026.

Does the new Income-tax Act change these dates?

Not for AY 2026-27. That year stays under the 1961 Act. Returns for Tax Year 2026-27, filed in 2027, follow the new section 263 instead.

Sources

• Finance Bill, 2026: clause 5 (section 139) and clause 12 (section 234-I) (indiabudget.gov.in)
• Memorandum explaining the Finance Bill, 2026: "Extending the period of filing revised return" (indiabudget.gov.in)
• ITR-1 validation rules for AY 2026-27, Income Tax e-Filing portal
• CBDT Circular No. 07/2026, 28 September 2026 (incometaxindia.gov.in)
• 30 days' timeline for e-verification FAQ, Income Tax e-Filing portal