New Delhi, Aug 24 — The Income Tax Department on Monday reminded taxpayers with business or professional income who are not subject to tax audit that August 31, 2026, is the deadline for filing their income tax returns for assessment year 2026-27.
In a post on social media platform X, the department urged eligible taxpayers to file their returns on time and asked them to log in to the e-filing portal to complete the process ahead of the deadline.
"31st August 2026 is the due date for filing ITRs for AY 2026–27 for taxpayers with business or professional income who are not subject to audit," it said.
"Be the tax hero who files on time. Log in to the e-filing portal and file your return today," Income Tax added.
The department said more than 2 crore ITR-3 and ITR-4 returns had been filed on the e-filing portal as of August 20, taking the total number of income tax returns filed for AY 2026-27 to over 6.5 crore.
More than 5.9 crore ITR-1 and ITR-2 returns were filed by the July 31 deadline, the department said.
“31st August 2026 is the due date for filing ITRs for AY 2026-27 for taxpayers with business or professional income who are not subject to audit,” the department said in a post on X, urging eligible taxpayers to file their returns on time.
Taxpayers falling under the non-audit category can file the applicable return form depending on their nature and source of income. These include ITR-3, ITR-4, ITR-5 and ITR-7.
ITR-3 is applicable to individuals and Hindu Undivided Families (HUFs) having income from a proprietary business or profession. ITR-4 is a simpler return form intended for certain small and medium taxpayers who meet the prescribed eligibility conditions.
ITR-5 is applicable to entities such as firms, Limited Liability Partnerships and cooperative societies, while ITR-7 is used by trusts, charitable institutions and other entities required to file returns under specified provisions of the Income Tax Act.
The department has been encouraging taxpayers to complete their filings within the prescribed deadlines to avoid last-minute congestion on the e-filing portal and potential consequences associated with delayed filing.