Three Questions Decide Everything
Who files, on which form, by when. Everything else in income tax return filing follows from those three answers, and all three turn on what kind of taxpayer you are and whether your accounts are audited. This page is the hub. The detail for each taxpayer type sits in the articles linked from it.
Who must file
Broadly:
Income exceeding the basic exemption limit, before deductions
A company or a firm, which files regardless of income or loss
Anyone wishing to carry forward a loss
Anyone claiming a refund
Residents holding foreign assets or signing authority on foreign accounts
Those caught by the prescribed high-value transaction criteria, such as large deposits, significant electricity spending or foreign travel expenditure above the thresholds
A company or LLP files even with nil income. There is no dormancy exemption from the return.
Which form
Taxpayer | Form |
Resident individual, salary or pension, one house property, within limits | ITR-1 |
Individual or HUF with capital gains, multiple properties, foreign assets, directorship | ITR-2 |
Individual or HUF with business or professional income | ITR-3 |
Individual, HUF or firm, other than LLP, under presumptive taxation within limits | ITR-4 |
Partnership firm, LLP, AOP, BOI | ITR-5 |
Company | ITR-6 |
Company claiming exemption for charitable or religious property income | ITR-7 |
The due dates for AY 2026-27
Case | Date |
ITR-1 and ITR-2, no audit | 31 July 2026 |
ITR-3 and ITR-4, no audit | 31 August 2026 |
Audit cases | 31 October 2026, extended to 21 November 2026 by circular |
Transfer pricing cases | 30 November 2026 |
Belated return | 31 December 2026, reported |
Tax audit report | 30 September 2026, extended to 21 October 2026 by circular |
Two changes to note. The 31 August date for non-audit ITR-3 and ITR-4 is a permanent change from AY 2026-27 under the Finance Act 2026. The November extension for audit cases is a one-off for AY 2026-27 under CBDT Circular 07/2026 and is not a new baseline.
Documents everyone needs
PAN and Aadhaar, linked
Form 26AS and the Annual Information Statement
Bank account details for refund
Bank interest certificates
Form 16, if salaried
TDS certificates
Investment and deduction proofs, if using the old regime
Capital gains statements, if applicable
Business financials or receipts records, if applicable
Start with the AIS, not with your own records. The department already has a view of your income, and a return that differs from it without explanation is the single most common cause of a notice.
Filing and verification
Returns are filed on the income tax portal. After filing, the return must be e-verified within the prescribed period, reported as 30 days. An unverified return is treated as not filed, which catches people who believe they are done.
If you are late or wrong
Belated return, after the due date and within the prescribed window, with a late fee and interest, and some losses no longer available to carry forward.
Revised return, to correct a return already filed, within the revision window. No additional tax. See our article on revised returns.
Updated return in ITR-U, after both windows have closed, within 48 months, with additional tax of 25 to 70 per cent. See our article on ITR-U.
The order matters: use the cheapest route still open.
The statutory change coming
The Income-tax Act, 2025 applies from 1 April 2026, replacing the 1961 Act and introducing a single Tax Year in place of “previous year” and “assessment year”. Returns for FY 2025-26 filed during 2026 remain under the 1961 Act.
Expect section numbers to change in material you read over the next year.
How Northrop LLP helps
Northrop LLP determines the right form and date for your situation, reconciles to the AIS before filing, and uses the cheapest correction route where something has gone wrong.