ITR filing start Date AY 2026-27

By | April 3, 2026
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ITR filing start Date AY 2026-27

The official ITR filing season for Assessment Year (AY) 2026-27 (Financial Year 2025-26) has already begun as of April 1, 2026.
The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) notified all income tax return forms (ITR-1 to ITR-7) by March 31, 2026, enabling taxpayers to start filing their returns for the year ending March 31, 2026. refer Income tax return form 2026-27 ! Download Notified Forms

Key Filing Dates for AY 2026-27

  • Start Date: 1st April 2026.
  • Individual Deadline (Non-Audit): 31st July 2026.
  • Business/Non-Audit Deadline (ITR-3/4): 31st August 2026 (Note: This is an extension from previous years to ease compliance).
  • Audit Cases Deadline: 31st October 2026.

 When the utility will come on income tax portal

While the CBDT notified the new ITR forms (ITR-1 to ITR-7) for AY 2026-27 on March 30-31, 2026, the e-filing utilities required to actually submit those returns are not yet live on the portal as of today, April 3, 2026.
The Income Tax e-Filing portal will first enabled the online filing and Excel/JSON utilities for ITR-1 (Sahaj) and ITR-4 (Sugam).
Current Status of ITR Filing (AY 2026-27)
  • Forms Notified: The government has officially released the formats for all ITR forms, including a revamped ITR-1 that now supports reporting for up to two house properties.
  • Offline utilities and online forms for ITR 1, ITR-2 and ITR-3 are expected to be released incrementally throughout April and May 2026.
  • Salaried Taxpayers: Even if the utility is live, it is advisable to wait until mid-June 2026 when your employer issues Form 16 (now updated to Form 130) and your Annual Information Statement (AIS) is fully updated

Important Considerations for Early Filers

  • Form 16 Availability: While the portal is open, salaried individuals should wait for their Form 16   (now referred to as Form 130 under the new rules), which employers typically issue by mid-June 2026.(to be issued till 15th june 2026)
  • Applicable Law: Although the Income Tax Act, 2025 came into force on 1st April 2026, returns for AY 2026-27 (for income earned in FY 2025-26) are still filed under the Income Tax Act, 1961.
  • Form Changes: ITR-1 (Sahaj) has been updated to allow reporting of income from up to two house properties, a change from the previous limit of one.

Revised and Belated Returns