In the Union Budget 2026, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced that the deadline for filing revised Income Tax Returns (ITRs) will be extended from December 31 to March 31 of the relevant assessment year, giving taxpayers additional time to correct errors or omissions in their original returns. This extension is subject to payment of a nominal fee for filings made after the original deadline.
The extended deadline aims to address timing mismatches that many taxpayers – especially those with foreign income – face under the current system, where the December cutoff did not align well with global tax timelines and late TDS or foreign tax credit settlements. The change is expected to ease refund delays and reduce disputes related to revised filings.
While the revised ITR window is now longer, the standard deadline for filing original returns (such as July 31 for non‑audit cases) remains unchanged; only the revision period has been lengthened with the fee requirement to balance flexibility with compliance.
