Who has to file ITR before 31st August?

Overview

The Income Tax Return (ITR) filing season for AY 2026-27 has entered a new phase after the 31 July deadline. While salaried taxpayers and other non-business taxpayers filing ITR-1 and ITR-2 were required to file by 31 July, a separate deadline of 31 August now applies to certain business and professional taxpayers. Specifically, individuals, HUFs, firms, LLPs, and other eligible taxpayers filing ITR-3, ITR-4, or ITR-5 without a tax audit requirement can file their returns up to 31 August 2026. Taxpayers whose accounts are subject to audit under Section 44AB continue to enjoy a later due date in October. Understanding the correct ITR form and whether a tax audit applies is essential to determining the applicable filing deadline and avoiding unnecessary penalties.

Arjuna (Fictional Character):  Krishna, the 31st July deadline has just passed, and 5.92 crores of taxpayers have already filed their returns. But now there is fresh confusion some businessmen and professionals are being told that their last date is 31st August. For whom exactly is this 31st August due date meant?

Krishna (Fictional Character): Arjuna, this is the first time department has come with the different due date for the businesses, this is where most taxpayers get confused. There is no single last date for everyone. The due date depends on which ITR form a taxpayer files, and that in turn depends on the nature of the taxpayer’s income. 31st July was the due date for salaried and simple-income taxpayers filing ITR-1 and ITR-2. 31st August is the due date for business and professional taxpayers filing ITR-3, ITR-4, and ITR-5 provided their accounts do not require a tax audit.

Arjuna (Fictional Character): Krishna, then which taxpayer has to file their return before 31 ^st August? Let it be clear once and for all.

Krishna (Fictional Character): Arjuna, the ITR form itself decides the deadline. In simple words:

• ITR-3: an individual or HUF earning income from business or profession and maintaining regular books - due date is 31st August.
• ITR-4 (Sugam): a resident taxpayer opting for the presumptive scheme under Section 44AD, 44ADA, or 44AE - due date is 31st August.
• ITR-5: a firm, LLP, or association of persons - due date is 31st August.

So the non-audit business family - ITR-3, ITR-4, and ITR-5 - gets 31st August.

Arjuna (Fictional Character): Krishna, can this be explained with some examples so that every taxpayer can find his own place?

Krishna (Fictional Character): Certainly Arjuna, consider these taxpayers:

• Mr. A, who runs a shop and declares income under the presumptive scheme (Section 44AD) - he files ITR-4, and his due date is 31st August.
• Mr. B, a practicing professional maintaining regular books of account, with no audit requirement - he files ITR-3, and his due date is 31st August.
• M/s ABC & Co., a partnership firm whose accounts do not require audit - it files ITR-5, and its due date is 31st August. Similarly, a partner of a firm whose accounts are not audited also gets the due date of 31st August.

Arjuna (Fictional Character): Krishna, but ITR-3 and ITR-5 are also filed by big businesses whose accounts are audited. Do they too get 31st August?

Krishna (Fictional Character): Good question Arjuna. 31st August applies only where a tax audit is not required. The moment a tax audit becomes applicable for example, when business turnover crosses the prescribed limit or a professional’s receipts cross the threshold the due date to file ITR shifts further ahead to the October window. In such audit cases, the audit report is filed first in September , and only then the return. So Mr. D and Mr. E fall under 31st August today, but if their turnover crosses the audit limit, their due date to file will move to October. Similarly, a partner of a firm whose accounts are audited also gets the later date, not 31st August.

Arjuna (Fictional Character): Krishna, then to whom is this tax audit applicable? Which taxpayer must get the accounts audited?

Krishna (Fictional Character): Arjuna, tax audit applies mainly in three situations:

• Business: where total turnover or sales in the year crosses ₹1 crore, tax audit becomes compulsory. But if both cash receipts and cash payments stay within 5% of the total, this limit is raised to ₹10 crore, a relief that rewards digital and banking transactions.
• Profession: where a professional’s gross receipts in the year cross ₹50 lakh, tax audit is required.
• Presumptive scheme: where a taxpayer who had opted for the presumptive scheme (Section 44AD or 44ADA) declares profit lower than the prescribed rate and total income exceeds the basic exemption limit, tax audit again applies.

In all these cases, the accounts must first be audited by a Chartered Accountant, which is why such taxpayers get the extended due date instead of 31st August.

Arjuna (Fictional Character): Krishna, what should taxpayers finally learn from this?

Krishna (Fictional Character): Arjuna, the lesson is simple 31st August is not everyone’s date. It belongs to the non-audit business and professional taxpayers filing ITR-3, ITR-4, and ITR-5. Every taxpayer must first ask one question: “Which ITR form applies, and is audit required?” That single answer reveals the correct deadline.

Remember Arjuna in taxation, knowing the correct due date is half the compliance. The taxpayer who identifies the right form and files calmly before 31st August stays at peace, while the one who waits for the last moment invites unnecessary trouble!