ITR Filing Deadline: Who Can File Income Tax Return Until October 31, 2026? Check Tax Audit Rules

ITR Filing Deadline for AY 2026-27: The income tax return filing deadline has already passed for many taxpayers, but certain business owners and professionals still have time to complete the process. Taxpayers whose accounts are required to undergo a tax audit can file their ITR for Assessment Year 2026-27 until October 31, 2026.

The deadline for salaried employees, students and pensioners was July 31, 2026, while businesses and professionals not required to get their accounts audited had until August 31, 2026. Both deadlines have now passed.

However, the October 31 deadline remains important for taxpayers whose business or professional accounts fall under mandatory tax audit provisions.

Who Can File ITR Until October 31, 2026?

The October 31 deadline primarily applies to taxpayers earning income from a business or profession whose accounts are required to be audited under the applicable provisions of the Income Tax Act.

For professionals, a tax audit is generally required when their gross receipts exceed ₹50 lakh during a financial year.

For businesses, the normal turnover threshold for a mandatory tax audit is more than ₹1 crore.

However, businesses that conduct most of their transactions digitally may qualify for a substantially higher threshold. If cash receipts and cash payments are each not more than 5% of total transactions, the tax audit turnover threshold can rise to ₹10 crore.

Therefore, whether a business needs an audit depends not only on its turnover but also, in certain cases, on the proportion of transactions conducted in cash.

Tax Audit Rules for Businesses and Professionals

Section 44AB of the Income Tax Act contains provisions relating to tax audits for specified businesses and professionals.

A business taxpayer whose turnover crosses the applicable audit threshold is generally required to have the accounts audited. Similarly, professionals whose gross receipts exceed the prescribed limit may also come under the tax audit requirement.

Taxpayers who are required to undergo such an audit get a different ITR filing timeline compared with regular individual taxpayers.

For AY 2026-27, the relevant return filing deadline for these eligible audit cases is October 31, 2026.

Presumptive Taxation Cases May Also Require Attention

The October 31 deadline may also become relevant in certain cases involving taxpayers covered by or moving out of presumptive taxation provisions.

These can include cases connected with Sections 44AD, 44ADA, 44AE, 44BB and 44BBB.

Presumptive taxation is designed to simplify compliance for eligible taxpayers by allowing income to be calculated according to prescribed rules rather than requiring conventional computation in every case.

However, there can be situations where a taxpayer covered by these provisions may still need a tax audit.

For instance, an audit requirement may arise in specified circumstances where the income declared is below the level prescribed under the relevant provisions or where the taxpayer reports a loss, subject to the applicable conditions.

Taxpayers using or exiting a presumptive taxation scheme should therefore determine whether their circumstances trigger an audit requirement.

Which Categories May Get the October 31 ITR Deadline?

Several categories of taxpayers may fall within the October 31 filing timeline.

Business owners requiring a tax audit: Taxpayers earning business income whose accounts must be audited under Section 44AB can file their return by October 31.

Professionals covered by tax audit provisions: Professionals meeting the prescribed conditions for a mandatory audit are also covered by the extended filing timeline applicable to audit cases.

Partners of audited firms: Partners of firms whose accounts require a tax audit may also have the October 31 ITR deadline, depending on the rules applicable to their case.

Other taxpayers requiring an audit: The deadline can also apply to taxpayers whose accounts are required to be audited under other relevant provisions of the Income Tax Act.

Since tax situations can vary significantly, taxpayers should determine the deadline applicable to their specific category rather than relying on the filing date applicable to ordinary individual taxpayers.

When Should the Tax Audit Report Be Submitted?

Taxpayers covered by the audit requirement also need to pay attention to the deadline for submitting their tax audit report.

The audit must be completed before the prescribed date, which is generally one month before the applicable ITR filing deadline.

The tax audit report has to be filed electronically in the prescribed format. Depending on the taxpayer's circumstances, relevant forms can include Form 3CA and Form 3CB.

This makes it important for businesses and professionals to coordinate with their tax professionals well before the ITR deadline rather than waiting until October 31.

More Than 7.8 Crore ITRs Filed for AY 2026-27

Income tax return filing has already crossed a significant milestone for Assessment Year 2026-27.

According to the figures cited in the report, more than 7.8 crore income tax returns had been filed by August 31, 2026.

Of these, more than 5.9 crore ITR-1 and ITR-2 returns had been filed by the July 31 deadline.

For comparison, more than 7.3 crore ITRs were filed for AY 2025-26 by the extended deadline of September 16, 2025.

Don’t Wait Until the October 31 Deadline

Businesses and professionals covered by tax audit provisions still have additional time to file their returns, but the audit requirement means there are compliance steps that need to be completed before the final ITR is submitted.

Taxpayers should first determine whether their business turnover, professional receipts, cash transaction levels or other circumstances bring them under mandatory tax audit rules.

Those covered by the audit requirement should also ensure that the applicable audit report is completed and submitted within the prescribed timeline.

For eligible taxpayers, October 31, 2026 is the key ITR filing deadline for AY 2026-27. Completing the audit and preparing the return early can help avoid last-minute complications as the due date approaches.