ITR filing deadline today for business and profession taxpayers using ITR-3 and ITR-4 forms

Synopsis

ITR filing deadline: Taxpayers with business or profession income must file their returns today. This deadline applies to those using ITR-3 and ITR-4 forms. More than seven crore income tax returns have already been filed. Individuals and HUFs with presumptive business income use ITR-4. Partners of non-audit firms also have this August 31 filing requirement.

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Taxpayers who have income from a business or profession and whose accounts are not required to be audited have to file their Income Tax Return (ITR) for the Assessment Year (AY) 2026-27 by today, Monday, August 31, 2026.

The deadline applies to eligible taxpayers filing ITR-3 and ITR-4. The Income Tax Department has said that more than 7 crore ITRs have already been filed for AY 2026-27.

Taxpayers can file their returns through the income tax e-filing portal.

Who needs to file ITR-3?

It is filed by individuals and HUFs having income from profits or gains from business or profession who are not eligible to file ITR-1, ITR-2 or ITR-4 (such as when maintaining detailed books of accounts, experiencing losses or having actual expenses exceeding 50% under non-presumptive setups).

Who needs to file ITR-4?

ITR-4 (Sugam): ITR-4 (Sugam) may be filed by a resident individual, HUF (Hindu Undivided Family), or a firm, other than Limited Liability Partnership (LLP), having a total taxable income of up to Rs 50 lakh and income from a business, or profession computed on a presumptive basis under Sections 44AD, 44ADA or 44AE of the Income-tax Act, 1961.

ITR-4 can be filed by a resident individual / HUF / firm (other than LLP) who has:

Income not exceeding Rs 50 lakh in a financial year

Income from business and profession which is computed on a presumptive basis under Sections 44AD, 44ADA or 44AE

Long-term capital gain u/s 112A not exceeding Rs 1.25 lakhs

Income from salary/pension, two house property, agricultural income (up to Rs 5,000/-)

Other sources which include (excluding winning from lottery and income from racehorses).

Interest from savings account

Interest from deposit (bank / post office / cooperative society)

Interest from income tax refund

Family pension

Any other interest income (e.g., interest income from unsecured loan)

Who else has to file ITR by August 31?

Shalini Jain, tax partner, EY India, told ET Wealth Online that other taxpayers like partners of non-audit firms are also liable to file their ITR by the August 31, 2026, deadline.

ITR filing deadlines for AY 2026-27 and Tax Year 2026-27

Here are the applicable ITR filing deadlines:

Category of taxpayer AY 2026-27 (FY 2025-26) Tax Year 2026-27 Salaried individuals and other non-audit taxpayers (not having business/profession income; not being a company) July 31, 2026 July 31, 2027 Taxpayers having business/profession income whose accounts are not required to be audited (not being a company) August 31, 2026 August 31, 2027 Companies and taxpayers subject to tax audit October 31, 2026 October 31, 2027 Taxpayers requiring transfer pricing report under Section 92E November 30, 2026 November 30, 2027

* Includes partners of firms whose accounts are not required to be audited and such other persons as specified under Section 263 of the Income-tax Act, 2025.

Source: EY India

What should taxpayers do today?

Taxpayers who need to meet the August 31 ITR filing deadline should avoid waiting until the last minute to submit their return. Before filing, check the relevant ITR form, income details, tax deductions and other information reported in the Annual Information Statement (AIS) and Form 26AS.

If the return is filed after the applicable due date, it will be treated as a belated return, and the taxpayer may have to pay the applicable late filing fee and interest, depending on the circumstances.

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