CBDT Extends ITR Filing Deadline for Audited Taxpayers to November 21
New Delhi, September 28, 2026: The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has extended the deadline for filing income-tax returns for Assessment Year (AY) 2026-27 for taxpayers whose accounts are required to be audited under the Income-tax Act, 1961.
The original deadline for furnishing the Return of Income was October 31, 2026. The CBDT has now extended the deadline to November 21, 2026, giving eligible taxpayers an additional 21 days to complete their tax compliance requirements.
The decision was announced by the Ministry of Finance, Department of Revenue, on September 28. The extension applies to persons covered under Serial No. 2 of the Table below Explanation 2 to Section 139(1) of the Income-tax Act, 1961.
Along with extending the return filing deadline, the CBDT has also revised the timeline for furnishing the audit report. The specified date for submitting the audit report for AY 2026-27 has been extended from September 30, 2026, to October 21, 2026.
The revised schedule provides taxpayers and tax professionals with additional time to complete audits, finalise financial records and prepare the necessary documents before submitting the income-tax return.
The extension is particularly relevant for businesses, professionals and other taxpayers whose accounts are subject to mandatory audit under the Income-tax Act. For these taxpayers, completing the audit and furnishing the prescribed report is an important part of the return-filing process.
With the revised deadlines, eligible taxpayers will now have until October 21, 2026, to furnish the audit report and until November 21, 2026, to file their Return of Income for AY 2026-27.
The CBDT said that a formal order or notification will be issued separately to give effect to the revised deadlines.
The announcement was issued by V. Rajitha, Commissioner of Income Tax (Media & Technical Policy) and Official Spokesperson, on behalf of the Central Board of Direct Taxes.
Taxpayers falling under the specified category should take note of the new dates and ensure that their audit reports and income-tax returns are submitted within the extended deadlines.
News source: Information for this article was gathered from a variety of reliable news outlets.
