The income tax return filing deadline has passed for many taxpayers, but not everyone had to submit their ITR by July 31. According to income tax data, more than 5.9 crore income tax returns were filed by July 31 for the financial year 2025-26.
The Income Tax Department also thanked taxpayers through its social media platforms for fulfilling their tax-related responsibilities. However, the applicable ITR deadline depends on the taxpayer’s income source and whether their accounts are subject to an audit.
Who Had July 31 as the ITR Filing Deadline?
The July 31 deadline mainly applied to taxpayers whose accounts did not require a tax audit. This included salaried individuals and pensioners, along with people earning income from sources such as house rent, interest and capital gains.
Taxpayers filing returns through forms such as ITR-1 and ITR-2 generally fell under this deadline.
Who Could File by August 31?
Taxpayers earning income from a business or profession, instead of only from salary, came under a different filing timeline when their accounts did not require a mandatory audit.
This category included people earning through business activities, freelancing, consultancy and other professions. Such taxpayers were required to file their returns by August 31 and generally use ITR-3 or ITR-4, depending on their circumstances.
Who Has the October 31 Deadline?
The October 31 deadline applies to taxpayers whose accounts are required by law to undergo a tax audit. This category can include certain businessmen, companies and professionals.
For these taxpayers, the July 31 deadline does not apply. They have until October 31, 2026, to file their income tax returns under the applicable filing requirements.
Therefore, taxpayers should check which category they fall into before assuming that the July 31 deadline applied to them. The applicable filing date depends on their income source, taxpayer category and audit requirements.