Belated and revised returns explained

Updated 11 October 2026

A belated return is an income tax return filed after the due date, which is 31 July for most people. You can file one until 31 December after the year ends, with a late fee of up to ₹5,000. A revised return corrects a return you have already filed; Budget 2026 gave more time for this, until 31 March instead of 31 December, with a fee for revisions made after 31 December.

Belated return: filing after the due date

A belated return (section 139(4) of the 1961 Act, with the same rule in the 2025 Act) can be filed up to nine months after the year ends, that is by 31 December, or before the tax officer completes an assessment, if that is earlier.

Business cases without an audit have a 31 August due date but the same 31 December limit for a belated return (see ITR due dates). Filing late costs you:

• Late fee: ₹5,000, or ₹1,000 if total income does not exceed ₹5 lakh. Nil if your income is below the basic exemption limit.
• Interest: 1% for each month or part of a month on unpaid tax, from the day after the due date until you file.
• Regime choice: if you have no business income, you cannot choose the old regime in a belated return; it is computed under the new regime.
• Losses: business and capital losses of that year cannot be carried forward (house property losses can).
• Refund interest: runs only from the date you file, not from 1 April.

You file it like any other return on the e-filing portal, choosing the belated option when the portal asks why you are filing. Pay the late fee and any tax due before you submit. See how to file your ITR.

Revised return: correcting a mistake

If you find an omission or a wrong figure after filing, such as interest you forgot, a deduction you missed or the wrong bank account, file a revised return (section 139(5) of the 1961 Act). It replaces the earlier return completely, so it must contain every figure, not just the correction, and it quotes the acknowledgement number and date of the original. Belated returns can be revised too, and you can revise as many times as you need within the deadline.

The Budget 2026 change

Before 2026, a return could be revised only until 31 December. The Finance Act, 2026 extended the window to 12 months from the end of the year, that is 31 March, or until assessment is completed if earlier. It applies from returns for FY 2025-26, which can be revised until 31 March 2027; returns for tax year 2026-27 can be revised until 31 March 2028. A fee applies to revisions in the last three months:

The fee is new (section 234I of the 1961 Act, in force from 1 March 2026; see the Income Tax Department's text), and the way the portal collects it may still change, so check when you file. Revising before 31 December remains the cheapest course.

After 31 March: the updated return (ITR-U)

Once the revision window closes, the only way to add missed income is an updated return (ITR-U), allowed for 48 months from the end of the assessment year (for FY 2025-26, until 31 March 2031). On top of the tax and interest, you pay additional tax that rises the longer you wait:

An updated return can increase your tax but cannot claim or increase a refund, and it is barred in some cases, for example after a search.