SynopsisTaxpayers can breathe easy as the Income Tax Return (ITR) filing deadline for AY 2026-27 is unlikely to be extended. Unlike last year's technical glitches and delayed form releases, this year's process has been smooth, with utilities available on time. Experts advise against banking on an extension and urge prompt filing within the stipulated dates. Various deadlines exist for different taxpayer categories.ET OnlineShould ITR filing due date for AY 2026-2027 be extended? (AI generated representative image)The Income Tax Return (ITR) filing due date for students, pensioners, salaried and other taxpayers who are not required to conduct a tax audit, is July 31, 2026, for AY 2026-2027. However, unlike last year, this year the ITR utilities are working fine and about 65 lakh taxpayers have already started filing their ITR as can be seen from the e-filing ITR portal statistics.Last year, the main issue was the new ITR forms and tax rule implementation needed a lot of time. So, the ITR utilities were released very late and the original ITR due date moved from July 31, 2026 to September 15, 2026 and then again to September 16, 2026. This year no such issue exists.Sanjoli Maheshwari, Executive Director, Nangia & Co LLP, says that at present, there does not seem to be a strong case for extending the ITR filing deadline. Unlike last year, this year, most ITR forms and utilities have been made available on time, and the filing process has been relatively smooth so far. Maheshwari says: "Taxpayers should not rely on the possibility of an extension and should plan to file their returns within the prescribed deadlines."What are the ITR filing due dates for individuals, business, tax audit, professionals, NGO's, trust?Due dates for ITR filing under the Income Tax Act, 1961 for Assessment Year 2026-27 (Financial Year 2025-26) are as follows:Category of AssesseeTax Audit ReportDue dateITR FilingDue Date1Individual / HUF (having no business income)—July 31, 20262Trusts (no audit required)3Individual / HUF / Firm (having business or professional income, presumptive taxation (44AD / 44ADA), not liable for tax audit)—August 31, 20264Partners of the Firms (Firms not liable for Tax audit)5Individual / HUF / Firms / LLPs (accounts liable for tax audit under Section 44AB of the Act)September 30, 2026October 31, 20266Partners of the Firms (Firms liable for tax audit)7Company (if the provisions of Transfer pricing do not apply apply)8Trusts (audit required in Form 10B / 10BB)9Assessee including Partners of the Firm (if the provisions of Transfer pricing apply)October 31, 2026November 30, 2026Source: Nangia & Co LLP (Join our ETWealth WhatsApp channel for all the latest updates)...more