The Central Board of Direct Taxes has granted audited account taxpayers a longer window to file their income tax returns and submit audit reports, aiming to ease operational strain and improve compliance for businesses and professionals.
The Central Board of Direct Taxes has given taxpayers with audited accounts more time to meet two key compliance deadlines for assessment year 2026-27. According to the Income Tax Department’s post on X, the due date for filing income tax returns has been pushed back from 31 October 2026 to 21 November 2026, while the deadline for submitting tax audit reports has been moved from 30 September 2026 to 21 October 2026.
The extension applies to taxpayers whose accounts must be audited under the Income-tax Act, 1961, including companies and other entities covered by audit requirements under other laws, according to reporting by LiveMint and other tax-focused publications. That means affected filers will now need to complete the audit step first, then file the return a month later, giving businesses, professionals and their advisers a longer compliance window after what had been a compressed schedule.
The change is likely to be welcomed by chartered accountants and business taxpayers, who have faced repeated pressure in recent years from overlapping filing obligations and tight statutory timelines. Setindiabiz said the revised dates were intended to ease operational strain and the practical difficulties of completing audits and return filings in time, while other reports described the move as a significant relief for audit-eligible taxpayers across India.
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