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Late ITR filing fee and interest calculator AY 2026-27

What a late income-tax return for FY 2025-26 (AY 2026-27) actually costs in 2026. Pick the due date that applies, enter the filing date and the tax already paid, and get the Section 234A interest month by month, the Section 234F late fee, and which window — belated, revised or updated — is still open.

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Which due date applies?

Assessment year 2026-27 — financial year 2025-26, Income-tax Act 1961

Due date under Section 139(1)

Set by the category above.

Date the return is (or will be) filed

Interest stops on the date the return is furnished.

Tax and what was paid by the due date

Tax on total income (₹)

After rebate under Section 87A and reliefs, including surcharge and cess.

Advance tax paid (₹)

TDS, TCS and other credits (₹)

Include relief under Sections 89, 90, 90A, 91 and MAT/AMT credit set off.

Self-assessment tax paid on or before the due date (₹)

Only challans dated on or before the due date. Later payments do not reduce the 234A base.

Does total income exceed ₹5 lakh?

Total income after Chapter VI-A deductions. At or below ₹5 lakh the fee is capped at ₹1,000.

Was the person required to file a return under Section 139(1)?

Every company and firm is. An individual is, if income before deductions crosses the basic exemption or a compulsory-filing condition is met.

How the late ITR filing fee and interest are worked out for FY 2025-26 (AY 2026-27)

A return filed after the due date in Section 139(1) of the Income-tax Act, 1961 attracts two separate charges. Section 234A is interest: simple interest at 1% for every month or part of a month, running from the day after the due date to the date the return is actually furnished. Section 234F is a fee: a flat ₹5,000, reduced to ₹1,000 where total income does not exceed ₹5 lakh. Interest depends on how much tax was outstanding and for how long; the fee depends on neither. A refund return filed late pays no interest but still pays the fee.

The interest base is the tax on total income less advance tax, tax deducted or collected at source, and reliefs and credits. Self-assessment tax paid on or before the due date is also kept out of the base: the Supreme Court held in CIT v. Prannoy Roy that interest under Section 234A is payable only on tax not deposited by the due date, and CBDT Circular No. 2/2015 dated 10 February 2015 accepted that position for the department. Tax paid after the due date does not get the same treatment — the period is measured to the date of filing the return. Rule 119A of the Income-tax Rules, 1962 treats any fraction of a month as a full month and rounds the amount on which interest is computed down to a multiple of ₹100.

For AY 2026-27 (financial year 2025-26, the last year under the 1961 Act) the due dates are 31 July 2026 for assessees without business income, 31 August 2026 for business or professional income not subject to audit — a new date brought in by the Finance Act 2026 — and 31 October 2026 for companies and audit cases, which the CBDT extended in late September 2026 to 21 November 2026 alongside the tax audit report date. Transfer pricing cases stay at 30 November 2026. A belated return can be filed up to 31 December 2026; a return can be revised up to 31 March 2027, with a new Section 234I fee for a revision made after 31 December; and an updated return under Section 139(8A) stays open until 31 March 2031 at a price of 25% to 70% additional tax.

Worked example — a salaried individual filing on 15 December 2026

An individual with salary and capital gains (ITR-2) has tax on total income of ₹1,80,000 for AY 2026-27. TDS is ₹90,000 and advance tax ₹20,000. She paid ₹30,000 of self-assessment tax on 20 July 2026 but did not file the return until 15 December 2026, paying the balance that day. Total income exceeds ₹5 lakh.

Inputs

Due date31 July 2026

Date of filing15 December 2026

Tax on total income₹1,80,000

Advance tax + TDS₹20,000 + ₹90,000

Self-assessment tax paid by the due date₹30,000 (20 July 2026)

Output

Unpaid on the due date₹1,80,000 − ₹1,10,000 − ₹30,000 = ₹40,000

Months of delayAugust to December = 5

Section 234A interest₹40,000 × 1% × 5 = ₹2,000

Section 234F fee₹5,000

Cost of filing late₹7,000

WindowBelated return — Section 139(4)

Had the ₹30,000 been paid on 5 August instead of 20 July, the base would have been ₹70,000 and the interest ₹3,500 — the same money, paid sixteen days later, costs ₹1,500 more. And the fee would have been ₹5,000 whether she filed on 1 August or 31 December.

Common mistakes

Charging 234A on tax that was paid before the due date

Self-assessment tax deposited on or before the due date is not part of the Section 234A base, even though the return is late. CBDT Circular No. 2/2015 says so in terms, following CIT v. Prannoy Roy. If an intimation under Section 143(1) charges interest on that amount, it is a rectifiable mistake.

Assuming a challan paid after the due date stops the interest

It does not. Section 234A measures the period to the date of furnishing the return. A client who pays the balance in September but files in December pays interest for every month up to December. The practical advice is to file on the day the tax is paid.

Counting days instead of months

Interest is for every month or part of a month. A return filed one day after a 31 July due date carries a full month of interest, and Rule 119A leaves no room for a pro-rata computation.

Expecting the fee to disappear because a refund is due

Section 234F is not linked to tax payable. A return claiming a refund, filed late by a person required to file, carries the fee — and the fee is recovered out of the refund. Interest on the refund under Section 244A is also lost for the period of delay.

Charging the fee to someone who never had to file

The fee applies where a person required to furnish a return under Section 139 fails to do so in time. An individual whose income is within the basic exemption and who meets none of the compulsory-filing conditions files voluntarily, and pays no fee for doing so late.

Using 31 October for an audit case this year

For AY 2026-27 the CBDT extended the audit-case return date from 31 October to 21 November 2026 when it moved the tax audit report date to 21 October. Transfer pricing cases were not part of that extension and remain at 30 November 2026.

Treating interest and the fee as the whole cost

A belated return also loses the carry-forward of business and capital losses (house-property loss and unabsorbed depreciation survive), and an assessee with business income who wanted to opt out of the default tax regime loses that option. These are often worth more than the ₹5,000.

Frequently asked questions

What is the interest for late filing of ITR for FY 2025-26 (AY 2026-27)?+

Simple interest at 1% for every month or part of a month under Section 234A, from the day after the due date to the date the return is furnished, on the tax that remained unpaid on the due date after advance tax, TDS/TCS, reliefs and self-assessment tax paid by that date.

What is the late fee for filing ITR after the due date in 2026 (AY 2026-27)?+

₹5,000 under Section 234F where the return is furnished after the due date, and ₹1,000 where total income does not exceed ₹5 lakh. No fee applies to a person who was not required to furnish a return under Section 139(1).

Is 234A interest charged if I paid self-assessment tax before the due date but filed late?+

Not on the amount paid by the due date. CBDT Circular No. 2/2015 dated 10 February 2015 provides that no interest under Section 234A is chargeable on self-assessment tax paid before the due date of the return, following the Supreme Court in CIT v. Prannoy Roy. The Section 234F fee still applies.

What is the last date to file a belated return for AY 2026-27?+

31 December 2026, under Section 139(4). After that the only option is an updated return under Section 139(8A), which carries additional tax.

What is the last date to file a revised return for AY 2026-27 — is it 31 March 2027?+

Yes, 31 March 2027. The Finance Act 2026 extended the revision window, and added Section 234I: a revision made after 31 December 2026 carries a fee of ₹1,000 where total income does not exceed ₹5 lakh and ₹5,000 otherwise. A revision made by 31 December 2026 is free.

Until when can an updated return be filed for AY 2026-27?+

Up to 31 March 2031 — 48 months from the end of the assessment year. The additional tax is 25% of the tax and interest if filed within 12 months of the end of the assessment year, 50% within 24 months, 60% within 36 months and 70% within 48 months.

What is the ITR due date for FY 2025-26 (AY 2026-27)?+

31 July 2026 for individuals and HUFs without business income; 31 August 2026 for business or professional income where no audit is required; 31 October 2026 for companies and audit cases, extended by the CBDT to 21 November 2026; and 30 November 2026 for assessees required to furnish a transfer pricing report under Section 92E.

Is 234F payable if my income is below the taxable limit?+

Not if you were not required to file. The fee attaches to a person required to furnish a return under Section 139. Where income before deductions is within the basic exemption limit and none of the compulsory-filing conditions is met, a late voluntary return carries no fee.

Is the 234F fee reduced for a short delay?+

No. For returns of recent years there is a single fee regardless of the length of the delay — ₹5,000, or ₹1,000 where total income does not exceed ₹5 lakh. Only interest grows with time.

Does Section 234A apply along with Sections 234B and 234C?+

Yes. They are independent. Section 234A is for delay in filing the return, Section 234B for a shortfall in advance tax at the year end, and Section 234C for a shortfall in individual instalments. A late return with unpaid tax can attract all three.

Authoritative sources

CBDT

Income-tax Act, 1961 — Section 234A — Simple interest at 1% for every month or part of a month from the date immediately following the due date to the date of furnishing the return, on tax net of advance tax, TDS/TCS and reliefs.

CBDT

CBDT Circular No. 2/2015, dated 10 February 2015 — No interest under Section 234A is chargeable on self-assessment tax paid before the due date of filing the return; follows CIT v. Prannoy Roy (309 ITR 231, SC).

CBDT

Income-tax Act, 1961 — Sections 234F and 234I — Section 234F: fee of ₹5,000 for a return furnished after the due date, ₹1,000 where total income does not exceed ₹5 lakh. Section 234I, inserted by the Finance Act 2026: the same two amounts for a return revised after 31 December of the assessment year.

CBDT

Income-tax Act, 1961 — Section 139(1), (4), (5) and (8A) — Due dates for the original return, and the windows for belated, revised and updated returns. The Finance Act 2026 added the 31 August date for non-audit business cases and extended the revision window.

CBDT

Income-tax Rules, 1962 — Rule 119A — A fraction of a month is deemed a full month, and the amount on which interest is calculated is rounded down to a multiple of ₹100.

Always confirm against the latest version of the source. Regulations evolve and amendments are common.

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Last reviewed: 2026-10-01 · For informational purposes only — not professional advice.