New Delhi: The extension applies to taxpayers who must get their accounts audited—companies, LLPs, partnership firms, and proprietorships covered by audit provisions. These entities were earlier required to file ITR by October 31 for AY 2025–26 and submit audit reports by October 31 as well; both windows have now been pushed. Audit reports can be filed up to November 10, while the ITR due date is December 10. If your business is under tax audit because of turnover limits or presumptive exit, you are included. Non-audit individuals are not part of this relief.
What stays unchanged for others?
Individual salaried taxpayers and HUFs without audit obligations follow the earlier cycle; their regular due date was July 31, which the government had already relaxed this season in phases due to disruptions. If you have already filed, there is nothing more to do unless a correction is needed through a revised return. Senior citizens filing without audit also remain outside the December 10 window. In short, the new dates mainly target audit-bound filers, not the general public. Check your category before planning any fresh timeline.
Why was extra time granted?
Industry bodies cited floods, regional disruptions, and workflow delays affecting audit completion and return preparation. Many firms faced difficulty coordinating books, confirmations, and statutory certifications within October. By allowing audit reports till November 10 and ITRs till December 10, authorities created a clean buffer for staggered work—first close the audit, then finalize computation and file the return. This sequencing lowers last-minute errors, avoids hasty uploads, and helps taxpayers attach corrected statements. The idea is to balance compliance with ground realities without compromising revenue administration.
What should businesses do now?
Treat November 10 as your hard stop for uploading the tax audit report; do not push it further. Lock ledgers, reconcile GST and TDS, and match Form 26AS and AIS with books. Resolve negative cash, suspense entries, and vendor confirmations, then run a dry-run return to identify add-backs, disallowances, and depreciation blocks. After audit e-reporting, prepare the ITR package with schedules, MAT/AMT workings if applicable, and confirm bank details for refund. Use the grace period to fix mismatches rather than merely waiting for the last day.
What if you still miss deadlines?
Missing the audit report cut-off may trigger penalties under audit provisions and could complicate your ITR filing. Filing the return after December 10 can attract late fees and interest, besides risking loss of certain carry-forward losses or deductions subject to due-date compliance. Banks and tenders often ask for timely-filed returns; delays may affect credit discussions. Therefore, even with relief, plan backwards from the portal cut-offs, keep DSCs active, and line up your auditor’s final sign-off at least a few days in advance.
Are there practical filing tips?
Generate JSON on the utility after freezing books, not before, to avoid version clashes. Validate PAN-Aadhaar links, company DIN authorizations, and primary-secondary contact numbers on the portal. Keep Form 3CD notes crisp and consistent with financial statements to prevent query loops. Cross-check TDS/TCS claims against AIS to minimize refund holds. If cash-flow is tight, compute advance-tax and interest early so there are no payment gateway surprises. Finally, e-verify immediately after upload; unverified returns are treated as not filed within time.
What’s the bigger takeaway here?
This is a compliance relief, not a holiday. The staggered schedule—Audit Report by November 10, ITR by December 10—is designed to improve quality and reduce scramble. Firms that use the window to clean reconciliations, substantiate major expenses, and align GST-income tax data will benefit during assessments. Those who wait till the last evening risk portal traffic and avoidable mistakes. Block your internal calendar, assign owners for each schedule, and close early. A timely, accurate ITR today saves months of notices tomorrow.
