ITR Due Date November 21, 2026: Checklist for Firms, LLPs, Companies
October 26, 2026 · Taxation
ITR due date November 21 2026 for audited firms, LLPs and companies: AY 2026-27 checklist, Form 3CEB dates and late audit report risks.
The ITR due date November 21 2026 applies to companies, audited firms and LLPs, and partners of audited firms for Assessment Year (AY) 2026-27. CBDT Circular No. 07/2026 dated September 28, 2026 moved their return due date from October 31, 2026 to November 21, 2026, and the tax audit report date from September 30, 2026 to October 21, 2026. Transfer pricing cases are not covered. Below is a plain-English checklist, and what to do if the audit report missed October 21.
Quick answer: if your accounts are audited and you have no international or specified domestic transaction, file the AY 2026-27 return by November 21, 2026. As of October 26, 2026, no further extension has been announced.
A story to start: one diamond family, three deadlines
Consider a hypothetical example. Sapphire Lane Diamonds (an invented name) is a family partnership firm trading in polished diamonds, with a turnover of about INR 48 crore in FY 2025-26. Its partners are Meera and Arjun, and the family also owns a sister private company that buys rough diamonds from a related company abroad.
Arjun assumes everything is now due on November 21. The firm's audit report was uploaded on October 23, two days late. Is he right, and does the late report matter?
What has changed: ITR due date November 21 2026 under Circular 07/2026
In plain English, audit cases got three extra weeks. Using powers under section 119 of the Income-tax Act, 1961 read with section 536 of the Income-tax Act, 2025, CBDT extended the due date for persons at serial number 2 of the Table below Explanation 2 to section 139(1). The "specified date" for the audit report under clause (ii) of the Explanation to section 44AB moved to October 21, 2026.
Who is covered: tax audit ITR due date for firms and LLPs
Serial number 2 covers (i) a company, (ii) an assessee (other than a company) whose accounts must be audited under the Income-tax Act or any other law, and (iii) a partner of such an audited firm, or the spouse of such partner where section 5A applies. In each case the condition is that section 92E (transfer pricing report) does not apply. LLPs are treated as firms.
Who is not covered: Form 3CEB cases
Serial number 1 covers assessees, including partners of the firm, where section 92E applies. Their due date stays November 30, 2026, and the Income Tax Department's e-filing FAQ gives October 31, 2026 as the audit report date for these transfer pricing cases.
Why the 1961 Act still applies
The Income-tax Act, 2025 applies from April 1, 2026, but returns for AY 2026-27 (income of FY 2025-26) are filed under the 1961 Act. Section 536(2)(c) of the 2025 Act keeps these proceedings under the old law. Under the 2025 Act, returns fall under section 263 and tax audit under section 63, from tax year 2026-27.
Back to our example: the firm and both partners fall in serial number 2, so their due date is November 21, 2026. The sister company has international transactions, so it is a serial number 1 case: its tax audit report and Form 3CEB are due October 31, 2026, and its return is due November 30, 2026.
Key dates: ITR due date extended AY 2026-27
Category
Earlier position
Revised position
Basis
Tax audit report, serial number 2 cases
September 30, 2026
October 21, 2026
Circular 07/2026
ITR: companies, audited firms and LLPs, their partners (no section 92E)
October 31, 2026
November 21, 2026
Circular 07/2026
Form 3CEB and audit report, transfer pricing cases
October 31, 2026
October 31, 2026 (not extended)
Section 92E; e-filing FAQ (audit report date)
ITR, transfer pricing cases
November 30, 2026
November 30, 2026 (not extended)
Section 139(1), serial number 1
Belated return, section 139(4)
December 31, 2026
December 31, 2026
Section 139(4); e-filing FAQ
Revised return, section 139(5)
March 31, 2027
March 31, 2027
Section 139(5), Finance Act, 2026
Belated and revised returns must also be filed before completion of assessment, if earlier. Dates are as of October 26, 2026.
Pre-filing checklist for firms, LLPs and companies
Back to our example: Meera wants one list for the firm, the partners and the company. These steps suit most audit cases.
Confirm the audit report status: check on the e-filing portal that Form 3CA-3CD or 3CB-3CD is uploaded by the auditor and accepted by the taxpayer.
Match the return with Form 3CD: turnover, disallowances and depreciation should agree.
Reconcile tax credits: compare the books with AIS and Form 26AS.
Check partner payments: FY 2025-26 is the first year of section 194T, which requires 10% TDS on salary, remuneration, commission, bonus or interest to a partner above INR 20,000/- in the year. Keep remuneration and interest within section 40(b) limits.
File the firm first: partners need the firm's figures for share of profit, remuneration and interest.
Pay self-assessment tax: pay any balance under section 140A before filing.
Use the right form and signature: ITR-5 for firms and LLPs, ITR-6 for companies, with a valid digital signature of the authorised partner or director.
Missed the October 21 audit report date?
A late audit report does not stop the return being filed by November 21, 2026. But the delay creates penalty exposure that should be documented now.
Section 271B penalty for late tax audit report
Under section 271B, the Assessing Officer may levy a penalty of one-half per cent of total sales, turnover or gross receipts, or INR 1,50,000/-, whichever is less. The penalty is not automatic.
Reasonable cause under section 273B
Section 273B provides that no penalty under section 271B is imposable if the person proves there was reasonable cause for the failure. Keep a dated record of the reasons, with emails and screenshots.
Back to our example: 0.5% of INR 48 crore is INR 24 lakh, so the exposure is capped at INR 1,50,000/-. The firm records why the report was late and files well before November 21.
Interest under section 234A and late fee
Section 234A charges simple interest at 1% for every month or part of a month on tax remaining unpaid after advance tax, TDS and TCS, from the day after the due date until the return is filed. Circular 07/2026 extends the due date for furnishing the return but does not mention section 234A, so it does not say whether interest for covered assessees runs from October 31 or November 21. Paying any balance tax on or before October 31, 2026 removes the question.
If the return is filed after the due date, a fee under section 234F also applies: INR 1,000/- where total income does not exceed INR 5,00,000/-, and INR 5,000/- in other cases. A late return also blocks carry forward of most losses, including business losses.
Belated and revised return options
Belated return under section 139(4)
A return that misses November 21 can still be filed as a belated return by December 31, 2026, or before completion of assessment if earlier. The section 234F fee will apply, and section 234A interest will apply on any tax still unpaid.
Revised return under section 139(5)
The Finance Act, 2026 substituted section 139(5): a return filed under section 139(1) or 139(4) can be revised before the end of the assessment year, that is March 31, 2027, or before completion of assessment, if earlier. New section 234-I, inserted by the same Act, provides a fee of INR 1,000/- where total income does not exceed INR 5,00,000/-, and INR 5,000/- in other cases, for late revisions.
The Income Tax Department's guidance applies this fee where the revised return is furnished more than nine months after the end of the relevant financial year, that is after December 31, 2026 for AY 2026-27. Filing any revision by December 31, 2026 avoids the question. For more on that Budget, see our Finance Bill 2026 procedural changes analysis .
Key takeaways
The ITR due date November 21 2026 applies to companies, audited firms and LLPs, and their partners, where section 92E does not apply.
Transfer pricing cases keep October 31, 20