New Delhi: With the due date and one-day extension for filing income tax returns (ITRs) for Assessment Year 2025-26 ending on September 16, 2025, several taxpayers who failed to adhere to the deadline will have to file a belated ITR.
Taxpayers who failed to file their ITR by the deadline, would have to pay a penalty but might also face other financial repercussions depending upon the nature of income and profession.
As per the Income Tax department’s guidelines, taxpayers who miss the ITR deadline, can file a belated return up to December 31, 2025, by paying a late fee.
A penalty will be imposed on the taxpayer under Section 234F of the Income Tax Act if they fail to file their ITR within 15 September, which is today.
Section 234F mandates a belated ITR filer to pay a late fee of up to Rs 5,000, if the taxpayer’s income exceeds Rs 5 lakh. Individual earning less, may be penalised under Section 234F with a Rs 1,000 fine.
Under Section 234A of the I-T Act, a taxpayer is charged interest on the unpaid tax amount, if the individual misses filing the ITR within the deadline and still owes taxes. The taxpayer is tasked to pay 1 per cent interest per month on the unpaid tax. The interest is calculated from the return filing due date until the actual filing date.
Filing ITR after deadline: The Consequences
Besides the late fee, the I-T department could penalise the taxpayers by imposing interest under Sections 234A, 234B and 234C . Belated ITR filing leads to losses in carrying forward benefits. Processing of refunds gets delayed of the ITR is filed after due date. Some reports suggest that the scrutiny increases.
FAQ: Can a return of income be filed after the expiry of the due date to file a belated return?
What the Income Tax department says: “Section 139 to enable the filing of an updated return. The section provides that an updated return can be filed by any person irrespective of the fact whether such person has already filed the original, belated or revised return for the relevant assessment year or not (subject to certain conditions).
An updated return can be filed at any time within 48 months (12 months till 31-03-2025) from the end of the relevant assessment year.”