Belated Return and Updated Return (ITR-U) Filing

What is a belated return and who should file one?

A belated return is a return filed under section 139(4) of the Income-tax Act 1961 after the due date under section 139(1) has passed. It is a full, valid return: you can report income, pay tax and claim refunds, but some benefits are lost and a late fee applies.

You should file a belated return now if:

• You missed 31 July 2026 for ITR-1 or ITR-2, or the later date that applied to your business return.
• TDS was deducted from salary, rent, interest or a property sale and you want the refund.
• You sold property or shares in FY 2025-26 and the gain is not yet reported. Our capital gains tax page explains the computation.
• A bank, visa office or lender is asking for your latest ITR.
• You received a reminder on the portal about non-filing.

The due dates for each return type are listed on our ITR due dates page.

Belated return deadline and late fee for FY 2025-26

For AY 2026-27 the belated return window closes on 31 December 2026. The fee under section 234F depends on total income, and interest on any unpaid tax is charged on top.

Source: e-filing portal FAQs on income tax returns, checked November 2026.

What do you lose by filing a belated return?

A late return costs more than the fee. Losses under business and capital gains cannot be carried forward, and some regime and deduction choices tied to the original due date are lost.

• Loss carry-forward: business losses and capital losses can be carried forward only if the return for the loss year was filed by the section 139(1) due date. A loss from house property is the exception and can still be carried forward.
• Old tax regime for business income: taxpayers with business or professional income who want the old regime must file Form 10-IEA by the original due date, so a belated filer generally stays in the new regime.
• Interest: interest on unpaid tax runs for the period of delay.
• Scrutiny risk: a late return with a large refund or mismatch is more likely to draw questions. See our page on income tax notice reply if one arrives.

What is an updated return (ITR-U) and when can you use it?

An updated return lets you report income you missed or file for a year where no return was filed, after the belated and revised windows have closed. Under section 139(8A) it can be filed up to 48 months from the end of the assessment year, with additional tax on top of the normal tax and interest.

ITR-U can be filed whether or not you filed an original return, but it must increase your tax. It cannot:

• reduce the tax you owe or increase a refund;
• create or increase a loss;
• be filed more than once for the same year.

It is also generally not available where the department has already started a search or survey, or where an assessment for that year is pending or completed, so check this before you pay anything.

Updated return ITR-U: additional tax and years open now

The additional tax under section 140B is a percentage of the tax and interest due on the updated income, and it rises the longer you wait. Filing within 12 months of the end of the assessment year costs 25%; between 36 and 48 months it costs 70%.

Sources: Income Tax Department pages on updated return of income and section 140B, checked November 2026. Year-wise bands are our reading of the 48-month rule; confirm on the portal before filing.

How much will a late or updated return cost? A worked example

Here is an illustrative case. A salaried person in Model Town forgot to report ₹3 lakh of fixed deposit interest for FY 2024-25. Suppose the extra tax works out to ₹40,000 and interest to ₹6,000.

• Filed as ITR-U before 31 March 2027: additional tax is 25% of ₹46,000, which is ₹11,500, so the total payable is ₹57,500.
• Filed as ITR-U for the same year in the following 12 months: the additional tax doubles to 50%, or ₹23,000, and interest keeps growing.

For FY 2025-26, filing a belated return before 31 December 2026 avoids the additional tax entirely and costs only the ₹1,000 or ₹5,000 fee plus interest. That is why we push clients to act before the year-end cut-off.

How we file your belated return or ITR-U: step by step

Most late filings can be completed online once your documents arrive. Here is the process.

1. 1

   Tell us the year and situation

   Message +91 99114 92897 on WhatsApp or use the enquiry form with the year missed and your income sources.

2. 2

   Choose the route

   We check whether a belated return is still open or ITR-U is needed, and whether any bar applies.

3. 3

   Fixed quote

   You get a fixed quote before work starts, covering computation and filing.

4. 4

   Compute and pay

   We reconcile AIS and Form 26AS, compute tax, interest, fee and any additional tax, and you pay the challan.

5. 5

   File and verify

   We file the return with payment proof, you e-verify with Aadhaar OTP or net banking, and we share the acknowledgement.

What documents are needed for a late ITR?

The documents are the same as for a normal return, plus anything that explains the income you are adding. Start with AIS, which shows most of what the department already knows.

Belated return help in Delhi: who handles it

Moneymji, one of the firms listed in our directory of chartered accountant firms in Delhi, includes income tax and TDS in its services, and Khubchandani & Co. lists advance tax and TDS returns. Where your case needs something beyond a listed firm's services, we pass it to the partner professional who handles it and confirm the scope and a fixed quote first.

The office at Best Sky Tower, Netaji Subhash Place is close to Model Town, Pitampura and Keshav Puram, but most late filings are done entirely online. For a regular return next year, see our income tax return filing service, or our accountant near me page if you also need bookkeeping.

Frequently asked questions

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