Short answer: CBDT Circular No. 07/2026, dated 28 September 2026, moves the income tax return due date for assessment year 2026-27 from 31 October 2026 to 21 November 2026, and the tax audit report date to 21 October 2026. It covers the persons at serial number 2 of the due-date table in section 139(1): companies, people whose accounts must be audited, and partners of audited firms. An NRI who files ITR-2 on rent or a property sale sits at serial number 4, whose date was 31 July 2026, and the circular does not move it.
CBDT Moves the Audit-Case Return Date to 21 November 2026. Most NRI Owners Are Not in That Group
The Central Board of Direct Taxes has moved the income tax return due date for assessment year 2026-27 from 31 October 2026 to 21 November 2026, and the tax audit report date to 21 October 2026. The order is Circular No. 07/2026, dated 28 September 2026. It reaches companies, people whose accounts must be audited, and partners of audited firms. An NRI who files ITR-2 on Indian rent or a flat sale is in a different row of the law, with a due date of 31 July 2026, and the circular does not touch it.
The circular
Circular No. 07/2026 carries file number F. No. 225/128/2026/ITA-II and is signed by Dr. Indu Bala, Deputy Secretary to the Government of India. It is one page. CBDT issues it "in exercise of its powers under Section 119 of the Income-tax Act, 1961 (the Act) read with section 536 of the Income-tax Act, 2025".
The operative paragraph makes two changes.
First, it extends "the due date for furnishing Return of Income for the Assessment Year 2026-27 (Previous Year 2025-26) for the persons referred in sl.no.2 of the table below Explanation 2 to sub-section (1) of section 139 of the Act, from 31.10.2026 to 21.11.2026."
Second, it says that as a consequence "the specified date for furnishing of report of audit" for the same year "shall stand extended to 21.10.2026 in terms of clause (ii) of Explanation to section 44AB". The Income Tax Department's news page entry of 29 September 2026 gives the old audit report date as 30 September 2026.
The copy we read is the PDF linked from that 29 September entry on incometax.gov.in. It is a signed text PDF and carries no watermark.
Who is at serial number 2
The circular points to a table, and the table is in the Finance Act 2026 (No. 4 of 2026), which received assent on 30 March 2026. Section 5 of that Act replaced Explanation 2 to section 139(1) with a four-row table, with effect from 1 March 2026. We read it in the Gazette of India copy.
| Row | Who | Condition | Due date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Any assessee, including partners of a firm and the spouse of a partner where section 5A applies | Section 92E applies | 30 November |
| 2 | A company; an assessee other than a company whose accounts must be audited under the Act or any other law; a partner of an audited firm, or that partner's spouse where section 5A applies | Section 92E does not apply | 31 October |
| 3 | An assessee with business or professional income whose accounts need no audit; a partner of a firm that needs no audit, or that partner's spouse where section 5A applies | Section 92E does not apply | 31 August |
| 4 | Any other assessee | 31 July |
Section 92E is the transfer pricing report for dealings with associated enterprises. Section 5A splits income between spouses governed by the Portuguese Civil Code, the regime that applies in Goa.
The circular does not restate the table. It names the row by serial number, so the reader has to go to the Act to see who is in it. The circular moves row 2. Rows 1, 3 and 4 are untouched. A company or a firm partner in a transfer pricing case, row 1, keeps 30 November 2026.
What it means for an NRI owner
An NRI whose Indian income is rent from a flat, interest, or a capital gain on a property sale has no business accounts to audit. That person falls in row 4, "any other assessee", and files ITR-2 by 31 July of the assessment year. For 2026-27 that date was 31 July 2026. Circular 07/2026 says nothing about row 4.
Three groups of NRIs do come within row 2:
- An NRI who holds Indian property through a private company. The company files by 21 November 2026, and its audit report is due 21 October 2026.
- An NRI who is a partner in an Indian firm whose accounts must be audited, such as a family firm that owns and lets commercial property. The partner's own return moves to 21 November 2026 along with the firm's.
- An NRI with an Indian business or profession whose accounts must be audited under the Act or another law.
The circular does not extend the time for a row 4 filer who missed 31 July 2026. The Finance Act 2026 also replaced section 139(5), the revised return rule. Under the new text a person who finds "any omission or any wrong statement" in a return already filed may revise it "at any time before the end of the relevant assessment year or before the completion of the assessment, whichever is earlier", subject to section 234-I. For assessment year 2026-27 the year ends on 31 March 2027.
Our earlier reports on the 31 July 2026 ITR-2 date and the 31 August 2026 ITR-3 date set out rows 3 and 4. Our guide to tax on rental income for NRIs covers what goes into the return, and our note on choosing a CA for an NRI return covers who files it. Which row a company, a firm or a partner falls in is a question for that CA.
A note on the press release
CBDT also announced the extension in a press release dated 28 September 2026. We have not relied on it. Every date on this page comes from the signed circular, the department's news entry or the Finance Act.
FAQ
Has the ITR deadline for NRIs been extended to 21 November 2026? Not for most NRIs. Circular No. 07/2026 extends the date for row 2 of the section 139(1) table: companies, assessees whose accounts must be audited, and partners of audited firms. An NRI filing ITR-2 on rent or capital gains is in row 4, with a due date of 31 July 2026.
What is the new tax audit report date? 21 October 2026 for assessment year 2026-27, under clause (ii) of the Explanation to section 44AB, as the circular states. The department's news entry gives the earlier date as 30 September 2026.
I am a partner in an audited family firm in India. Does my date move? Row 2 includes "a partner of a firm whose accounts are required to be audited". The circular moves row 2 to 21 November 2026, where section 92E does not apply. If it does apply, row 1 and 30 November 2026 govern.
Does the circular change the date for filing ITR-2 late? No. The circular names row 2 of the table and no other row. It says nothing about returns filed after the due date or about row 4.
Until when can I correct an ITR-2 I filed for 2026-27? Under section 139(5) as substituted by the Finance Act 2026, a revised return may be filed before the end of the relevant assessment year or before the assessment is completed, whichever is earlier, subject to section 234-I. Assessment year 2026-27 ends on 31 March 2027.
66 MG Road newsdesk
Sources
- Central Board of Direct Taxes, Circular No. 07/2026, F. No. 225/128/2026/ITA-II, dated 28 September 2026, on the extension of audit report and return dates for assessment year 2026-27, one page, signed by Dr. Indu Bala. PDF read in full on 4 October 2026: https://www.incometax.gov.in/iec/foportal/sites/default/files/2026-09/Circular-7-2026.pdf
- Income Tax Department, News and e-Campaigns, entry of 29 September 2026 linking the circular and giving the audit report dates as 30 September 2026 to 21 October 2026: https://www.incometax.gov.in/iec/foportal/latest-news
- The Finance Act, 2026 (No. 4 of 2026), Gazette of India Extraordinary, Part II Section 1, No. 9, 30 March 2026, section 5 (Explanation 2 to section 139(1) and the new section 139(5)): https://egazette.gov.in/WriteReadData/2026/271439.pdf
- The Finance Bill, 2026 as introduced worded row 2(ii) as an assessee whose accounts are "not required to be audited". The Act as passed reads "required to be audited". This page follows the Act.
Information on this page is as on 2026-10-04. Rules, rates, deadlines and government portals change without notice, so verify against the official source before you act. This page is for information only. It is not tax or legal advice, and it is not a substitute for a qualified adviser who knows your position.