# The 31 August ITR Deadline Is Not Yours. As an NRI, You File by 31 July 2026 **A lot of the filing coverage this month says the income-tax deadline moved to 31 August 2026. That extra month is for ITR-3 and ITR-4 non-audit filers. NRIs file ITR-2, and ITR-2 is still due on 31 July 2026. That is eight days from now.** This one is a calendar warning, not an explainer. We covered what changed in the NRI return earlier this month. The point here is narrow and time-bound: do not read the wrong headline and lose a week. ## What actually changed The Finance Act 2026 amended Section 139(1) of the income-tax law. It gave non-audit taxpayers who file ITR-3 or ITR-4, the forms for business and professional income, a due date of 31 August of the assessment year, in place of the old common 31 July. This is a permanent statutory change from AY 2026-27 onward, not a last-minute extension of the kind the department used to announce each July. So the dates for AY 2026-27 (income of FY 2025-26) now split: - **31 July 2026:** ITR-1 and ITR-2, for individuals not under tax audit. - **31 August 2026:** ITR-3 and ITR-4, for non-audit business and professional filers. - **31 October 2026:** audit cases. - **31 December 2026:** belated returns. - **31 March 2027:** revised returns. ## Why NRIs land on 31 July An NRI cannot file ITR-1 or ITR-4. Those forms are barred for non-residents. An NRI with rent, capital gains, or interest from India files ITR-2. An NRI running a business or profession in India files ITR-3, which is the one case that gets the 31 August date. For the ordinary NRI owner, someone who rents out a flat in Mumbai or Pune, or sold one in Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai, or Gurgaon this year, the form is ITR-2 and the deadline is 31 July 2026. The month-longer window everyone is talking about does not apply to you. Miss 31 July and you are into belated-return territory, with the late fee under Section 234F and lost ability to carry forward certain losses. ## What to have ready Report, not advice, so this is the checklist, not a filing service. Before 31 July, an NRI on ITR-2 usually needs: - The TDS the tenant deducted on rent, or the buyer deducted on a sale, matched to your Form 26AS and AIS. - The capital-gains working on any property sold, at 12.5% without indexation for a non-resident. The mechanics are in [capital gains tax on NRI property](/guides/capital-gains-tax-nri-property). - Any lower-deduction certificate you obtained, and the sale-side TDS detail set out in [TDS on sale of property by an NRI](/guides/tds-on-sale-of-property-by-nri). - Your rental figures with the 30% standard deduction, covered in [NRI rental income tax in India](/guides/nri-rental-income-tax-india). If your accountant handles the return, this is the week to confirm the form is ITR-2 and the target is 31 July, not 31 August. That single check is the whole reason for this post. ## FAQ **Is the ITR deadline 31 July or 31 August 2026 for an NRI?** 31 July 2026. The 31 August date applies to ITR-3 and ITR-4 non-audit filers. NRIs file ITR-2 (or ITR-3 if they have Indian business income), and ITR-2 is due on 31 July 2026. **Why did ITR-3 and ITR-4 get an extra month?** The Finance Act 2026 amended Section 139(1) to give non-audit business and professional filers until 31 August of the assessment year, a permanent change from AY 2026-27, so they have more time to finalise accounts. ITR-1 and ITR-2 filers kept the 31 July date. **What happens if an NRI misses 31 July 2026?** You can still file a belated return until 31 December 2026, but with a late fee under Section 234F and the loss of the right to carry forward certain losses. Filing on time is cleaner and cheaper. *66 MG Road newsdesk* ## Sources - Taxguru, "ITR Filing Due Dates for FY 2025-26 (AY 2026-27)": [https://taxguru.in/income-tax/itr-filing-due-dates-fy-2025-26-ay-2026-27.html](https://taxguru.in/income-tax/itr-filing-due-dates-fy-2025-26-ay-2026-27.html) - JM Financial Services, "ITR-3 and ITR-4 Filing Deadline Extended to 31st August 2026 (Budget 2026, non-audit cases)": [https://www.jmfinancialservices.in/blogs-and-articles/itr-3-and-itr-4-filing-deadline-extended-to-31st-august-2026](https://www.jmfinancialservices.in/blogs-and-articles/itr-3-and-itr-4-filing-deadline-extended-to-31st-august-2026) - CAclubindia, "ITR-3 for FY 2025-26 (AY 2026-27): Applicability, Pre-Filing Verification and Due Dates": [https://www.caclubindia.com/articles/itr3-for-fy-2025-26-ay-2026-27-applicability-prefiling-verification-and-due-dates-55880.asp](https://www.caclubindia.com/articles/itr3-for-fy-2025-26-ay-2026-27-applicability-prefiling-verification-and-due-dates-55880.asp) - Income Tax Department, e-filing portal (forms and filing): [https://www.incometax.gov.in/iec/foportal/help/all-topics/e-filing-services/income-tax-returns](https://www.incometax.gov.in/iec/foportal/help/all-topics/e-filing-services/income-tax-returns) ## Compare and cost - [The NRI Property Management Companies in India: A Comparison You Can Check](/guides/best-nri-property-management-companies-india) - [What NRI Property Management Costs in India: The Four Models and What Hides in Each](/guides/nri-property-management-cost-india) - [NoBroker NRI Services Review: What the Pages Promise and What They Leave Out](/guides/nobroker-nri-services-review) --- Source: [https://66mgroad.com/guides/nri-itr-2-deadline-31-july-2026-jul-2026](https://66mgroad.com/guides/nri-itr-2-deadline-31-july-2026-jul-2026) ยท 66 MG Road. Full LLM brief: https://66mgroad.com/llms.txt