ITR-4 Due Date for AY 2026-27 Is 31 August 2026: What Presumptive Taxpayers Should Check Before Filing

Current development

The Income Tax Department’s current guidance for ITR-4 (Sugam) confirms that the due date for filing ITR-4 for Assessment Year 2026-27, relating to Financial Year 2025-26, is 31 August 2026. With the deadline now approaching, taxpayers using the presumptive taxation route and professionals preparing their returns should focus not only on filing in time but also on whether ITR-4 is the correct form and whether all form-specific disclosures have been completed.

ITR-4 is intended for eligible resident individuals, Hindu undivided families and firms other than LLPs whose total income does not exceed ₹50 lakh and who have business or professional income computed under the presumptive taxation provisions. The Department’s FAQ specifically refers to sections 44AD, 44ADA and 44AE for this purpose.

Who can use ITR-4 for AY 2026-27?

According to the Income Tax Department, an eligible ITR-4 filer may have presumptive business or professional income, salary or pension income, income from up to two house properties, agricultural income up to ₹5,000 and eligible income from other sources. The form can also accommodate long-term capital gains under section 112A up to ₹1.25 lakh, subject to the other eligibility conditions stated by the Department.

For professionals, section 44ADA continues to be a key route into ITR-4. The Department’s guidance states that the normal gross-receipt threshold is ₹50 lakh, while the threshold can extend to ₹75 lakh where cash receipts do not exceed 5% of total gross receipts. For eligible businesses under section 44AD, the turnover threshold can reach ₹3 crore where cash receipts stay within the prescribed 5% condition; otherwise the lower threshold applies.

Cases where ITR-4 should not be used

The form is not available merely because a taxpayer has small business or professional income. The Department lists several situations where ITR-4 cannot be used. These include a taxpayer who is resident but not ordinarily resident or non-resident, has total income above ₹50 lakh, has short-term capital gains, has section 112A long-term capital gains exceeding ₹1.25 lakh, is a director in a company, has held unlisted equity shares during the year or has income outside the permitted ITR-4 framework.

Accordingly, the first filing check should be form eligibility. Choosing ITR-4 for convenience when the taxpayer falls into an exclusion can lead to an incorrect return and avoidable follow-up work.

Important AY 2026-27 changes highlighted by the Department

The Department’s ITR-4 FAQ identifies several changes for AY 2026-27. Taxpayers can now report income from up to two house properties in ITR-4. A specific field has also been introduced for rent that cannot be realised. The FAQ further states that the requirement relating to reporting foreign retirement benefits has been removed from ITR-4.

These changes matter because taxpayers and preparers relying on last year’s return format may otherwise miss new fields or incorrectly assume that a situation continues to fall outside the form.

Old tax regime and Form 10-IEA

For individuals having business income, the Department states that opting for the old tax regime requires Form 10-IEA to be filed before the due date for filing the return under section 139(1). The ITR also requires the relevant Form 10-IEA filing details when the taxpayer chooses the old regime.

This makes the 31 August 2026 return deadline particularly important for taxpayers who need to make the regime-related compliance in time. The Department also notes that individuals with business income do not have an unrestricted year-by-year option to switch between the old and new regimes; the switching rules are more restrictive than for taxpayers without business income.

Deductions now require more supporting information in the return

Preparers should also review the additional disclosure requirements linked to deductions. The official FAQ states that taxpayers claiming section 80C deductions must provide details such as the eligible amount and policy or document identification information. For claims under sections 80CCD(1) or 80CCD(1B), PRAN details are required.

For deductions under sections 80DD or 80U, Form 10-IA must be filed before the return and the acknowledgement details need to be reported. For section 80GG, Form 10-BA is required before filing the return. The Department also specifies additional loan and lender details for deductions under sections 80E, 80EE, 80EEA and 80EEB.

These requirements mean that a return can be technically delayed even when the income computation is ready, if the taxpayer has not collected the supporting identification numbers, form acknowledgements or policy and loan particulars needed by the utility.

TDS schedule check before submission

The AY 2026-27 ITR-4 FAQ also states that a taxpayer claiming TDS must mandatorily select the section under which tax was deducted. Tax professionals should therefore reconcile Form 26AS, AIS and available TDS certificates before final submission and ensure that the return contains the section-level information expected by the utility.

Documents to keep ready

The Department lists documents such as Form 16, Form 16A, Form 26AS, AIS, bank statements, salary records, housing-loan interest certificates, rent documents, donation receipts and investment or premium receipts as relevant records to keep ready, depending on the taxpayer’s facts. ITR-4 is an annexure-less return, but that does not remove the need to retain adequate records supporting the amounts reported.

What happens if the due date is missed?

The Department’s FAQ states that a return can still be filed after the section 139(1) due date, but late filing fee of up to ₹5,000 may apply and interest may also be payable where there is outstanding tax liability. Missing the due date can also have consequences beyond the late fee depending on the taxpayer’s circumstances, so filing by 31 August 2026 remains the safer compliance position for eligible ITR-4 filers.

Practical filing checklist for CAs and taxpayers

- Confirm that the taxpayer is actually eligible to use ITR-4.

- Check whether presumptive income is being declared under section 44AD, 44ADA or 44AE and whether the relevant turnover or receipt conditions are satisfied.

- Verify whether Form 10-IEA is required for the chosen tax regime and ensure it is filed within the applicable time.

- Collect acknowledgement numbers and additional particulars required for deductions.

- Reconcile AIS, Form 26AS, Form 16 or Form 16A and bank information before submission.

- Check the TDS schedule and select the correct TDS section wherever credit is claimed.

- Review the new AY 2026-27 fields, including the ability to report up to two house properties.

- Complete filing sufficiently before 31 August 2026 to allow time for portal validation issues or missing information.

Key takeaway

The current Income Tax Department guidance places the ITR-4 filing deadline for AY 2026-27 on 31 August 2026. For presumptive taxpayers, the compliance exercise is not limited to declaring income at a presumptive rate: form eligibility, tax-regime option requirements, deduction-related forms, TDS section details and AY 2026-27 changes should all be checked before the return is filed.