RBI Replaces Monthly Natural-Calamity Relief Return with Half-Yearly CIMS Filing; October 30 Deadline Set
The Reserve Bank of India has changed the regulatory reporting cycle for relief measures extended in areas affected by natural calamities, moving regulated entities to a half-yearly return through the Centralised Information Management System (CIMS) portal. The change is contained in RBI/2026-27/250, CO.FIDD.FSD.No.S544/05-10-001/2026-27, dated September 2, 2026.
The circular applies across a wide set of regulated entities: scheduled commercial banks, including regional rural banks and small finance banks; local area banks; urban co-operative banks; rural co-operative banks; non-banking financial companies; and all-India financial institutions. For finance, regulatory-reporting and compliance teams, the immediate issue is not only the new frequency but also the need to build a reliable process for collecting, validating and consolidating relief data before submission.
What RBI has changed
RBI says the regulatory framework governing relief measures in areas affected by natural calamities was revised through amendment directions on Resolution of Stressed Assets dated April 29, 2026, which took effect from July 1, 2026. Those directions require regulated entities to submit data on relief measures through CIMS on a half-yearly basis.
To align reporting with that revised framework, the September 2 circular directs regulated entities to use a revised reporting format on the CIMS portal. The return is due within 30 days from the end of each half-year. RBI has specified two recurring due dates:
- October 30 for the half-year ending September 30.
- April 30 for the half-year ending March 31.
For institutions currently preparing September-end regulatory reporting, October 30 is therefore the next stated deadline in the new timetable.
Existing monthly return has been discontinued
The circular also removes an older monthly reporting requirement. RBI states that the existing monthly return on relief measures, which had applied to scheduled commercial banks including small finance banks but excluding regional rural banks, stands discontinued with effect from July 1, 2026.
This is important operationally because banks may have legacy calendar entries, maker-checker workflows, internal templates and reporting responsibilities built around the monthly return. Those controls should now be reviewed so that teams do not continue an obsolete monthly submission while missing the new half-yearly CIMS requirement.
Accuracy, completeness and validation are explicit expectations
RBI has expressly told regulated entities to ensure that information submitted through CIMS is accurate, complete and duly validated. It also says appropriate internal systems and processes may be established for timely collection, verification, consolidation and submission of the required information.
That wording makes the change more than a simple calendar update. Institutions will need clarity on who owns the source data, how branches or business units report relief measures, what validation rules are applied, who signs off the consolidated return and how evidence of review is retained. For entities with multiple geographies or business lines, the half-yearly cycle may reduce filing frequency but increase the volume of data consolidated at each reporting point.
What compliance and finance teams should do now
- Map the September 2 circular into the regulatory-obligation register and replace the discontinued monthly return with the half-yearly CIMS return.
- Download and review the revised reporting format linked by RBI and identify all data fields that must be sourced from branches, lending teams or calamity-relief records.
- Set internal cut-off dates ahead of October 30 so there is time for validation, exception resolution and management review.
- Confirm that the institution's reporting process captures every relief measure covered by the revised framework and that data can be traced back to supporting records.
- Archive or retire obsolete monthly-return templates carefully so users do not continue submitting or circulating them after July 1, 2026.
Why this matters for CAs, auditors and regulated entities
Chartered accountants working in regulatory reporting, internal audit, finance control, compliance or assurance should treat the change as a control-design issue. The new return creates a defined half-yearly obligation with fixed deadlines and an explicit expectation of validated information. Internal audit teams may also want to test whether the reporting population is complete, whether branch-level data is reconciled to central records and whether the final submission has an auditable approval trail.
The practical takeaway is clear: RBI has replaced the older monthly reporting arrangement with a half-yearly CIMS-based return under the revised natural-calamity relief framework. Regulated entities should update their compliance calendars now, prepare for the October 30 filing point and ensure that supporting data and review controls are ready before the next submission under the new timetable.
Official source: View the official source document
Key takeaway
RBI has shifted natural-calamity relief reporting to a half-yearly CIMS return, discontinued the older monthly return from July 1, 2026, and set October 30 and April 30 filing dates.
