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Direct Tax Laws and International Taxation · Return of Income

Belated and Revised Return under the Income-tax Act, 2025

Updated 11 October 2026 · Fact-checked

A belated return is a return filed after the due date, allowed under section 263(4) within nine months from the end of the tax year or before assessment is completed, whichever is earlier. A revised return corrects an omission or wrong statement and can be filed under section 263(5) within twelve months from the end of the tax year or before assessment, whichever is earlier.

Understand Belated and Revised Return

Every return has a due date under section 263(1)(c). For a company, or an assessee whose accounts must be audited, it is 31st October after the tax year. For a business assessee not requiring audit it is 31st August. For any other assessee it is 31st July. Where section 172 applies, it is 30th November.

If you miss that date, you are not shut out. Section 263(4) lets you file a belated return. The window ends nine months from the end of the relevant tax year, or the completion of assessment, whichever is earlier. For tax year 2026-27 (ending 31 March 2027), nine months from the end of the year is 31 December 2027.

If you filed a return (on time or belated) and later find an omission or a wrong statement, you file a revised return under section 263(5). The time limit is twelve months from the end of the tax year, or the completion of assessment, whichever is earlier. This was extended from nine months by Act No. 4 of 2026 with effect from 1-4-2026. For tax year 2026-27 the outer date is 31 March 2028. Section 263(5) is also subject to section 428(b).

The key difference: a belated return replaces a missing return. A revised return replaces an existing return. You can revise a belated return too, because section 263(5) covers a return furnished under sub-section (1) or (4).

A return filed after the due date also attracts consequences such as a fee and interest. The text supplied here does not cover those provisions, so check the fee and interest sections separately.

Section 263(1)(a)(viii) obliges a person who has a loss under the head "Profits and gains of business or profession" or "Capital gains", and who intends to carry it forward, to furnish a return. The supplied text of section 263 does not itself say what happens to carry forward if that return is belated. For that consequence, refer to the carry-forward provisions in Chapter VII.

Key rules to remember

Due date for filing
Company or audit case: 31st October | Business case, no audit: 31st August | Other assessee: 31st July | Section 172 case: 30th November (all in the year after the tax year)
Section 263(1)(c). Substituted by Act No. 4 of 2026 w.e.f. 1-4-2026. Table has four rows with conditions.
Belated return
Within 9 months from end of tax year, or before completion of assessment, whichever is earlier
Section 263(4). Applies to a person who has not furnished a return within the time allowed under 263(1).
Revised return
Within 12 months from end of tax year, or before completion of assessment, whichever is earlier
Section 263(5). Available only if a return was furnished under 263(1) or (4) and has an omission or wrong statement. Subject to section 428(b).
Updated return (for contrast)
Within 48 months from end of the financial year succeeding the tax year
Section 263(6)(a). A separate facility with its own bars. Not the same as revised or belated.
Loss carry forward
A person with a business or capital loss who intends to carry it forward must furnish a return - section 263(1)(a)(viii)
Section 263(1)(a)(viii) obliges the person to furnish a return. Clause (viii) is not in the section 263(1)(b) list of persons who file regardless of income or loss. The effect of a belated return on carry forward is not stated in section 263; see the carry-forward provisions in Chapter VII.

How to solve Belated and Revised Return questions

Use this order for any question on belated or revised returns.

  1. 1Identify the tax year and the assessee type: company, audit case, business non-audit case, section 172 case or other.
  2. 2Fix the due date from the section 263(1)(c) table. The date falls in the financial year after the tax year.
  3. 3Compare the actual filing date with the due date. If on or before, it is an original return. If after, it is belated under section 263(4).
  4. 4For a belated return, compute the outer limit: nine months from 31 March of the tax year end, i.e. 31 December of the next calendar year. Check assessment has not been completed earlier.
  5. 5For a revision, confirm a return already exists and there is an omission or wrong statement. Compute twelve months from the end of the tax year, i.e. 31 March of the next financial year end.
  6. 6Check any special condition: loss carry forward, section 263(6) updated return, defective return, and section 428(b).
  7. 7State the conclusion in one line and add that fee and interest for late filing apply separately.

Quickest way: Date-line shortcut

When to use it: For MCQs and short date-based case questions.

  1. Write the end of tax year, for example 31 March 2027.
  2. Mark 31 July, 31 August, 31 October or 30 November as due date by assessee type.
  3. Add 9 months for belated, giving 31 December 2027.
  4. Add 12 months for revised, giving 31 March 2028.
  5. Check that assessment is not already completed, because that cuts the window short.

Common mistakes in Belated and Revised Return

  • Using nine months for a revised return.

    Old law and older study notes gave nine months.

    Fix: Under the Act as amended w.e.f. 1-4-2026, revised return is twelve months from the end of the tax year. Belated stays at nine months.

  • Counting the nine or twelve months from the due date.

    Students link the limit with the due date.

    Fix: Both limits run from the end of the relevant tax year, i.e. 31 March, not from the due date.

  • Forgetting the 'whichever is earlier' test.

    Students stop after calculating the date.

    Fix: Always check if assessment was completed before that date. The earlier date governs.

  • Saying a belated return can never be revised.

    Confusing belated with invalid.

    Fix: Section 263(5) applies to a return under sub-section (1) or (4). A belated return can be revised within the revised-return limit.

  • Deciding the loss carry-forward position from section 263 alone.

    Students see section 263(1)(a)(viii) and assume it also sets the carry-forward conditions.

    Fix: Section 263(1)(a)(viii) only obliges a person with a business or capital loss who intends to carry it forward to furnish a return. It does not state what happens to carry forward on a belated return; refer to the carry-forward provisions in Chapter VII. Also note that section 263(6)(b)(i) keeps the updated-return facility available for a loss year where a return of loss was furnished within the due date and the updated return is a return of income or has the effect of reducing the loss.

  • Confusing revised with updated return.

    Both change an earlier return.

    Fix: Revised: 12 months, corrects errors. Updated: 48 months from end of the succeeding financial year, with bars such as lower tax or refund claims.

Worked examples

Example 1

Mehta Textiles Pvt Ltd is a company. It has not filed its return for tax year 2026-27 by the due date. By what dates can it file a belated return and a revised return? Assume no assessment is completed earlier and section 172 does not apply.

Show the solution
  1. Tax year 2026-27 ends on 31 March 2027.
  2. A company's due date is 31st October of the next financial year, i.e. 31 October 2027.
  3. Filing after 31 October 2027 is a belated return under section 263(4).
  4. Belated limit: nine months from 31 March 2027 = 31 December 2027.
  5. If it files a belated return, it can later revise it under section 263(5).
  6. Revised limit: twelve months from 31 March 2027 = 31 March 2028.

Answer: Belated return by 31 December 2027; revised return by 31 March 2028, in each case earlier if assessment is completed first. Late filing fee and interest apply separately.

Example 2

Ramesh, a trader with no audit requirement, files his return for tax year 2026-27 on 20 August 2027 and shows a business loss of ₹2,40,000. On 10 January 2028 he finds he omitted ₹60,000 of purchases. Can he revise the return? What happens to the loss figure?

Show the solution
  1. Ramesh has business income and no audit, so the due date is 31 August 2027.
  2. He filed on 20 August 2027, which is before the due date, so it is an original return under section 263(1).
  3. He has a business loss and intends to carry it forward, so section 263(1)(a)(viii) requires him to furnish a return. He has done so.
  4. He found an omission on 10 January 2028. A revised return is allowed within twelve months from 31 March 2027, i.e. up to 31 March 2028.
  5. 10 January 2028 is inside that limit, provided assessment is not completed earlier.
  6. The omitted purchases affect the loss figure. Assuming they are allowable and fully charged to the year, the corrected loss is ₹2,40,000 + ₹60,000 = ₹3,00,000, and the revised return should show this figure.
  7. Whether and how the corrected loss is carried forward is decided by the carry-forward provisions in Chapter VII.

Answer: Yes, he can file a revised return under section 263(5) on or before 31 March 2028 (or before assessment if earlier). On the stated assumption, the revised return should show the corrected business loss of ₹3,00,000.

Exam tips

  • Write the section number: 263(4) for belated, 263(5) for revised, 263(6) for updated.
  • Always show the date computation. Marks go to the working, not only the final date.
  • In loss questions, quote section 263(1)(a)(viii) for the duty to furnish a return, and refer to the carry-forward provisions in Chapter VII for the carry-forward conditions.
  • Use the amended twelve-month limit for revised returns, since the exam follows the Income-tax Act, 2025 as amended.
  • End the answer with the fee and interest point so the case answer is complete.

Practice questions from Return of Income

Belated and Revised Return in other exams

The same ground in other exams, if you are preparing for more than one or want another angle on it.

Belated and Revised Return: frequently asked questions

What is the time limit for a belated return under the Income-tax Act, 2025?

Under section 263(4), you can file within nine months from the end of the relevant tax year, or before completion of assessment, whichever is earlier.

What is the time limit for a revised return?

Section 263(5) allows twelve months from the end of the relevant tax year, or before completion of assessment, whichever is earlier. You must already have filed a return under sub-section (1) or (4).

Can a loss be carried forward if I file a belated return?

Section 263(1)(a)(viii) obliges a person with a business or capital loss who intends to carry it forward to furnish a return. The text of section 263 does not state the effect of a belated return on carry forward, so check the carry-forward provisions in Chapter VII. Separately, section 263(6)(b)(i) keeps the updated-return facility available for a loss year where a return of loss was filed within the due date and the updated return is a return of income or reduces the loss.

What is the difference between a belated return and a revised return?

A belated return is the first return, filed after the due date. A revised return corrects a return you have already filed. The limits are nine and twelve months respectively from the end of the tax year.