Mr Choubey — Income-tax filing guidance for salaried | mrchoubey.com
For FY 2025-26 a salaried return is due by 31 July 2026; every month of delay after that adds interest at 1%, and the late fee is fixed by section 234F.
The Indian financial year runs 1 April to 31 March, and individuals without audit requirements must file by 31 July following the end of the financial year. FY 2025-26 ends on 31 March 2026, so the return — filed in Assessment Year 2026-27 — is due on 31 July 2026.
Section 234F sets the late-filing fee at Rs 5,000. Where total income is below Rs 5,00,000, the fee is reduced to Rs 1,000. It is a flat charge triggered by filing after the due date, not a monthly penalty.
The running cost of delay is interest. Section 234A charges 1% per month — 12% per annum — on the tax that remains unpaid after the due date, for every month or part of a month until payment. Section 234B applies the same 1% monthly rate where tax due was not paid in advance during the year.
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Worked example: a salaried filer owes Rs 1,00,000 and files and pays three months after the deadline. The interest is 3 times 1% of Rs 1,00,000, or Rs 3,000; the section 234F fee adds Rs 5,000; the delay costs Rs 8,000 on top of the tax. Had total income been below Rs 5,00,000, the fee component would have been Rs 1,000.
A belated return filed after 31 July remains valid, but the fee and the interest already accrued do not go away, and a return left unverified is treated as not filed at all. The cheapest month to file is always the one before the deadline.
The slab schedules that decide how much tax is left unpaid are set out in New vs Old Tax Regime, and the form that is being filed late is chosen according to Which ITR Form to File.
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