Filing your ITR isn’t the finish line — and a mistake in it isn’t a disaster. The law gives you a full window to fix it, penalty-free, if you know how to use it.
Spotted a missed deduction after hitting submit? Entered the wrong bank account, or forgot an entire income source? You’re in good company — thousands of taxpayers discover errors only after filing. The good news: a revised return under Section 139(5) lets you replace your original return entirely, and for AY 2026-27 you have longer than ever to do it — right up to 31 March 2027.
Note on section numbers: This article uses section references from the Income-tax Act, 1961, which still govern your FY 2025-26 (AY 2026-27) return. The corresponding provision under the new Income-tax Act, 2025 is noted in brackets — that renumbering applies only from Tax Year 2026-27 returns onward (filed from July 2027), not this filing season.
What Is a Revised Return Under Section 139(5)? (Section 263, Income-tax Act, 2025)
A revised return is a corrected version of an income tax return you’ve already filed. (Section 139(5) of the Income-tax Act, 1961) allows any taxpayer who discovers an omission or a wrong statement in their original return to file a fresh, corrected return within the permitted window.
Here’s the part many taxpayers don’t realise: once filed and verified, the revised return completely replaces your original return. The department treats the revised version as if it were the return you filed all along — the original effectively ceases to exist for assessment purposes. That’s also why it’s critical to get the revised version fully right, not just patch the one error you noticed.
In my practice, the most common triggers for revision are refreshingly mundane: a Form 16 arriving late from a previous employer, interest income surfacing in the AIS after filing, a missed Section 80C or 80D claim, or simply selecting the wrong bank account for the refund. None of these are scandals — they’re Tuesday. The law recognises that, which is why revision carries no fee.
Revised Return Last Date for AY 2026-27
Revised Return Last Date
31 Mar 2027
Extended by Budget 2026 from 31 Dec
Fee to Revise
₹0 → ₹5,000
Free till 31 Dec 2026; ₹5,000 after
How Many Times?
Multiple
No statutory limit within the window
Two boundaries matter here. First, on cost: the extension to 31 March 2027 is a genuine relaxation, but Budget 2026 attached a condition — a revised return filed on or after 1 January 2027 attracts a ₹5,000 fee, whereas revising on or before 31 December 2026 remains free. If you already know you need to revise, doing it before the year-end saves you ₹5,000. Second, on timing: the window closes earlier if your assessment is completed before the deadline. Once the Assessing Officer completes assessment under Section 143(3), the right to revise under Section 139(5) ends — whichever comes first, the date or the assessment.
Who Can File a Revised Return — and for What Mistakes?
Any taxpayer who has filed a return — on time under Section 139(1) or late as a belated return under Section 139(4) — can revise it. Yes, even a belated return can be revised; that’s a settled position, and the e-filing portal supports it directly.
Typical corrections a revised return handles well:
- Missed deductions or exemptions — 80C investments, 80D health insurance, HRA, home loan interest you forgot to claim
- Omitted income — bank or FD interest, a second employer’s salary, capital gains that surfaced in AIS later
- Wrong details — incorrect bank account for refund, wrong TDS figures, personal information errors
- Wrong ITR form — filed ITR-1 when your income sources actually required ITR-2 or ITR-3
- Regime switching is limited — a salaried taxpayer with no business income can change tax regime in a revised return, but only if it’s filed within the original Section 139(1) due date; taxpayers with business or professional income cannot switch regime through a revision, since that choice is bound to Form 10-IEA filed by the due date
- It can’t cure deliberate concealment — Section 139(5) covers genuine omissions and wrong statements, not intentional under-reporting discovered by the department; revising after receiving a scrutiny notice won’t shield you from penalty proceedings
- It doesn’t stop interest from accruing — if the revision increases your tax liability, interest under Sections 234B/234C applies on the shortfall from the original due dates, not from the revision date
- It can’t revive a return that was never filed — there must be an original (or belated) return in existence to revise
Revising for a Higher Refund: How It Works
This is the question I hear most often: “I forgot a deduction — can I revise and claim a bigger refund?” Yes. Unlike an updated return (ITR-U), which cannot increase a refund, a revised return under Section 139(5) can absolutely result in a larger refund than your original claimed. The department processes the revised return afresh, and any excess tax paid comes back to you with applicable interest under Section 244A.
Ramesh filed his original return on 20 July 2026 claiming a ₹8,000 refund, then discovered in September that he’d missed a ₹50,000 Section 80C ELSS investment. He files a revised return in October 2026. His refund claim rises to roughly ₹18,400 (₹50,000 × 20.8% at his slab). Because the revision replaces the original entirely, the department processes the higher refund — no penalty, no questions, provided the claim is genuine and documented.
How to File a Revised Return Online: Step by Step
- Log in to the Income Tax e-filing portal and go to “File Income Tax Return” for AY 2026-27.
- Select the filing section as “139(5) – Revised Return” when prompted.
- Enter the acknowledgement number and filing date of your original return — the portal requires both to link the revision to the original.
- Prepare the return afresh and complete — correct the error, but re-verify every other field too, since this return replaces the original in full.
- Reconcile once more against Form 26AS, AIS and TIS before submitting; a revision that itself contains mismatches invites a second round of trouble.
- Pay any additional tax (with applicable interest) if the correction increases your liability.
- Submit and e-verify within 30 days — an unverified revised return is treated as never filed, which means your original return stands unchanged.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many times can I revise my ITR?
There’s no statutory limit — you can revise a revised return, and revise again, any number of times within the window (31 March 2027 for AY 2026-27, or completion of assessment, whichever is earlier). Each revision needs the acknowledgement number of the return it replaces. That said, frequent revisions of the same return can draw attention, so it’s better to revise once, thoroughly.
Can I revise a belated return filed under Section 139(4)?
Yes. A belated return can be revised under Section 139(5) just like an on-time return, within the same 31 March 2027 window. Note, though, that revising a belated return doesn’t undo the consequences of filing late — the Section 234F fee, regime lock-in, and loss carry-forward restrictions from the belated filing still stand.
Is there any penalty or fee for filing a revised return?
Revising is free if done on or before 31 December 2026. However, following Budget 2026, a revised return for AY 2026-27 filed between 1 January and 31 March 2027 attracts a ₹5,000 fee. Separately, if the correction increases your tax liability, you pay the differential tax plus interest under Sections 234B/234C — but that’s tax and interest, not a penalty for revising itself.
Can I switch from the new tax regime to the old regime through a revised return?
It depends on who you are and when you file. A salaried taxpayer with no business or professional income can change tax regime through a revised return — but only if the revision is filed on or before the original Section 139(1) due date. Taxpayers with business or professional income cannot switch regime via a revised return at all, because that choice is tied to Form 10-IEA filed by the due date. In short: once the original due date passes, no revision can move you between regimes.
What happens if my revised return is filed but not e-verified?
An unverified return is treated as not filed at all. Your original return then continues to stand as your valid return. E-verification within 30 days of submission — via Aadhaar OTP, net banking, or another accepted mode — is what makes the revision effective.
Will filing a revised return trigger scrutiny?
A single, well-documented revision is routine and does not by itself invite scrutiny — the facility exists precisely because genuine mistakes happen. What raises risk is a revision that creates fresh mismatches with AIS/Form 26AS data, or a pattern of large, unexplained changes. Keep documentation for whatever you correct, especially for revised refund claims.
ITR Filing & Return Correction — Complete Guide Series
ITR Filing FY 2025-26: Due Dates, Penalties & AY 2026-27 Return Guide
Every due date by taxpayer category, Section 234F penalty and ITR forms overview.
Part 2ITR Forms AY 2026-27: Key Changes in ITR-1, ITR-2, ITR-3 & ITR-4
Capital gains disclosures, F&O reporting and which form applies to you.
Part 3Belated Return Under Section 139(4): Rules, Penalty & How to File
234F penalty, 234A interest, regime lock-in and loss carry-forward rules.
Revised Return Under Section 139(5): How to Correct ITR Mistakes
Missed deductions or wrong figures? Here’s how to fix a filed return.
Updated Return (ITR-U) Under Section 139(8A): Complete Guide
Your last resort after missing every other filing window.
Coming SoonThe revised return’s biggest trap isn’t legal — it’s behavioural. Taxpayers fix the one error they noticed and re-submit in five minutes, missing the fact that the revision replaces the original in full. Before you revise, pull your AIS, TIS and Form 26AS afresh and reconcile everything, not just the field that prompted the revision. Two practical rules: revise before 31 December 2026 to avoid the ₹5,000 fee that now applies in the January–March window, and revise once, thoroughly rather than three times hastily. And if the correction involves capital gains, business income, or a regime question, spend thirty minutes with a Chartered Accountant first — it’s far cheaper than responding to a notice later.
Disclaimer: This article is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute tax or legal advice. Tax laws, fees, and due dates are subject to change based on CBDT notifications. Please consult a qualified Chartered Accountant for advice specific to your situation.
