Section 234F Late Filing Fee AY 2026-27: ₹5,000 or ₹1,000, When It Applies and 234A Interest
Section 234F charges a late fee of ₹5,000 if you file your income tax return after the due date, reduced to ₹1,000 if your total income does not exceed ₹5,00,000. It applies to every belated return filed up to 31 December 2026 for AY 2026-27, even if no tax is due, but not if your gross total income is below the basic exemption limit and you were not otherwise required to file. Interest under section 234A at 1% a month on unpaid tax is charged in addition.
Key facts, FY 2025-26
- Fee if total income above ₹5 lakh
- ₹5,000
- Fee if total income up to ₹5 lakh
- ₹1,000
- Fee if income below the exemption limit
- Nil, unless filing was compulsory for another reason
- Due date AY 2026-27 (non-audit)
- 31 July 2026; belated return allowed until 31 December 2026
- Interest under 234A
- 1% per month or part of a month on unpaid tax from 1 August 2026
- Paid how
- Before filing, as self-assessment tax under the fee head in Challan 280
How it works
Section 234F of the Income-tax Act 1961 is a fixed fee, not a discretionary penalty. If you are required to file a return under section 139(1) and you file after the due date, the fee is charged automatically when you file and again confirmed in the 143(1) intimation. There is no notice, no hearing and no waiver application. The return utility will not let you submit without it.
The amount depends on total income. If total income after deductions exceeds ₹5,00,000, the fee is ₹5,000. If it is ₹5,00,000 or below, the fee is ₹1,000. For AY 2026-27 the due date for salaried and non-audit taxpayers is 31 July 2026, and a belated return under section 139(4) can be filed until 31 December 2026. The same fee applies whether you file on 1 August or 31 December; it does not grow with delay.
The fee applies only if you were required to file. A person whose gross total income, before Chapter VI-A deductions and before capital gains exemptions, is below the basic exemption limit (₹4 lakh new regime, ₹2.5 lakh old regime, higher for seniors) files voluntarily and pays no fee. But the seventh proviso to section 139(1) makes filing compulsory in other cases, such as foreign travel spend above ₹2 lakh, electricity bills above ₹1 lakh, or bank deposits above ₹1 crore, and then 234F applies even at nil income.
Interest is separate. Section 234A charges 1% per month or part of a month on the tax still unpaid after the due date, from 1 August 2026 until the date you file. If all your tax was already covered by TDS or advance tax, 234A is nil but 234F is still payable. Section 234B and 234C interest for short advance tax runs on its own timeline and is unaffected by when you file.
| Situation | Section 234F fee | Section 234A interest |
|---|---|---|
| Filed by 31 July 2026 | Nil | Nil |
| Belated, total income above ₹5 lakh | ₹5,000 | 1% per month on unpaid tax |
| Belated, total income up to ₹5 lakh | ₹1,000 | 1% per month on unpaid tax |
| Belated, gross total income below exemption limit, no compulsory filing trigger | Nil | Nil |
| Belated, all tax already paid through TDS, refund due | ₹5,000 or ₹1,000 | Nil |
| Revised return filed after an on-time original | Nil | Nil |
| Updated return (ITR-U) after 31 December | ₹5,000 or ₹1,000 plus 60% to 70% additional tax | 1% per month |
Worked example: Salaried taxpayer files on 20 October 2026 with ₹18,000 tax still unpaid
- Total income
- ₹9,40,000
- Late fee under 234F (income above ₹5 lakh)
- ₹5,000
- Tax unpaid after TDS
- ₹18,000
- Months late (August, September, October, part months count in full)
- 3
- Interest under 234A at 1% per month
- ₹540
- Total extra cost of filing late
- ₹5,540
The cost that is bigger than the fee
A belated return cannot carry forward most losses. Capital losses, business losses and F&O losses from FY 2025-26 are lost for future set-off if the return is filed after 31 July 2026. House property loss is the exception. For a trader with a ₹5 lakh F&O loss, the real cost of filing late is the future tax on ₹5 lakh, not the ₹5,000 fee. You also cannot choose the old regime in a belated return; the new regime applies by default.
What to do next
If the due date has passed, file now rather than waiting until December; the fee is the same but the 234A interest keeps running. Pay the fee and any tax through Challan 280 as self-assessment tax before submitting, entering the fee in the fee field so that the challan matches the return. E-verify within 30 days, or the return is treated as not filed and the fee is wasted. If you missed 31 December as well, the only route is an updated return under section 139(8A), with additional tax on top. A belated or revised return through an expert-assisted service takes a day and includes the interest computation. If you have a genuine reason for the delay and a refund at stake, a condonation application under section 119(2)(b) can allow a return beyond the belated window, but it is discretionary and slow, so do not plan around it.
Section 234F: questions
What is the late fee under section 234F for AY 2026-27?
₹5,000 if total income exceeds ₹5,00,000, and ₹1,000 if total income is ₹5,00,000 or less. It applies to returns filed after 31 July 2026 (non-audit cases) up to 31 December 2026.
Is 234F applicable if my income is below the taxable limit?
No, if your gross total income is below the basic exemption limit and you were not otherwise required to file. If filing was compulsory because of high-value transactions or foreign assets, the fee applies even with nil tax.
Do I have to pay 234F if I have a refund due?
Yes. The fee depends on when you file, not on whether tax is payable. The department adjusts the fee against the refund in the 143(1) intimation.
Does the 234F fee increase the later I file?
No. It is a flat ₹5,000 or ₹1,000 for any belated return filed up to 31 December. What increases is 234A interest at 1% a month on unpaid tax, and after 31 December an updated return carries additional tax of 60% or 70% of the tax due.
Is 234F charged on a revised return?
No, if the original return was filed by the due date. A revised return corrects an on-time return and carries no fee. If the original itself was belated, the fee was already paid on it.
Can the 234F fee be waived?
No. It is charged under the Act with no discretion given to the assessing officer. CBDT sometimes extends the due date itself, which removes the fee for everyone who files within the extended date.
How is section 234A interest calculated?
1% simple interest per month or part of a month on the tax unpaid after the due date, from 1 August 2026 to the date of filing. If TDS and advance tax already cover your liability, 234A is nil.
Which losses can be carried forward in a belated return?
Only loss from house property and unabsorbed depreciation. Capital losses, business losses, speculation losses and F&O losses cannot be carried forward if the return is filed after the due date under section 139(1).
Related sections and forms
- Section 143(1)An intimation under section 143(1) is the computer-generated result of the Centralised Processing Centre checking your return against Form 26AS, AIS and arithmetic. It shows one of three outcomes: refund, demand, or no change. A proposed adjustment under 143(1)(a) must be answered on the e-filing portal within 30 days or it is applied automatically. A demand must be paid or disputed within 30 days; mistakes are fixed through rectification under section 154.
- ITR-1 (Sahaj)ITR-1, called Sahaj, is the one-page return for ordinarily resident individuals with total income up to ₹50 lakh from salary or pension, one house property, other sources such as interest, agricultural income up to ₹5,000, and long-term capital gains under section 112A of up to ₹1.25 lakh. It cannot be used by NRIs, company directors, holders of unlisted shares, anyone with business income, foreign assets, more than one house or capital gains beyond that allowance. The due date for AY 2026-27 is 31 July 2026.
- Form 26ASForm 26AS is your annual tax statement: every rupee of TDS and TCS credited to your PAN, the advance tax and self-assessment tax you paid, and the refunds issued, for one financial year. You open it from the e-filing portal, which hands you over to TRACES. Before filing ITR for AY 2026-27, the TDS you claim must match what 26AS shows, or the credit is cut in the 143(1) intimation.
Read next
Belated, Revised and Updated Return (ITR-U): Deadlines, Fees and Rules
The three ways to file or fix a return after the due date, what each one costs in fees, interest and additional tax, and the benefits you give up when you file late.
11 min read · Updated 6 Sept 2026
itr filingComplete Guide to ITR Filing AY 2026-27
Everything a first-time or returning filer needs for AY 2026-27: who must file, which form to pick, what documents to keep ready, how to file on the e-filing portal, and what happens after you submit.
12 min read · Updated 6 Sept 2026
capital gainsTax on F&O and Intraday Trading Income FY 2025-26: ITR-3, Turnover and Audit
F&O and intraday profits are business income, not capital gains. This guide explains turnover, the 44AD decision, when a tax audit is needed, how losses are set off and how to fill ITR-3 for FY 2025-26.
11 min read · Updated 6 Sept 2026
General information for FY 2025-26, not professional advice. Limits and dates change with each Budget; the updated date above is when this page was last checked. Disclaimer