ITR-5 Excel Utility For AY 2026-27 Now Available On Income Tax e-Filing Portal

The Income Tax Department has released the Excel Utility for Income Tax Return (ITR)-5 for Assessment Year (AY) 2026–27. Following the release of the Excel Utility, eligible taxpayers can prepare their returns offline, validate the details, generate the required JSON file, and upload it through the Income Tax e-Filing portal to file their returns.

In a post on X, the Income Tax Department said, “Kind Attention Taxpayers! The Excel Utility for ITR-5 for Assessment Year 2026–27 is now available on the Income Tax e-Filing portal.”

Who Can File ITR-5

ITR-5 is meant for entities such as firms, Limited Liability Partnerships (LLPs), Associations of Persons (AOPs), Bodies of Individuals (BOIs), Artificial Juridical Persons (AJPs), business trusts, investment funds, and the estates of deceased or insolvent persons. It also applies to other eligible entities that are not required to file returns under ITR-7.

The form is not applicable to individuals, Hindu Undivided Families (HUFs), or companies. It also cannot be used by entities that are required to file returns under ITR-7 or under Sections 139(4A), 139(4B), 139(4C) or 139(4D) of the Income-tax Act, 1961.

The IT Department has been releasing the ITR forms for Assessment Year 2026–27 in a phased manner. It had earlier released the Excel utilities for ITR-1 and ITR-4, enabled online filing for ITR-2, and launched both the online filing facility and Excel utility for ITR-3. The department has now released the Excel Utility for ITR-5.

The due date for filing income tax returns for the Assessment Year 2026–27 depends on the category of taxpayer. Taxpayers who are not required to get their accounts audited generally have to file their returns by July 31, 2026. For taxpayers whose accounts are subject to audit, the deadline is October 31, 2026. Businesses involved in international transactions or specified domestic transactions and required to submit transfer pricing reports can file their returns until November 30, 2026.

Taxpayers should file their income tax returns within the due date to avoid late fees, interest charges and last-minute complications. Timely filing can ensure a smoother compliance and proper maintenance of financial records.