The base due date is 31 July following the financial year, so 31 July 2026 for FY 2025-26 if you file ITR-2. If you file ITR-3, because you also have Indian business or professional income and are not under audit, the due date is now 31 August 2026. A belated return can be filed up to 31 December 2026 with a late fee, and a revised return up to 31 March 2027. If you only have refunds due and miss the window, past years can still be claimed through a condonation request under Section 119(2)(b).
Most NRIs use ITR-2, which covers interest, rent, dividends, capital gains and foreign assets. ITR-3 applies if you also have Indian business or professional income. NRIs cannot use ITR-1 (Sahaj) or ITR-4 (Sugam), both are resident-only; filing one by mistake forces a revised return and delays the refund, so the form choice matters.
No, and this catches many NRIs out. The new regime is the default, and its slabs run nil up to 4 lakh, then 5% to 8 lakh, 10% to 12 lakh, and up from there. But the Section 87A rebate that makes income up to 12 lakh effectively tax-free is only for residents. As an NRI you do not get it, so you pay tax from the first rupee above the 4 lakh basic exemption. A salaried NRI still gets the 75,000 standard deduction, just not the rebate.
Refund timing depends on processing, verification and any queries. We cannot promise a payment date. Interest on an eligible excess-TDS refund depends on the filing date and statutory conditions: Section 244A for old-law years and Section 437 under the Income-tax Act 2025. An ordinary late return may earn interest from its filing date; thresholds and exclusions apply.