The month of March is about to end, and the new financial year is about to start from April 1. Therefore, it is advisable to complete some important tasks before the end of the current financial year on 31st March. These tasks include everything from filing income tax returns to making tax-saving investments. Let’s take a closer look at these:
Last date for giving suggestions to 8th Pay Commission*
The 8th Pay Commission has extended the last date for giving feedback on its 18-point questionnaire from March 16 to March 31, 2026. Central government employees, pensioners, unions and other stakeholders can give their views on this matter till this date. To do this, you will need to log in to the MyGov portal, as all responses will be accepted through this platform only. Responses sent by email or post will not be considered valid.
Updated returns
If you have not yet filed your income tax return for assessment year 2021-22 (FY 2020-21), or if there were any mistakes in your filed return, the last date to correct these mistakes is March 31, 2026.
revised return
According to the new rules introduced in Budget 2026, you can now revise your income tax return till the end of the assessment year—that is, by March 31. Earlier, its last date was December 31. If you made a mistake while filing your original ITR—such as claiming a wrong deduction or accidentally omitting some income information—you now have an additional three months to correct these mistakes.
billeted return
Those who missed the July deadline to file income tax returns can now file ‘belated returns’—with applicable penalties—by March 31.
tax saving investments
This is the last chance to complete your investments for the financial year 2025-26 so that you can claim tax deduction of up to ₹1.5 lakh under Section 80C (which includes instruments like PPF, ELSS, and LIC). However, if you have chosen ‘New Tax Regime’, you will not be entitled to this exemption of ₹1.5 lakh under Section 80C. Under the new regime, income up to ₹12 lakh has been made tax-free.
TDS certificate
The deadline for issuing TDS certificates for the third quarter of Financial Year 2025 has also been extended to March 31, 2026.
minimum contribution
The deadline for depositing the minimum amount required to keep PPF, NPS, or Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana (SSY) accounts active is also March 31, 2026.
