CA Final DT amendments for Nov 2026: Finance Act 2025 list
The CA Final DT amendments for Nov 2026 are the Finance Act, 2025 changes, applied for A.Y. 2026-27, plus significant notifications and circulars issued up to 30 April 2026. ICAI says nothing significant was issued between 1 August 2025 and 30 April 2026 except Notification No. 54/2026, so there is no Statutory Update for Paper 4 this time (DT RTP for November 2026, PDF (opens in a new tab)). You study the September 2025 study material plus the Judicial Update for November 2026.
Your DT paper is on Monday, 9 November 2026 (timetable). Some pages online say "Finance Act 2026"; ICAI says Finance Act, 2025. Below: ICAI's list of key changes, the case laws and two worked RTP computations.
CA Final DT amendments for Nov 2026 at a glance
| Item | What ICAI says for November 2026 |
|---|---|
| Law | Income-tax Act, 1961, as amended by the Finance Act, 2025 |
| Assessment year | A.Y. 2026-27 (previous year 2025-26) |
| Cut-off for notifications and circulars | 30 April 2026 |
| Study material | September 2025 edition, Modules 1 to 4 (covers notifications up to 31 July 2025) |
| Statutory Update | Not issued for November 2026 |
| Judicial Update | Judicial Update for November 2026: 8 rulings, with Notification No. 54/2026 as a note |
| Income-tax Act, 2025 | Not for November 2026; it applies from May 2027 |
Sources: Paper 4 RTP (PDF) (opens in a new tab), Group II RTP, applicability page (PDF) (opens in a new tab), study material notice (PDF) (opens in a new tab).
Is there a CA Final DT amendments PDF for Nov 2026?
ICAI's "amendments PDF" for DT this attempt is the Finance Act, 2025 content in the September 2025 study material, plus the Judicial Update. There is no separate Statutory Update.
- ICAI's Final Amendments/Developments page (opens in a new tab) lists, for DT, the Judicial Update for November 2026 (PDF) (opens in a new tab) and a Statutory Update for the old September 2025 exam. Skip the second.
- The study material marks every Finance Act, 2025 change in italics / bold italics, and its Module 1 initial pages carry ICAI's own summary: "Overview of selected key amendments made by the Finance Act, 2025 and the Taxation Laws (Amendment) Act, 2025" (Module 1 initial pages, PDF (opens in a new tab)).
Finance Act 2025 changes in ICAI's overview
These are the changes ICAI lists, chapter by chapter. ICAI calls it "only a concise overview", so read the italic text in each chapter too.
Rates and personal tax
| Change | What to write |
|---|---|
| Section 115BAC slabs (default regime) | Nil up to ₹4 lakh; 5% ₹4–8 lakh; 10% ₹8–12 lakh; 15% ₹12–16 lakh; 20% ₹16–20 lakh; 25% ₹20–24 lakh; 30% above ₹24 lakh |
| Section 87A rebate | Income limit ₹7 lakh → ₹12 lakh; rebate ₹25,000 → ₹60,000 (default regime). Not on income at special rates (111A, 112, 112A etc.); marginal relief still applies |
| ULIPs not exempt u/s 10(10D) | Capital assets u/s 2(14); redemption gains taxed as capital gains u/s 45(1B) |
| Section 80CCA | Withdrawals from NSS on or after 29 August 2024 exempt |
| Section 80CCD(1B) | Covers NPS Vatsalya too, within the same ₹50,000; partial withdrawal up to 25% of contributions exempt u/s 10(12BA) |
| Unified Pension Scheme | Section 80CCD(3A), (6) and section 10(12AA), (12AB), by the Taxation Laws (Amendment) Act, 2025 |
| Section 80-IAC | Start-up incorporation date extended to 31 March 2030 |
Capital gains is now taught only on the post-23 July 2024 provisions, since the previous year is 2025-26.
Business, losses and trusts
- Section 72A / 72AA: for an amalgamation or re-organisation on or after 1 April 2025, the predecessor's loss is carried forward for not more than eight assessment years from the year it was first computed for the original predecessor (Chapter 7, PDF (opens in a new tab)). Example below.
- Tonnage tax extended to inland vessels registered under the Inland Vessels Act, 2021.
- Trusts: registration validity 5 → 10 years for smaller trusts (income up to ₹5 crore in each of the two preceding years); section 13(3) "specified person" narrowed to contributors of over ₹1 lakh in the year or ₹10 lakh in aggregate; an incomplete application is no longer a "specified violation" u/s 12AB(4).
TDS, TCS and procedure
- Lower rates: 194D 5% → 2%; 194LBC → 10%; 206C(1) timber/forest produce 2.5% → 2%; 206C(1G) education remittance financed by an 80E loan → Nil.
- Higher thresholds, for example: 194J ₹30,000 → ₹50,000; 194H and 194D ₹15,000 → ₹20,000; 194-I ₹2,40,000 a year → ₹50,000 per month or part; 194A (bank, others) ₹40,000 → ₹50,000, senior citizens ₹50,000 → ₹1 lakh; 194 dividend ₹5,000 → ₹10,000; 206C(1G) LRS and overseas tour package ₹7 lakh → ₹10 lakh.
- Section 206C(1H) (TCS on sale of goods) abolished w.e.f. 1 April 2025; only 194Q remains.
- Sections 206AB and 206CCA (higher rate for non-filers) omitted.
- Updated return u/s 139(8A): 24 → 48 months from the end of the assessment year; additional tax 60% (24–36 months) and 70% (36–48 months) (Chapter 15, PDF (opens in a new tab)).
- Block assessment: "virtual digital asset" added to undisclosed income u/s 158B; time limit now twelve months from the end of the quarter of the last authorisation.
- Also: 271AAB(1A) not for searches on or after 1 September 2024; 275 penalty orders within six months from the end of the quarter; 276BB no prosecution if TCS is paid by the quarterly statement's due date; new 285BAA crypto-asset reporting.
International taxation changes for Nov 2026
Four Finance Act, 2025 items sit in Module 4 and digital taxation:
| Change | What ICAI says |
|---|---|
| Block transfer pricing (section 92CA(3B)) | ALP determined for one year applies to similar transactions for the two consecutive following years, on the assessee's option, if the TPO declares the option valid; not for search cases (Chapter 24, PDF (opens in a new tab)) |
| Section 44BBD (new) | Non-residents providing services or technology for electronics manufacturing: profits deemed 25% of receipts; 44DA and 115A don't apply (Chapter 21, PDF (opens in a new tab)) |
| Section 115AD | LTCG of FIIs on securities (other than 112A) taxed at 12.5% instead of 10% |
| Equalisation levy | The 6% levy on online advertisement abolished w.e.f. 1 April 2025 |
ICAI adds that for Model Tax Conventions, Tax Treaties, BEPS and Latest Developments in International Taxation, "the specific content as covered in the Study Material" is what counts for November 2026 (Group II RTP, PDF (opens in a new tab)).
Judicial Update for November 2026: 8 rulings
ICAI's Judicial Update (PDF) (opens in a new tab) is the only update after the study material. Its file name says "may2026"; its heading says November 2026.
| # | Case | What it holds |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sharp Business System v. CIT (SC) | Non-compete fee to a JV partner is revenue expenditure u/s 37(1) |
| 2 | Jindal Equipment Leasing v. CIT (SC) | Shares received on amalgamation for shares held as stock-in-trade can be business income u/s 28 |
| 3 | DIT v. American Express Bank (SC) | Section 44C covers head office expenditure even if incurred exclusively for Indian branches |
| 4 | AAR v. Tiger Global International II Holdings (SC) | GAAR grandfathering of pre-1 April 2017 investments can't protect an impermissible arrangement; treaty exemption denied |
| 5 | Prakash D. Koli v. ITAT (Bom HC) | A later court ruling alone can't ground rectification u/s 254(2) |
| 6 | Crown Electromechanical v. PCIT (Cal HC) | A bona fide mistake in the return can be corrected in revision u/s 264 |
| 7 | Pride Foramer S.A. v. CIT (SC) | A lean period is a lull, not cessation; a non-resident needs no permanent office in India to "carry on business" here |
| 8 | CIT v. Salesforce.com Singapore (SC) | SLP dismissed, so the Delhi HC ruling stands: CRM subscription fee isn't royalty u/s 9, nor FTS under Article 12(4)(b) of the India–Singapore DTAA |
Notification No. 54/2026 (31 March 2026) substituted Rule 10U(1)(d) and 10U(2): GAAR still applies to tax benefits on or after 1 April 2017, but income from transferring investments made before 1 April 2017 is now expressly kept outside GAAR. ICAI says Tiger Global's reading of the two sub-rules belongs to the pre-amendment Rule; its points on treaty entitlement, TRC and substance remain relevant.
How ICAI tests it: two worked examples from the RTP
Example 1: section 72A loss after the 2025 amendment (MCQ 7)
Facts. SRPG amalgamated into BIPL with effect from 1 April 2025, meeting every condition of section 72A. SRPG's ₹48 crore business loss was first computed for A.Y. 2021-22.
Working. Count eight assessment years after A.Y. 2021-22: 2022-23 to 2029-30.
ICAI's answer: (B), up to A.Y. 2029-30. The trap is option (C), A.Y. 2034-35: eight years counted from the year of amalgamation (A.Y. 2026-27) instead of from A.Y. 2021-22.
Example 2: TCS on LRS at the new ₹10 lakh threshold (Q16(ii))
Mr. Singh, a resident who furnished his PAN, made three payments in F.Y. 2025-26:
| Date | Payment | ICAI's TCS | Working |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10.09.2025 | ₹17 lakh, overseas tour package (travel agent) | ₹1,90,000 | 5% on ₹10 lakh + 20% on ₹7 lakh |
| 12.01.2026 | ₹12 lakh, LRS, medical treatment (authorised dealer) | ₹10,000 | 5% on ₹2 lakh above ₹10 lakh |
| 26.02.2026 | ₹8 lakh, LRS, other purposes (same dealer) | ₹1,60,000 | 20% on the full ₹8 lakh |
The trap is the third line. The ₹10 lakh LRS threshold is combined across purposes in a financial year (Chapter 13, PDF (opens in a new tab)). The January remittance already used it, so all ₹8 lakh bears TCS. The tour package's ₹10 lakh is a separate threshold that only decides 5% or 20%, so the September payment doesn't use up the LRS limit. Apply the old ₹7 lakh threshold and the first two figures go wrong.
Case Scenario I (a Swiss bank's Mumbai branch) tests section 44C, the point of American Express Bank: ICAI's answers are ₹4.20 crore u/s 44C (MCQ 1) and ₹2.40 crore u/s 37 (MCQ 2). More in CA Final RTP Nov 2026 with answers.
What's not in scope for Nov 2026
- The Income-tax Act, 2025. ICAI tests it from May 2027 (ICAI announcement, PDF (opens in a new tab)). Keep the new section numbers and "tax year" wording out of a November answer. Details: Income Tax Act 2025 in CA Final and our news post.
- The Finance Act, 2026. Not mentioned in ICAI's November 2026 RTP, which applies the Finance Act, 2025 for A.Y. 2026-27.
- Anything after 30 April 2026.
- The September 2025 Statutory Update, which was for that exam (A.Y. 2025-26).
ICAI gives no topic-wise exclusion table for Paper 4 this attempt; the Study Guidelines table in the Group II RTP is for Paper 5.
How to revise DT amendments before 9 November
- Make one sheet of the rates, thresholds and dates above. Most amendment marks are a number.
- Read the italic text in all four modules once more.
- Learn the 8 rulings as issue + decision, one line each.
- Write RTP MCQ 7 and Q16 by hand, then check them against ICAI's answers.
- Expect them inside a case. Papers 1 to 5 carry 30 marks of case-based MCQs (CA Final exam pattern).
- Keep proportion: see the CA Final DT chapter-wise weightage and CA Final DT important questions.
The general method is in how to revise amendments for CA exams; for Group I, see CA Final FR amendments for Nov 2026.
Frequently asked questions
Which Finance Act applies for CA Final DT Nov 2026?
The Finance Act, 2025, for A.Y. 2026-27, with significant notifications and circulars up to 30 April 2026 (RTP, PDF (opens in a new tab)).
Is there a statutory update for CA Final DT Nov 2026?
No. ICAI says no significant notifications or circulars were issued between 1 August 2025 and 30 April 2026, except Notification No. 54/2026, which it placed in the Judicial Update.
Are the DT amendments for May 2026 and Nov 2026 the same?
The law is: both use the Finance Act, 2025 and A.Y. 2026-27. The cut-off differs: 31 October 2025 for May 2026 (May 2026 RTP, PDF (opens in a new tab)), 30 April 2026 for November. Notification No. 54/2026 (31 March 2026) falls after the May cut-off, and ICAI notes it in the Judicial Update for November 2026.
Is the Income-tax Act 2025 applicable for CA Final Nov 2026?
No. November 2026 stays on the Income-tax Act, 1961; the 2025 Act applies from May 2027.
Practise the amendments in a full DT paper
Our CA Final DT mock tests are full-syllabus papers on ICAI's latest pattern, set for November 2026 with every applicable amendment tested. Write by hand, upload one PDF, and your checked copy comes back within 24 hours with the reason for every mark cut and the correct line to write. Preview pages of Mock Test 1 are on that page, so you can judge the level first.
For every paper and level, see our CA test series and CA mock tests.