OLTAS TDS Challan Status Enquiry

Online Tax Accounting System (OLTAS) Tax deducted at Source (TDS) Challan Status enquiry 

In brief OLTAS is for collection, accounting and reporting of the receipts and payments of Direct Taxes from all kinds of taxpayers, online, through a network of bank branches. To understand what is OLTAS, its features and benefits, you can click here - ‘Online Tax Accounting System (OLTAS)’ . 

Any category of direct tax such as income tax, corporate tax, tax deducted at source (TDS), tax collected at source (TCS) etc can be paid using a single copy challan either online or by visiting bank branches authorised for OLTAS. Once taxes are paid by taxpayers, the collecting bank will capture the entire data of the challan and transmit it electronically to the Income-tax Department. Banks also reconcile daily tax collection with the information and data received by Tax Information Network (TIN) from the banks.

This enables easy verification/ status checking of all details and information about the tax payments online. Once taxes are paid, tear off portion of counterfoil is given to taxpayers post rubber stamping by collecting bank and in case of online payment, challan is generated immediately. Challan/counterfoil contains Challan Identification Number (CIN) a unique serial number containing the following:

• 7 digits BSR Code allotted by RBI to the bank branch where tax is deposited
• Date of presentation of the challan (DD/MM/YY)
• 5 digits serial number of Challan in that bank branch on that day

CIN is a proof of tax payment by a taxpayer which is required to be quoted in income tax returns or communication with the income tax department whenever required. Further, CIN has done away with the requirement of attaching a hard copy of tax paid receipts along with income tax return. Hence, tax paid challan plays an important role and it is imperative to ensure all details filled in the challan are correct. If a taxpayer wants to check the status of tax payments anytime, he/she can do so online. While the way OLTAS works is the same for both income tax directly paid by income earner and also payment of TDS by the deductor. We have discussed the procedure for checking the status of TDS challan online below.

The Procedure for checking TDS challan status online would be discussed under the following:

Status Inquiry for taxpayers

Status of TDS Challan can be checked either by using CIN or Tax Deduction and Collection Account Number (TAN) of deductor. While, status enquiry for all kinds of tax payments can be made using CIN based view, status enquiry for TDS challan can be made using both CIN and TAN based view. Challan Status may be viewed after a week from depositing the challan with the bank.

While making the query on website, if the following message is displayed ‘no records found for the above query’ or if there is any other discrepancy in the data, taxpayer may enquire with the bank where tax has been deposited. In case of no  satisfactory reply, taxpayers may email/write to National Securities Depository Ltd.

CIN Based view

Visit OLTAS website - https://tin.tin.nsdl.com/oltas/index.html. Click on ‘CIN based view’ under ‘For Tax Payers’. Enter CIN i.e., BSR code of collecting bank branch, Challan tender date (cash/cheque deposit date), Challan serial Number and amount (optional). On selecting the option, the taxpayer can view the following details:

• BSR Code
• Date of Deposit
• Challan Serial Number
• Major Head Code with description
• TAN/Permanent Account Number
• Name of Taxpayer
• Received by TIN on (i.e. date of receipt by TIN)
• Confirmation that the amount entered is correct (if amount is entered)

TAN based view

Visit OLTAS website - https://tin.tin.nsdl.com/oltas/index.html. Click on ‘TAN based view’ under ‘For Tax Payers’. Enter TAN and Challan Tender Date range for a required period (range should be within 24 months). On selecting this option text file containing the following challan details for the selected TAN and period can be downloaded:

• CIN
• Major Head Code* with description
• Minor Head Code**
• Nature of Payment

If the taxpayer enters the amount against CIN, the system will confirm whether it matches with the details of amount uploaded by the bank. This file should be used to verify the challan details mentioned in the Quarterly e-TDS/TCS statement For verifying the challan details import the challan file in the File Validation Utility (FVU) along with the text file (Quarterly e-TDS/TCS statement). On successful validation of Quarterly e-TDS/TCS statement, FVU will provide the matching statistic for challan details mentioned in the e-TDS/TCS statement.

Status Inquiry for banks

Tax collecting branches and the nodal branches need to login with their username and password to track online the status of their challans deposited in banks.

Collecting Bank Branch

On providing the branch scroll date and the major head code – description, the tax collecting branch can access the total amount and total number of challans for each major head code*. Further, the collecting branch can view following details:

• Challan Serial Number
• Challan Tender Date
• PAN/TAN
• Name of Taxpayer
• Amount
• Date of receipt by TIN 

Nodal Bank Branch

On providing the nodal scroll date and the major head code-description, the nodal branch can view the following details:

• Nodal Branch Scroll Number
• Scroll Date
• Major Head Code – Description
• Total Amount
• Number of Branches
• Number of Challans

Further, for each Nodal Branch Scroll Number, following information can be accessed:

• BSR Code
• Branch Scroll Number
• Branch Scroll Date
• Total Amount
• Number of Challans
• Date of receipt by TIN

(*Major head code – 0020 – Corporation Tax/company deductees, 0021 – Income Tax (other than Companies)/non-company deductees) (**Minor head code – 200 – TDS/TCS payable by taxpayer, 400 – Tax/TDS/TCS on Regular Assessment Tax). These codes are specific to a TDS challan.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does OLTAS challan mean?

OLTAS is the initiative of the Income Tax Department. It is a system for accounting, collecting and reporting receipts and payments of direct taxes online and through a network of bank branches. 

Can I submit the OLTAS challan online?

You need to fill out a challan to make payment of taxes. It is available at the Income tax department, banks and online. The payment can be made online through net banking or debit cards from authorised banks. It can also be done offline by submitting hard copies of the OLTAS challan with the amount payable at physical bank counters.

Which are the things to consider while making the OLTAS challan payment?

Below are the things you should take care of while filling up the OLTAS challan:

• Selecting the correct head of tax payment
• Selecting the right mode of payment
• Entering the correct amount
• Cross-checking the nature of the payment selected 
• Selecting the correct assessment year
• Entering the correct PAN and TAN details of the deductor

What is the meaning of claimed and unclaimed under OLTAS challan status?

Claimed means an amount in challan shown in the tax filer’s TDS return and matched with the bank payment details. An unclaimed challan means a bank payment that has not been claimed in return.

Can a single challan be filed for different TDS challan payments?

Yes, you can file a single challan for TDS payments under different sections. The nature of payment in the OLTAS challan can have multiple selections.

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