All About Tax Deducted At Source – TDS Meaning, Filing, Return & Due Dates

TDS stands for Tax Deducted at Source. It is a system under the Income Tax Act where tax is deducted by the payer and remitted to government, for certain payments like salary, rent, interest, and professional fees. TDS ensures timely tax collection and helps the government track taxable income throughout the financial year.

What is TDS?

• TDS stands for Tax Deducted at Source. It is a system under the Income Tax Act where tax is deducted by the person making specified payments such as salary, rent, interest, commission, or professional fees. 
• The person deducting tax is known as the deductor, and the person receiving the payment is the deductee.
• The deducted amount is deposited with the Income Tax Department against the deductee’s PAN. 
• While the deductee receives the net payment (after TDS), the gross income is used to calculate total tax liability. 
• The TDS deducted is credited against the final tax payable. If the total TDS is more than the actual tax liability, the excess is refunded after filing the income tax return.

Applicability of TDS

• Any person making specified payments mentioned under the Income Tax Act is required to deduct TDS at the time of making such payments. 
• Different types of payments are governed by different TDS provisions, and there is threshold limit is fixed for different types of payments. If the total payment made do not exceed the threshold limit during the financial year, no TDS needs to be deducted. 
• If the payee declares for 15G or 15H, stating that his taxable income for the financial year would be below the taxable limits, then no TDS needs to be deducted.

What are TDS rates?

• The TDS rates differ based on the nature of transactions, the person paying and the person receiving the money.
• When the payment amount crosses a certain threshold limit, TDS would be applicable.
• Please refer to our TDS rate chart to know TDS rates and threshold limits for different kinds of payments. 

Example of TDS

Shine Pvt. Ltd makes a payment for office rent of Rs 80,000 per month to the owner of the property. TDS is required to be deducted at 10% under Section 194I of the Income Tax Act, 1961. Shine Pvt ltd must deduct TDS of Rs 8,000 (i.e., Rs 80,000*10%) and pay the balance of Rs 72,000 to the owner of the property. Thus, the recipient of income i.e. the owner of the property in the above case receives the net amount of Rs 72,000 after deduction of tax at the source. He will add the gross amount i.e. Rs 80,000 to his income and can take credit of the amount already deducted i.e. Rs 8,000 by Shine Pvt. Ltd against his final tax liability.

TDS Due Dates

TDS must be deposited to the government on or before the 7th of the following month in which the tax is deducted.

• For example, TDS deducted in June must be deposited by 7th July.
• TDS deducted in March, however, can be deposited up to 31st May.
• In the case of TDS on purchase of property (Section 194-IA), the due date is 30 days from the end of the month in which TDS is deducted.

Missing the due date may attract interest and penalties under the Income Tax Act.

The TDS statements have to be furnished on a quarterly basis as follows:

How to Deposit TDS?

TDS has to be deposited via the Income Tax Portal based on the TAN login. Direct tax payments facility has been migrated from OLTAS 'e-payment: Pay Taxes Online' to e-Pay Tax facility of e-Filing portal. You have to click on 'e-Pay Tax' option of Income Tax Department on https://www.incometax.gov.in/ to make direct tax payments including TDS.

TDS returns

TDS return is to be submitted quarterly and various details need to be furnished like TAN, amount of TDS deducted, type of payment, PAN of deductee, etc. Various types of return forms are as follows: 

What is a TDS Certificate?

TDS certificates have to be issued by a person deducting TDS to the assessee from whose income TDS was deducted while making payment. Form 16, Form 16A, Form 16B and Form 16C  are all TDS certificates. 

TDS Credits in Form 26AS

TDS deductions are directly linked to the PAN of both the deductor and the deductee. If TDS has been deducted from your income, you must refer to Form 26AS, a consolidated tax statement available to all PAN holders on the income tax portal.

Form 26AS provides a complete summary of all TDS deducted and deposited against your PAN, including payments like salary, interest, commission, etc. It also reflects advance tax or self-assessment tax paid by you. 

Since TDS credit can only be claimed for amounts that appear in Form 26AS, it is crucial to ensure your PAN is correctly quoted wherever TDS is applicable. Regularly checking your 26AS helps you verify whether the deductor has accurately deposited the TDS.

Failing to reconcile TDS credits may lead to incorrect claims and notices from the Income Tax Department. This is especially important for businesses where multiple clients or vendors deduct TDS.

Penalty for Late Filing of TDS Returns

A late fee of ₹200 per day is levied under Section 234E for the delayed submission of TDS/TCS returns to the Income Tax Department (ITD). This means that the fee accumulates for each day the return is late, up to a maximum limit equal to the total TDS amount. It's important to pay this late fee before submitting the TDS/TCS return.

Difference Between TDS and Income Tax

The following table explains the difference between TDS and Income Tax:

Other TDS Articles: 
1. What is Tax Deducted at Source 
2. TDS Rate Chart  
3. How to claim TDS Refund 
4. How to Make TDS Payment Online 
5. TDS Interest Calculator 
6. Section 194LBC of Income Tax Act 
7. Tax Deductions on Tips Given to Hotel Employees