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Introduction

TDS is the abbreviation for Tax Deducted at Source. It is a form of direct tax levied on individual taxpayers. The concept of TDS was introduced with the idea to collect tax at source i.e. the onus of deducting the tax will lie with the person making the payment.

TDS applies to payments like salary, commission, rent, interest, sale of property, etc. Tax is deducted on specified payments at the prescribed rates that are subject to change from time to time by means of a notification or a circular issued by the Central Board of Direct taxes (CBDT). The prime intent of introducing this type of taxation system was to reduce the chances or cases of tax evasion and thereby increase the tax collections.

Incomes Liable for TDS

TDS like any other tax is a direct tax that is levied on the income of a person. There are certain specified incomes that qualify for TDS deductions. Given below are a few examples of such incomes where the person making the payment is liable to deduct a tax at source on applicable rates.

  • Salary
  • Director’s Remuneration
  • Professional Fees
  • Consultation Fees
  • Commission 
  • Brokerage 
  • Rent payments
  • Insurance Commission
  • Deemed Dividend
  • LIC Payments
  • Bank Interest
  • Interest on securities
  • Lottery Winnings, etc.
  • Sale of immovable property
  • Transfer of immovable property

TDS should be deducted irrespective of the payment method i.e. cheque, cash or credit or online transfer. The TDS deducted should be deposited with the income tax department under the PAN number of the deductee.

TDS rates

Given below are the rates applicable for certain incomes which are liable for deduction of tax at source.

Type of paymentApplicable sectionTDS rate from 1st April to 13th May 2020TDS rate post 14th May 2020

Salary

192

As per relevant income tax TDS slabs, including cess if any

As per relevant income tax slabs, including cess if any

Interest earned from securities

193

10.00%

7.50%

Accumulated taxable earnings on PF

192A

10.00%

10.00%

Interest earned from fixed deposit

194A

10.00%

7.50%

Dividends earned from company-owned shares and mutual funds

194K & 194

10.00%

7.50%

Winnings from bets on horse races 

194BB

30.00%

30.00%

Winnings from crosswords, lottery or any other game 

194B

30.00%

30.00%

Insurance commission earned by the individual 

194D

5.00%

3.75%

Contractors and subcontractor payments

194C

1% (HUF/Individual), 2% (others)

0.75% (HUF/Individual), 1.5% (others)

Payments on deposits made under National Savings Scheme

194EE

10.00%

7.50%

Taxable Life Insurance Policy as per Section 10(10D)

194DA

5.00%

3.75%

Commission, prize money, etc. on selling lottery tickets

194G

5.00%

3.75%

Payments made on UTI or Mutual Funds re-purchases

194F

20.00%

15.00%

Payment made for buying property or land

194 IB

1.00%

0.75%

Brokerage or commission received other than an insurance commission

194H

5.00%

3.75%

Rent payment by HUF or individual exceeding 50,000 every month

194 IB

5.00%

3.75%

Cash withdrawal of more than 20,00,000 or 1,00,00,000

194N

2.00%

2.00%

Payment made to professionals or brokerage or commission of 50,00,000 or above

194M

5.00%

3.75%

Professional fees payment

194J

2% (FTS, call centre, certain royalties), 10% (others)

1.5% (FTS, call centre, certain royalties), 7.5% (others)

TDS Returns

After deducting the tax at the source of the payment, it is mandatory for all such persons who have deducted at source to file the TDS returns on quarterly basis. The various details that have to be furnished at the time of filing the return are,

  • TAN (Tax Deduction or Collection Account Number)
  • Amount of TDS deducted
  • Type of Payment
  • PAN of Deductee

There are different types of forms that are applicable depending on the purpose of deduction of TDS. Following are the types of forms and the due dates for filing the TDS Return.

Form No.Transactions ReportedDue Date

Form 24Q

TDS on Salary

Q1-31st July

Q2-31st October

Q3-31st January

Q4-31st May

Form 26Q

TDS on all Payments except Salary

Q1-31st July

Q2-31st October

Q3-31st January

Q4-31st May

Form 26QB

TDS on Sale of Property

30 days from the end of the month in which TDS is deducted

Form 26QC

TDS on Rent

30 days from the end of the month in which TDS is deducted

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. There are various types of TDS certificates that are issued depending on the type of payment.

Given below are the details of the various types of Forms issued to the assessees and the frequency of its issuance.

FormCertificate ofFrequencyDue Date

Form 16

TDS on Salary

Yearly

31st May

Form 16 A

TDS on all Payments except Salary

Quarterly

15 Days from Due Date of Filing Return

Form 16 B

TDS on Sale of Property

Every Transaction

15 Days from Due Date of Filing Return

Form 16 C

TDS on Rent

Every Transaction

15 Days from Due Date of Filing Return

If a person expects that his total income in a financial year will be below the exemption limit, he can ask the payer not to deduct TDS by submitting Form 15G/15H.

Penalties for Late Filing of TDS Returns

The penalties for not filing a TDS Return or filing the TDS Return after the due date are mentioned below.

Failure to submit your returns 

As per section 272A(2) of the Income Tax Act, 1961 a penalty of Rs.100 will be levied for each day that the returns are not submitted, subject to a maximum of the TDS amount.

Failure to file your returns on time

As per section 234E of the Income Tax Act, 1961 a penalty of Rs.200 will be levied for each day that the returns are not filed, subject to a maximum of the TDS amount.

For defaults in the filing of TDS statement 

As per section 271H of the Income Tax Act, 1961 a penalty of Rs.10,000 to Rs.1,00,000 will be levied in case the deductor defaults at the time of filing TDS returns within the due date.

For incorrect details

As per section 271H of the Income Tax Act, 1961 a penalty of Rs.10,000 to Rs.1,00,000 will be charged in case the deductor submits incorrect information pertaining to PAN, challan particulars, TDS amount, etc.

For non-payment of TDS

As per section 201A of the Income Tax Act, 1961 interest will also be levied along with the penalty in case TDS is not paid within the due date. In case a part of the tax amount or the whole of it is not deducted at source, interest will be charged at 1.5% every month starting from the date on which the tax was deductible to the date on which the tax is actually deducted.

Non-Applicability of TDS

There are many incomes where the TDS is not applicable. Some examples of such non-applicability of TDS are mentioned below.

  • Payment done towards notified mutual funds as per section 10(23D)
  • Payment done towards a government body or to the government and Reserve Bank of India.
  • If the deductee has a non-deduction certificate as per section 192 of the Income Tax Act
  • Payment done towards central or state financial corporations
  • Interest paid or credited to:
    • A banking company or banks
    • National Savings Certificate
    • Unit Trust of India, Life Insurance Corporation or different insurance companies
    • Banking Co-operative Society
    • Kisan Vikas Patra
    • Non-Resident External Account
    • A notified body for TDS non-deduction
    • Savings account deposits, recurring deposits of banks as well as co-operative societies

FAQs on TDS (Tax Deducted at Source)

1. What is the full form of TDS?

The full form of TDS is Tax Deducted at Source.

2. How can a person check if the TDS paid is deposited correctly?

The TDS paid is deposited with the government and is reflected in Form 26AS of the assessee apart from receiving the TDS Certificate.

3. What are the consequences of not deducting or depositing the TDS?

Following are the consequences of not deducting or depositing the TDS as per the rules of the IT Act, 1961.

  • In the event of non-deposit or non-deducting of applicable TDS, the deductor or payer is considered to be an assessee in default and is subject to levy of interest at the rate of
  • 1% on the tax amount for the month or part of the month from the date of deducting such tax to the date when it was actually deducted, or
  • 1.5% on the tax amount for the month or part of the month from the date of deducting such tax to the date when it was actually paid to the department.
  • Such defaulters may also be subjected to a penalty to the amount of tax that is unpaid or is not deducted on time.

4. What are some of the advantages of TDS?

TDS is beneficial to both the Government as well as the taxpayer. Some of the major advantages of TDS are,

  • Convenience to the assessee
  • Reduces chances of tax evasion
  • Expansion of tax base
  • Timely collection of tax
  • Reduction of the authorities in processing as well as collection of tax

5. Will the employee face any penalty in case the employer fails to deduct or deposit TDS?

No. The onus of deducting and depositing the TDS is on the employer and hence the consequence or penalty for non-compliance is also faced by the employer and not the employee.

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