Tax Deducted at Source (TDS) is a mechanism by which the payer deducts tax at the time of making certain payments and deposits it to the government on behalf of the payee. Any business making eligible payments — salaries, professional fees, rent, contractor payments — must deduct TDS, deposit monthly, and file quarterly returns.
Critical: TDS must be deposited by the 7th of the following month (March TDS by April 30). Late deposit attracts interest at 1.5% per month from the deduction date to the deposit date. Additionally, the expense on which TDS was not deducted is disallowed under Section 40(a)(ia) — increasing your taxable income by the full payment amount.
Employee tax at source
Employers must deduct TDS on salary based on each employee's projected annual income and tax slab — after accounting for investments and deductions declared by the employee. Form 16 is issued annually.
10% on fees above ₹30,000
TDS at 10% must be deducted on professional and technical service fees (doctors, lawyers, consultants, engineers) if aggregate payment exceeds ₹30,000 in a year.
10% on land/building rent above ₹2.4 lakhs
Businesses paying rent exceeding ₹2.4 lakhs per annum for land, building, furniture, or machinery must deduct TDS at 10% (2% for plant/machinery).
Forms 24Q, 26Q, 27Q, 27EQ
Quarterly TDS returns must be filed within 31 days of the quarter end — 24Q for salary TDS, 26Q for other TDS, 27Q for NRI payments, 27EQ for TCS.
TDS obligations apply to specific types of payors making eligible payments.
All companies and LLPs are mandated to deduct TDS on applicable payments regardless of turnover. Non-corporate entities are required above certain thresholds.
Individuals and HUFs whose accounts are subject to audit under Section 44AB must deduct TDS on professional fees, rent, and contractor payments.
All central and state government departments must deduct TDS on all applicable payments to contractors, consultants, and service providers.
Buyers of immovable property (other than agricultural land) where consideration exceeds ₹50 lakhs must deduct TDS at 1% at the time of payment.
TDS non-compliance has immediate financial and legal consequences for the deductor.
Interest at 1% per month for non-deduction and 1.5% per month for non-deposit applies. On top of this, a penalty equal to the TDS amount can be levied under Section 271C.
Expenses on which TDS was not deducted may be disallowed under Section 40(a)(ia) — increasing taxable income by the full payment amount. This is a massive hidden cost.
Payees (employees, vendors, contractors) rely on your TDS deposits for their Form 26AS credit. Incorrect or delayed deposits create problems for their individual tax returns.
Failure to deposit TDS after deduction is deemed a criminal offence under Section 276B — punishable with imprisonment of 3 months to 7 years plus fine.
Incorrect TDS deductions (short deduction) result in demand notices from the Income Tax Department. Our calculations use correct rates for every payment type.
Vendors and contractors check their Form 26AS regularly. Accurate, timely TDS deposits prevent friction in vendor relationships and speed up future invoice payments.
Our TDS management team handles the complete monthly and quarterly cycle for your business.
Scroll through the steps — or skip the queue and let our experts handle every one of them for you.
Get Expert HelpReview all payments made during the month — salaries, professional fees, rent, contractor payments, interest — and identify TDS applicability and correct rates.
Apply the correct TDS rate to each payment type. For salaries, compute tax based on each employee's estimated annual income and investment declarations.
Deposit TDS using Challan 281 by the 7th of the following month (by April 30 for March). Use the correct minor head codes for each TDS section.
Maintain employee-wise / payee-wise deduction records with PAN, amount, rate, and challan details for quarterly return preparation.
File Form 24Q (salary), 26Q (other), 27Q (NRI) by the 31st after each quarter end. Q4 deadline is May 31. FVU validation and RPU software ensure error-free submission.
Issue Form 16 (salary) by June 15 and Form 16A (non-salary) within 15 days of quarterly return filing. These certificates are critical for employees and vendors.
Monthly payroll and payment data is needed to calculate and deposit TDS accurately.
Employee-wise monthly salary breakup including basic, HRA, and other allowances.
All payments made to contractors, professionals, and service providers during the month.
Property rent agreements showing monthly rent amount and landlord's PAN.
TDS at the higher rate of 20% applies if the payee fails to furnish their PAN. Always collect PAN before making the first payment to any vendor or contractor to avoid excess TDS deduction issues.
Complete these actions by the year-end to close out the TDS cycle cleanly.
Issue Form 16 to all salaried employees by June 15. Issue Form 16A to all non-salary TDS deductees within 15 days of the Q4 return due date (by June 15).
Match all TDS deposited in the government records (Form 26AS) against your books. Any discrepancy must be corrected by filing a TDS correction statement.
If errors are found in filed TDS returns — wrong PAN, wrong amount, or challan mismatch — file correction statements promptly. Uncorrected errors create demand notices.
Miss the 7th-of-the-month deposit deadline and interest runs at 1.5% per month — plus the expense itself gets disallowed under Section 40(a)(ia). We deposit and file on time, every month.
TDS calculated and deposited before the 7th of every month, with March covered by the April 30 extension.
24Q, 26Q and other TDS returns filed correctly so payee credit reflects properly in Form 26AS.
Correct deduction on every eligible payment so expenses are never disallowed for non-deduction.
Certificates issued promptly so your vendors and employees see accurate TDS credit without chasing you.
TDS Returns Filed
On-Time Deposits
Client Rating
Disallowance Notices
Still have questions?
Our experts are happy to walk you through the process.
We believe communication is the key to building strong relationships. Whether you have questions about our tools, products and services, need support, or simply want to share your feedback, we're here to help.