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Published on:

August 27, 2024

Shaaransh Sharma

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A Simple Guide on How to Claim TDS in India

TDS: Tax Deducted at source is a system that GOI (Government of India) introduced for the collection of tax from income. That is when you make income from salary, interest, rent, etc. The person who pays you for this either deducts some part of your tax (TDS) directly from such payments or after collecting & depositing it into the IT Department. By the end of a financial year, you could be in a position to observe that the total amount of TDS reduced is more than your real tax liability. In such instances, you can apply for a refund of the extra TDS.

Understanding TDS and Its Importance

TDS is deducted by the payer(employer, bank, etc) on different incomes like salary, Bank interest or professional fees. This works as an advance payment of tax and prevents individuals from escaping paying taxes by parting with a percentage of their overall tax dues at the beginning itself. But there is a kind of gap that comes when TDS has been deducted more than the tax liability. Therefore, we need to know how we can claim the TDS refund so that we get our extra amount back.

When Can You Claim a TDS Refund?

You can claim a TDS refund if:

You have a combined income for the financial year that falls below the table tax amount.
Deduction under 80C, Deduction Option like LTA or any other reason which reduces your tax liability but no such information provided to the employer as a TDS Double Suffering II.
You have income from multiple sources and the TDS deducted is more than your total tax due.

To avoid losing your money through over-deductions in such cases, knowing how to claim a TDS refund is important.

Step-by-Step Guide on How to Claim TDS

In a simple few steps, let us divide How to get the TDS deducted on interest.

1. The process of filing your Income Tax Return (ITR)

Your first step in how to claim a TDS refund is then to pay your Income Tax Return (ITR). An ITR is a formal request to the Income Tax Department to assess your tax liability and refund excessive TDS deducted. The process is simple:

Select the ITR Form: Choose an applicable ITR form (ITR-1, 2 etc) as per the nature of your income.
Declare Technically Your Income Sources: You gotta declare all your revenue: Salary, Interest, Rent…
Match TDS with Form 26AS: Cross-check the details of your TDS from different deductors in the form of 26 AS.

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2. Verify Your TDS Details

One more note when you file your ITR confirm the TDS deducted with Form 26AS. This document, which can be accessed from the Income Tax Department's website, is a summary of all TDS deductions that are made on your income. When discrepancies are noticed, verify with the deductor, and get any mistake rectified before filing your ITR.

3. Submit Your ITR

After you have all the income details and TDS deduction verification is done…file your ITR. Be sure to e-verify the return for finalization. You can do this through:

Aadhaar OTP
Net banking
Electronic Verification Code (EVC) through a bank account or Demat account
Digital signature

The e-verification is important as your request for a TDS refund will not get initiated until the verification is done accurately.

The TDS Refund Process

The process of a TDS refund starts when you file your ITR and verify that account. Once the Income Tax Department processes your return and confirms that excess TDS was deducted, then-onwards you will receive a refund in the registered bank account. A TDS refund usually takes a few months to be processed but, you can monitor the status of your TDS redemption online.

1. Refund Intimation

As soon as the refund is processed, you will get an intimation under section 143(1) of the Income Tax Act regarding which amount has been refunded.

2. Refund Credit

The refund is credited to the account number as per the bank details mentioned in ITR.

How to Claim TDS Refund on Salary

Salary TDS is deducted according to the tax liability estimated for the entire financial year. Sometimes, changes in income or deductions could cause the TDS deducted from your salary to be more than your actual tax liability. Here's how to claim TDS refund on salary -

File Your ITR: You have to file your ITR, to claim the excess TDS deducted from your salary amount as a refund
Disclosure Of Correct Salary Income And Deductions: Make sure to report the income of salary accurately along with deductions like 80C, 80D and so on.
Cross-check with Form 16: Your employer issues you a certificate of TDS deducted from your salary called 'Form 16'. Verify this with your 26AS as well, so that it is in place when you file the tax return.

Speaking of TDS, you can clear any confusions you have about TDS and TCS with the help of our blog on Difference Between TDS and TCS

How to Claim TDS Refund of Previous Years

You may have failed to claim a TDS refund for earlier years or could face some issues while filing your ITR. But fear not you can have a refund of TDS which was deducted from your income in an earlier year:

Belated Return: One can file a Belated return for previous years but there is some deadline before which you should have filed the returns. Submit the return and make sure this happens before the end of the assessment year.
Revised Return: If you have already filed your ITR earlier and did not claim the refund, then a revised return requesting an account of income tax paid or any tax credit can be filed before the end of the relevant assessment year.
Rectification Request: If due to an error made by you, the claim of refund under income was missed then it can be claimed through rectification request u/s 154 of the Income Tax Act.

This is to allow for the recovery of any TDS refund due from previous financial years.

Can TDS Be Refunded?

In case, the total tax liability is less than TDS deducted then yes TDS can be refunded. This is common when:

Cases Where Your Total Income Falls Below Taxable Limit
The TDS subtracted more than the comment cuts of different sections on your assessable pay.

This is the only way of getting a TDS refund in these cases and you will have to fill out your ITR. Therefore, to the question 'Is TDS refundable?' definitely, provided you do it the right way.

How to Recover TDS Amount

However, there could be occasions when you have received the TDS deducted but it is not showing in your Form 26AS or if there are differences between the TDS amount and tax payable. How Can You Get the TDS Amount Back?

Ask Deductor: If the TDS deducted by your employer or bank does not reconcile with Form 26AS, contact them to correct it.
Add a Rectification Request: Just in case you have filed your return but the refund amount was forfeited due to any discrepancy, log on to the portal of the Income Tax Department finalize and add up on rectifications made.
Claim TDS Credit in Future Returns: If the refund is not reflected for any year when you can choose to have it carried forward as credit of TDS on income tax payment.

Checking your TDS Deductions and making sure it is the same in Form 26AS for recovery of any discrepancies.

Conclusion

Therefore, when it comes to TDS refunds excess deductions mean loss of refund — hence why understanding how to claim TDS is crucial for taxpayers. These require paying your ITR accurately, cross-verifying the details with Form 26AS and making certain that every offer of deductions and exemption has been claimed perfectly. Regardless of whether it is extra TDS deducted from your salary or another source, as per the method to claim a refund on excess tax deduction by employers, moyen can help you retrieve all your much more than paid back taxes. Also, you can claim TDS refunds of past years via belated or revised returns to make sure no refund is missed.

Being aware of the process for TDS refunds and ensuring proper refunds are given out from The Income Tax Department is very important in case you are an Indian taxpayer.

Tax can be confusing, especially when you are from a non-financial background. If you are a business owner wanting to solve your tax issues, Swipe has got you covered.

FAQs

1. How to claim a TDS refund?

A TDS refund can be claimed by filing your Income Tax Return (ITR) and also ensures that the details in Form 26AS of the TDS deducted are correct. On filing the return and after verification, the excess TDS will be refunded.

2. What is the TDS refund process?

The process of a TDS refund starts when you file and e-verify your ITR. So the Income Tax Department will proceed with your refund and credit an additional amount (if any) directly into your registered bank account.

3. How to claim a TDS refund on salary?

While claiming a TDS refund against salary, ensure you file your ITR with accurate details of income and deductions supported by Form 16 data matched through Form 26AS. If there is any spare deduction of TDS then that would be refunded.

4. Can TDS be refunded for previous years?

Yes, you can claim TDS refunds for past years' payments by way of filing a Belated / Revised Return up to the end of any A.Y. or put in a rectification request.

5. How to recover the TDS amount if there are discrepancies?

In case of any difference in TDS details, ask the deductor for clarification before you move ahead and file a revision request or carry forward your credit to subsequent returns.

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