Quarterly statements in Forms 24Q, 26Q and 27Q — dates, late fee, and the certificate that follows.
The quarterly statement reports what you deducted and to whom. Form 24Q covers salary, 26Q covers resident non-salary payments, and 27Q covers payments to non-residents.
Due dates are 31 July, 31 October and 31 January for the first three quarters, and 31 May for the January-to-March quarter — the last one has a longer window than the rest.
Form 24Q / 26Q / 27Q — miss it: ₹200 a day under section 234E, capped at the TDS amount — plus ₹10,000 to ₹1 lakh under 271H
Form 16 — miss it: ₹100 a day per certificate under section 272A(2)(g)
Section 234E charges ₹200 for every day the statement is late. The cap is useful to know: the fee can never exceed the amount of TDS in that statement. A statement carrying ₹5,000 of TDS cannot attract more than ₹5,000 of fee, however long it is delayed.
A separate penalty under section 271H — between ₹10,000 and ₹1 lakh — is available to the department where the statement is more than a year late or carries incorrect particulars. It is discretionary, not automatic.
Form 16 and Form 16A are generated from the filed statement, so a late return means employees and vendors cannot get their certificates. Form 16 for the year is due by 15 June, which is only a fortnight after the Q4 statement — filing Q4 late makes the Form 16 date almost impossible to meet.
31 July for Q1, 31 October for Q2, 31 January for Q3 and 31 May for Q4. The fourth quarter gets a two-month window rather than one.
₹200 a day under section 234E, which cannot exceed the TDS in that statement. A penalty of ₹10,000 to ₹1 lakh under 271H may also be levied in serious cases.
15 June following the financial year. It is generated from the Q4 statement, so a late Q4 filing delays every employee's Form 16.
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Ask on WhatsAppStandard statutory dates, computed from today. Extensions notified by the CBDT or CBIC, ROC dates that follow your own AGM, and state-administered levies can all differ. General information, not advice on your position — confirm with us before you rely on a date that is close.
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