TDS Return Filing Process 2026: New Forms 138 and 140, Due Dates and Step-by-Step Filing

The certificates you give deductees change too: Form 16 becomes Form 130 and Form 16A becomes Form 131. Returns and corrections for quarters up to March 2026 still use the old forms.

The tax itself must be deposited by the 7th of the following month, and by 30 April for TDS deducted in March. Deposit first: a return can only be filed against challans that have actually been paid.

1. Collect the data: your TAN, the challans paid (BSR code, date, serial number), and each deductee's PAN, amount paid, date and TDS deducted.
2. Download the utilities from the Protean (NSDL) TIN website: the Return Preparation Utility (RPU) and the File Validation Utility (FVU). Use the latest versions, since they are updated for the new forms.
3. Prepare the return in RPU: choose the form (138, 140 or 144), the tax year and the quarter, and enter the challan and deductee details.
4. Validate with FVU. It flags invalid PANs, challan mismatches and format errors. Fix them until it produces a .fvu file.
5. Upload on the e-filing portal: log in with your TAN, go to e-File → Income Tax Forms → File Income Tax Forms, and choose the TDS/TCS form. Then select the form, tax year and quarter, and upload the zipped .fvu file.
6. e-Verify with DSC or EVC and submit. You'll get an acknowledgement by email and SMS.
7. Check TRACES a few days later for defaults. Then download and issue the TDS certificates.

• Late fee: ₹200 per day until the return is filed, capped at the total TDS for that return.
• Interest: 1% a month if tax wasn't deducted on time, and 1.5% a month if it was deducted but deposited late.
• Penalty of ₹10,000 to ₹1 lakh can apply if the return isn't filed within a year of the due date, or is filed with wrong details.

These are the familiar amounts; the new Act carries them forward under new section numbers.

Mistakes such as a wrong PAN, a wrong challan or a missed deductee are fixed with a correction statement. Download the consolidated file from TRACES, make the corrections in RPU, validate with FVU and upload. Correct quickly: until you do, the deductee's credit doesn't show in their Form 26AS or AIS.

TaxQue's TDS return filing service prepares, validates and files your quarterly returns, and issues Forms 130 and 131. Payroll teams also use our accounting service to keep TDS deposits on time.