India: Form 24Q Q4 Due 31 May 2026, Form 16 Due 15 June 2026; Income Tax Act 2025 In Force

Two India deadlines hit this window: Form 24Q Q4 (Jan–Mar 2026) TDS return due 31 May 2026, and Form 16 for FY 2025–26 (under the 1961 Act) due 15 June 2026. Income Tax Act 2025 is in force from 1 April 2026 (Tax Year 2026–27) – Form 138 will replace 24Q and Form 130 will replace Form 16 for salary paid on or after 1 April 2026. CBDT confirmed via Income Tax Rules 2026.

Effective Date

• Form 24Q: 31 May 2026; Form 16: 15 June 2026; New Act: 1 April 2026

Published

• CBDT – Income Tax Act 2025; Income Tax Rules 2026 (incometax.gov.in)

Key Points

• Form 24Q Q4 FY 2025–26: due 31 May 2026 via TIN-NSDL.
• Form 16 (Part A from TRACES + Part B): due 15 June 2026 per Rule 31(3).
• Late Form 16 penalty: ₹500/day per certificate under Section 272A(2)(g).
• Income Tax Act 2025 in force from 1 April 2026 (Tax Year 2026–27).
• Form 24Q → Form 138; Form 16 → Form 130 – applies to salary paid on or after 1 April 2026.
• Section 192 (TDS on salary) renumbered to Section 392 under new Act.
• Income Tax Rules 2026 + FAQs published at incometax.gov.in.
• FY 2025–26 (AY 2026–27) ITR filings continue under the old Act until completion.

Payroll action

• File Form 24Q for Q4 FY 2025–26 by 31 May 2026 via TIN-NSDL.
• Run PAN-Aadhaar status checks before filing Q4 24Q – inoperative PANs trigger 20% TDS under Section 206AA.
• Issue Form 16 (Part A from TRACES + Part B) to all employees for FY 2025–26 by 15 June 2026.
• From 1 April 2026 wages: configure payroll system to use Form 138 for quarterly TDS statements and Form 130 for annual certificates.
• Update TDS section codes – Section 192 (old) → Section 392 (new) for salary paid on or after 1 April 2026.
• Collect fresh employee tax regime declarations for FY 2026–27 under the new Act framework.
• Audit EPFO UAN database for Aadhaar-seeding – non-seeded UANs face contribution credit holds.

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