All organisations responsible for deduction of tax at source are required to submit to the prescribed income tax authority a return(s) within a stipulated period after the end of the financial year. The relevant return form and the month by which it should be filed are as under:
| TDS Return | Form | Time Limit |
| Salaries | Form 24Q | 31st July, 31st October, 31st January, 31st May |
| Contractors | Form 26Q | 31st July, 31st October, 31st January, 31st May |
| Rent | Form 26Q | 31st July, 31st October, 31st January, 31st May |
| Professional / Technical Services | Form 26Q | 31st July, 31st October, 31st January, 31st May |
| Annual Return | Form ITR-7 | 31st October |
| Audit Report | Form 10B | 30th September |
The data structure (file format) in which the e-TDS / e-TCS return is to be prepared has been notified on the nsdl site, you can download that format by clicking on the link below:
https://www.tin-nsdl.com/services/etds-etcs/etds-steps.html
Procedure to file TDS return: filing tds return is a five-step process
Step 1: Downloading the file format in which the e-TDS return is to be prepared.
Step 2: E-TDS return in accordance with the file formats is to be prepared in clean text ASCII format with 'txt' as filename extension. e-TDS/e-TCS return can be prepared using in-house software, any other third party software or the NSDL e-TDS Return Preparation Utility.
Step 3: Once the file has been prepared as per the file format, it should be verified using the File Validation Utility (FVU) provided by NSDL e-Gov.
Step 4: In case file has any errors the FVU will give a report of the errors. Rectify the errors and verify the file again through the FVU.
Step 5: The upload file generated by the FVU on successful validation is to be furnished to a TIN-FC.
