Form 131 Income Tax Rules 2026 pdf download and Key points
FORM NO. 131
[See rule 215(1)[Table: Sl. No. 2]]
Certificate under section 395(4) for tax deducted at source other than on salary paid to an employee under
section 392 or pension or interest income of specified senior citizen under section 393(1) [Table: Sl. No. 8(iii)]
Under the new Income-tax Rules, 2026, Form No. 131 replaces the old Form 16A. It is governed by Section 395(4)(a) of the Income-tax Act, 2025, and Rule 215(1) [Table: Sl. No. 2] of the Income-tax Rules, 2026.
Here are all the key points regarding Form No. 131:
1. Purpose of the Form Form 131 is a Tax Deducted at Source (TDS) certificate issued by a deductor to a deductee. It is used exclusively for tax deducted on payments other than salary, and excluding pension or interest income of specified senior citizens (which are covered under Form 130). It serves as official proof that the tax was deducted and deposited with the Central Government, enabling the deductee to claim the TDS credit when filing their Income Tax Return (ITR).
2. Applicability and Mandatory Nature
- Who issues it: Any person responsible for deducting tax at source on non-salary payments must issue this certificate to the deductee.
- Non-residents: It is also applicable for tax deducted at source from payments made to non-residents (provided the transaction is reported with a valid PAN).
- Is it mandatory? Yes. It is the legal responsibility of the deductor to issue Form 131 once the tax has been deducted and deposited.
3. Mode of Issuance and Pre-requisites
- Online Generation Only: Form 131 cannot be prepared offline or manually. Any certificate prepared outside the official system is not legally valid.
- Pre-condition: A deductor cannot issue this form without first filing their quarterly TDS statement (Form No. 140 for residents or Form No. 144 for non-residents). The certificate is generated on the TRACES portal only after these quarterly statements are processed.
- Signing: Once downloaded from TRACES, the deductor must provide it to the deductee after signing it either digitally or manually.
4. Frequency and Due Dates Form 131 is issued quarterly, and the due date is strictly within 15 days from the due date of furnishing the corresponding quarterly TDS statement. The specific deadlines are:
- Quarter 1 (Apr – Jun): 15th August of the Financial Year.
- Quarter 2 (Jul – Sep): 15th November of the Financial Year.
- Quarter 3 (Oct – Dec): 15th February of the Financial Year.
- Quarter 4 (Jan – Mar): 15th June of the Financial Year immediately following the Tax Year.
5. Structure of the Form The certificate is divided into specific parts to detail the transaction:
- Part A (Certificate and Party Details): Captures the deductor’s Name, Address, PAN, TAN, and Contact Details, alongside the deductee’s Name, PAN, and Address.
- Part B (Summary and Deposit Details): Provides a summary of the payment made and the tax deducted at source. Crucially, it lists the details of the tax deposited into the Central Government account, including the BSR Code of the Bank Branch, Date of deposit, and Challan Serial Number.
- Declaration: A verification section signed by the person responsible for the deduction.
6. Revisions, Duplicates, and Record-Keeping
- Corrections: If there is a mistake in Form 131, the deductor cannot directly edit the certificate. They must file a revised quarterly TDS statement (Form 140/144). Once processed, a corrected Form 131 can be downloaded and issued.
- Duplicate Certificates: If the deductee loses the original certificate, the deductor can download and issue a duplicate from the TRACES portal, provided they clearly mention on it that it is a duplicate.
- Filing ITR: The deductee is not required to attach or upload Form 131 when filing their income tax return, but they must preserve it safely for their records.