Advance Tax
kab aur kitna bharni hai?

Advance tax ek 'pay-as-you-earn' system hai — aap saal me 4 baar quarterly tax pay karte ho usi saal ke andar jis saal income earn kar rahe ho, instead of waiting till year-end ITR filing. FY 2026-27 ke liye yeh Income-tax Act, 2025 ke Sections 404-408 ke under aata hai (purane Income-tax Act, 1961 ke Sections 207-211) — mandatory hai kisi bhi taxpayer ke liye jiski tax liability, TDS aur TCS ghatane ke baad, ₹10,000 ya usse zyada ho.

Salaried jin ki sab income TDS se cover ho jati hai, advance tax nahi bharte. F&O traders, freelancers, self-employed, business income, rental landlords, capital gains realisers, dividend earners — sab advance tax me applicable hain.

Resident senior citizens (60+) jin ka business ya professional income NAHI hai, completely exempt hain (Section 404, purana 207(2)).

Section numbers badle, paisa nahi. Income Tax Department ki transition guidance ke mutabik purana Income-tax Act, 1961 01.04.2026 ko repeal ho gaya, aur us date se earn hui income Income-tax Act, 2025 ke under aati hai — is liye FY 2026-27 pehla 'Tax Year 2026-27' hai, aur naya Act purane 'previous year / assessment year' jode ki jagah ek hi shabd 'tax year' use karta hai.

Har substantive rule waisa hi hai: ₹10,000 threshold (ab Section 404, pehle 207/208), chaar instalments 15% / 45% / 75% / 100% par 15 June, 15 September, 15 December aur 15 March (ab Section 408, pehle 211), senior-citizen exemption, presumptive single-instalment rule, aur 1% per month interest (ab Sections 423, 424 aur 425 — pehle 234A, 234B aur 234C). Budget 2026 ne slabs, cess, surcharge aur rebate nahi chhede.

Practical matlab: pay utna hi karo jitna pehle karte the, bas notices aur challans par naye section numbers dikhenge.

Chaar instalments cumulative minimum thresholds ke saath, Section 408 (purana 211) ke under: (1) 15 June 2026 — kam se kam 15% total estimated tax. (2) 15 September 2026 — cumulative 45%. (3) 15 December 2026 — cumulative 75%. (4) 15 March 2027 — cumulative 100%. Agar due date Sunday ya public holiday par padti hai, next working day applies.

Presumptive scheme wale taxpayers (Section 58 of the 2025 Act, jo purane 44AD, 44ADA aur 44AE ko milata hai) single instalment de sakte hain — 100% by 15 March, Section 408(2) ke under. Payment Challan ITNS-280 via incometax.gov.in ya authorised bank par.

BSR code aur challan serial number retain karo Form 26AS reconciliation ke liye.

Section 425 (purana 234C) ke under, agar aap kisi instalment me kam pay karte ho, shortfall par interest lagta hai: 15 June, 15 September aur 15 December ke instalment par shortfall ka 3%, aur 15 March par 1% (s.425(1) Table). Example: agar 15 June tak ₹1,00,000 pay karna chahiye tha but aap ne sirf ₹70,000 diya, to ₹30,000 shortfall par 3% = ₹900.

Har due date par CUMULATIVE target (15/45/75/100%) minus ab tak paid tax dekha jata hai, isliye aage le jaaya gaya shortfall agli date par phir se charge hota hai. 15 June tak 12% ya 15 September tak 36% pay kiya ho to us instalment par interest nahi (s.425(2)). Apna exact 234C + 234B interest nikalne ke liye: /in/tools/advance-tax-calculator (interest calculator section).

Section 424 (purana 234B) alag hai — saal end tak agar total advance + TDS assessed tax ke 90% se kam hai, to 1% per month interest agle saal ki shuruaat (1 April 2027) se till payment date. Section 423 (purana 234A) late ITR filing par lagta hai.

Teeno stack ho sakte hain same shortfall par.

Yeh aapke ITR FORM par depend karta hai, aur bahut log yahin galti karte hain. Section 423 (purana 234A) ka interest aapki Section 139(1) due date ke AGLE din se chalta hai.

AY 2026-27 me ITR-1 aur ITR-2 filers ki due date 31 July 2026 hai, to unke liye interest 1 August 2026 se chalu hota hai. Lekin non-audit ITR-3 aur ITR-4 filers — yaani F&O traders, intraday traders, freelancers, professionals aur proprietors, jo is page ke main readers hain — ki due date 31 August 2026 hai (Finance Act 2026 ne Section 139(1) me badlav kiya), to unke liye interest 1 September 2026 se chalu hota hai, 1 August se nahi.

Tax audit applicable ho (purana Section 44AB, naye Act me iska successor provision) to due date ab 21 November 2026 hai (CBDT ne 28 September 2026 ko 31 October se extend kiya) aur interest 22 November se — CBDT ka formal order abhi aana baaki hai, wahi confirm karega ki interest ki date bhi shift hoti hai ya nahi. Ek mahine ka farak hai — unpaid tax par 1% per month, so galat date maan lene se aap zyada interest maan lete ho ya deadline galat samajh lete ho.

Section 404 (purana 207(2)) ke under: Resident senior citizens (tax year ke dauraan kabhi bhi 60+) jin ka business ya profession income NAHI hai, completely EXEMPT hain advance tax se. Sab tax filing time par pay karte hain, no quarterly instalments.

Exemption applicable NAHI hai: (a) Resident seniors with business ya professional income — advance tax pay karni hogi like anyone else. (b) Non-resident seniors. Dhyaan do ki exemption income ke TYPE par nahi, business-income na hone par depend karti hai — senior citizen ke capital gains bhi is exemption me cover ho jaate hain agar business income nahi hai.

Alag se, agar TDS ke baad tax ₹10,000 se kam rehta hai to kisi ko bhi advance tax nahi deni. Practical example: senior with FD interest + rental income (no business) → exempt.

Senior with consulting freelance income → not exempt.

Standard approach: pichle saal ki actual income from Form 16/ITR baseline ke roop me lo, adjust for known changes (salary raise, new clients, expected dividends, planned property sales). Capital gains mid-year realise hote hain to unhe realisation ke baad wali agli instalment me include karo — fail karne par Section 425 (purana 234C) interest.

Freelancers / consultants presumptive scheme (Section 58 of the 2025 Act, purana 44ADA) me: 50% of gross receipts deemed profit, aur professional limit ke andar raho to books maintain karne ki zaroorat nahi. Anticipated 80C / 80D / HRA deductions reduce karke estimate (old regime only).

Estimate adjust karo every instalment date par as year unfolds — December aur March numbers kaafi accurate hone chahiye. Thoda OVER-estimate karna behtar hai — overpayment refund ho jata hai 0.5% per month interest ke saath (yeh provision pehle Section 244A thi, Income-tax Act, 2025 me usi rate par carry hui hai).

Presumptive scheme — ab Section 58 of the Income-tax Act, 2025, jo purane 44AD (business), 44ADA (profession) aur 44AE ko ek jagah lata hai — wale taxpayers ki advance tax SIMPLIFIED hai: SINGLE instalment, 100% by 15 March, Section 408(2) ke under, quarterly nahi. Section 425 (purana 234C) interest inpar nahi lagta, kyunki yeh legally single-instalment regime hai.

Deemed profit: business ke liye 6% of turnover (digital receipts) ya 8% (cash), profession ke liye 50% of gross receipts. TURNOVER LIMITS: business ₹2 crore, badhkar ₹3 crore agar cash receipts total receipts ke 5% se zyada na hon; profession ₹50 lakh, badhkar ₹75 lakh usi 5% cash condition par. 5-year lock-in once opted (purana 44AD(4)).

EK BAAT SAAF SAMAJH LO — 'deemed rate se kam profit declare karo to audit lagega' wali baat aise nahi hai jaise aksar likhi jaati hai: purana Section 44AB(e) tabhi lagta hai jab aap pehle 44AD me the aur opt out kar chuke ho (44AD(4) applicable ho) AUR aapki total income basic exemption limit se zyada ho. Dono conditions poori na hon to sirf kam profit declare karne se audit apne aap nahi lagta.

Apne CA se confirm karo.

Advance tax = Total expected annual tax MINUS Total TDS expected to be deducted. TDS calculation: Form 26AS / AIS open karo, dekho YTD TDS deducted by employer, banks, customers (194J/194C/194I/etc.), exchanges (194S crypto).

Each instalment date pe, subtract YTD TDS from estimated total annual liability — bachi hui hi advance tax pay karni hai. Common pitfall: Bank FD interest TDS sirf 10% kaata jata hai but FD interest marginal slab par taxed hota hai — high earners (30% slab) ke liye gap rahta hai jo advance tax ko cover karna padta hai.

Crypto TDS 1% similar — full LTCG/STCG ya VDA 30% rate gap leave karta hai.

Haan, lekin Section 425 (purana 234C) interest payable hoga har missed earlier instalment ke shortfall par. Example: 100% liability ₹1 lakh, agar 15 March par single time pay karte ho instead of cumulative 15/45/75/100% per quarter: interest ₹4,050 = ₹450 (15 June tak due ₹15,000 ka 3%) + ₹1,350 (15 September tak due ₹45,000 ka 3%) + ₹2,250 (15 December tak due ₹75,000 ka 3%); 15 March par kuch nahi kyunki tab tak poora pay ho gaya. s.425 har date par cumulative shortfall par lagta hai, sirf us quarter ke hisse par nahi.

Kuch taxpayers yeh trade-off jaan-boojh kar lete hain — cash ko wahan invested rakhte hain jahan 1%/month se zyada mil raha ho. Presumptive scheme wale (Section 58, purane 44AD/44ADA) legitimately 100% by 15 March pay kar sakte hain bina Section 425 interest ke — unka single-instalment regime Section 408(2) me hai.

Haan — actual tax liability se zyada advance tax + TDS ka excess refundable hota hai ITR filing ke baad. CPC processing typically 30-60 days e-verification ke baad.

Refund par 0.5% per month (6% saalana) interest add hota hai agle saal ki shuruaat se (ya date of payment if later) till refund granted — yeh provision pehle Section 244A thi aur Income-tax Act, 2025 me usi rate par carry hui hai. Common cause of overpayment: bada capital gain Q1-Q2 me expected tha jo year-end tak realise nahi hua.

Koi penalty nahi over-payment ke liye — sirf opportunity cost. Refund ECS se aapke linked bank account me aata hai — ITR portal par sahi, pre-validated account hona zaroori hai.