The TDS return due date for the July to September 2026 quarter was 31 October 2026, a Saturday, and it has now passed. Any Q2 return that is still unfiled is therefore running late, and the deadline was not moved to a working day because of the weekend.
Pujara & Co. had listed the quarterly TDS and TCS statements for this period as due on that Saturday, in its position as on 5 October 2026. Many deductors, including employers and businesses making payments to vendors, were working to this date.
No extension was given for the Q2 filing, so a late fee of Rs 200 a day under Section 234E of the old Act applies to returns still pending.
Deductors who have not yet filed are checking their records to see how many days the delay has already run.
The four dates for 2026-27
Rule 219 of the Income-tax Rules, 2026 sets four quarterly deadlines for the filing of TDS returns in this financial year, and these are the dates the deductors are following.
- Q1 (April to June 2026): 31 July 2026
- Q2 (July to September 2026): 31 October 2026
- Q3 (October to December 2026): 31 January 2027
- Q4 (January to March 2027): 31 May 2027
The Q1 date has already concluded and the Q2 date has passed as described above. The next deadline covers the October to December 2026 quarter, so deductors who deduct tax during these months will be preparing their statements for the end of January.
The last date in the list falls in May 2027, which is after the financial year has ended.
New form numbers under the 2025 Act
Since 1 April 2026, the TDS returns are being filed on renumbered forms under the Income-tax Act, 2025. Pujara & Co. says Form 138 now replaces Form 24Q for salary TDS, and Form 140 replaces Form 26Q for non salary payments to residents.
For payments made to non-residents, Form 144 replaces Form 27Q. Deductors who were used to the old numbers are now looking for the new ones while preparing their statements.
The next date to be followed is 31 January 2027.
