What is Form 16A?

The Income Tax Department deals in providing the income taxpayers with different forms and applications that help them with TDS payments, deductions, and deposits. Form 16A is one such form.

Form 16A is a certificate that every employer of every organization must maintain for their employees. The Tax Deducted at Source (TDS) is a certificate that states all the taxpayer’s or individual sources of income. Form 16A is a TDS form certifying the number of TDS deducted and the nature of payments alongside the TDS payments that are deposited with the Income Tax Department. Pertaining to the Income Tax Act, 1961, TDS is deducted on all kinds of payments only if the payment made during the assessment year is more than ₹30,000 unless exempted otherwise.

TDS Form 16A is a Tax Deducted at Source (TDS) certificate provided along with Form 16. One noteworthy fact is that form 16 is only for salary income; however, Form 16A is applicable for TDS on income sources other than salary. For example, form 16A will only be issued when the TDS is deducted for fixed deposits or for the TDS deducted on insurance commissions, rent receipts, or any other income you may receive on which TDS is deductible.

Important Elements of Form 16A

The components and specifics that make up the Form 16A for exemptions under TDS are:

• Name, PAN and TAN of the deductor: You should know that this can be the bank where your TDS is deducted or the insurance companies from where TDS is applicable, followed by any source you obtain income from for which TDS is eligible.
• Name and PAN of the deductee: This includes information about the individual receiving the TDS benefits.
• Date of the proceeded payment, amount of the payment, and the nature of the payment.
• The number of the receipt of the TDS payments

All these details that are needed to be mentioned in Form 16A are important when an individual is filing Income Tax returns. The Form 16A, a TDS certificate, carries all the amounts of the TDS nature being deposited with the Income Tax Department.

Steps to fill Form 16A

While filling up the details in 16A, taxpayers should follow these easy steps:

• Enter the correct name and address of the deductor. Ensure to fill in the correct PIN (Postal Index Number) code.
• Fill in the TAN of the deductor, which is an alphanumeric number.
• You must also provide the deductor’s PAN details, which is also an alphanumeric number.
• Enter the information of the four acknowledgement numbers that are asked in Form 16A.
• The nature of payment is next to be filled, whether the payment is contractual, professional, etc
• For all payments mentioned, there are corresponding codes; make sure to enter the current one.
• Name of the individual (deductee) whose TDS has been deducted.
• In the column PAN no. of the deductee, enter the PAN number of the deductee.
• Enter the period in the Form, which will be for the financial year.
• After filling in all these details, you’ll need to enter the TDS form 16A deduction details.

The exemption under TDS is a simple entry that saves your tax from the non-salaried incomes. Enter all the details correctly to enable yourself for the deductions under the tax-saving scheme. It is an important step to file your ITR and make a well-thought-of decision. You should, therefore, be prudent in filling the forms carefully and accurately.