Form 24Q
Quarterly return filed with the Income Tax Department reporting TDS deducted on salaries.
Filing window
Q1: 31 July; Q2: 31 October; Q3: 31 January; Q4: 31 May
Regulator
Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) through TRACES portal
Regulator
Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) through TRACES portal
Deadline
Q1: 31 July; Q2: 31 October; Q3: 31 January; Q4: 31 May
Penalty
Late filing fee under Section 234E: INR 200 per day until th...
Legal basis
Income Tax Act, 1961
What is Form 24Q?
Form 24Q is the quarterly statement filed by every deductor (employer) reporting tax deducted at source on salary payments under Section 192 of the Income Tax Act. The form is filed through the TRACES portal (TDS Reconciliation Analysis and Correction Enabling System) or through any registered TIN-Facilitation Centre. Each quarterly filing includes Annexure I (challan-wise deductee details) and, for Q4, Annexure II (consolidated annual deductee details that feed into Form 16 generation).
Form 24Q deadlines are: Q1 (April-June) due 31 July; Q2 (July-September) due 31 October; Q3 (October-December) due 31 January; Q4 (January-March) due 31 May. Q4 carries additional importance because the consolidated Annexure II generates Form 16 Part A for each employee, which is downloaded from TRACES and issued to employees by 15 June.
- +All employers required to deduct TDS under Section 192
- +Indian GCCs paying salary to Indian or foreign employees on Indian payroll
- +EOR providers filing 24Q for end-client payrolls
Statutory basis
Income Tax Act, 1961
Section 200(3) read with Section 192
Rule reference
Income Tax Rules 1962, Rule 31A
Enforced by
Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) through TRACES portal
Citations are editorially curated. Always verify current applicability with qualified Indian counsel before acting on a specific matter.
The stake
Filing window for Form 24Q. Skipping or mishandling this compliance carries direct financial and operational consequences.
Why Form 24Q matters for your GCC
Form 24Q is the bridge between monthly TDS remittance and annual Form 16 issuance. Errors in 24Q (incorrect PAN, mismatched challan, missed employees) propagate into Form 16 mismatches, which then trigger employee tax-return disputes and CPC notices. Q4 24Q errors are particularly costly because they delay Form 16 issuance past the 15 June statutory date, attracting separate penalty under Section 272A.
The 4 ways Form 24Q goes wrong
Real scenarios from real GCC compliance audits. Each one preventable.
Trap 01
Incorrect PAN entries for employees, leading to TDS credits not appearing in employee Form 26AS
Trap 02
Mismatch between challan amounts in 24Q and the actual TDS payment through ITNS 281, requiring correction returns
Trap 03
Filing Q4 24Q without consolidating all four quarters' data into Annexure II, leading to incomplete Form 16
Trap 04
Missing the late-filing fee cap; while the fee is INR 200 per day, it stops at the total TDS amount, so very late filings may have lower marginal cost than expected
Done for you
Payroll Management Service
irpr.network prepares and files Form 24Q every quarter on TRACES with PAN-validated employee data, reconciles challans, downloads Form 16 Part A, and issues Form 16 to employees by 15 June.
Our workflow
- 01Identify the trigger event in your GCC operations
- 02Prepare and validate the Form 24Q filing or compliance step
- 03Submit to the regulator and obtain acknowledgement
- 04Track in your compliance calendar for ongoing or recurring obligations
Concepts connected to Form 24Q
These terms are filed together, depend on each other, or share regulatory authority.
Income Tax and TDS
TDS Section 192
Income Tax Act provision requiring employers to deduct tax at source on salary payments to employees.
Income Tax and TDS
Form 16
Annual TDS certificate issued by employer to employees, comprising Part A from TRACES and Part B prepared by employer.
Payroll and Labour
EPFO ECR
Monthly EPFO filing combining contribution challan and return; due by 15th of every month.
Asked about Form 24Q
3 specific questions that GCC operators ask most often, answered with citations to the relevant regulations.
Need help with Form 24Q?
IRPR Network manages Form 24Q as part of Payroll Management Service, with a zero-penalty guarantee.
Explore the serviceQ01When is Form 24Q due each quarter?
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Q1 (April to June): due 31 July. Q2 (July to September): due 31 October. Q3 (October to December): due 31 January. Q4 (January to March): due 31 May. Late filing attracts INR 200 per day fee under Section 234E capped at the TDS amount.
Q02What is the difference between Form 24Q and Form 26Q?
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Form 24Q is the quarterly TDS return specifically for salary (Section 192) deductions. Form 26Q is the quarterly TDS return for all non-salary payments such as professional fees (Section 194J), rent (Section 194I), commission (Section 194H), and contractor payments (Section 194C). Most GCCs file both forms quarterly.
Q03What is Annexure II of Form 24Q?
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Annexure II is the consolidated annual deductee detail filed only with the Q4 (January to March) return. It aggregates all four quarters of TDS data per employee and forms the basis for generating Form 16 Part A on the TRACES portal. Annexure II accuracy directly determines employee Form 16 accuracy.
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