TDS on Professional Fees: Rates, Compliance and Return Filing
Businesses frequently make payments to professionals such as consultants, lawyers, accountants, designers and technical specialists.
Certain professional payments may be subject to TDS under the applicable provisions of the Income Tax Act.
What Are Professional Fees?
Professional fees can include payments for services provided by qualified professionals or specialised service providers, depending on the applicable tax provisions.
Examples may include:
Legal services
Accounting services
Consultancy
Technical services
Professional advisory services
What Should a Business Check?
Before deducting TDS, the business should consider:
Nature of the service
Status of the payee
Applicable TDS section
Applicable threshold
Applicable rate
PAN availability
Payment or credit date
Maintain Proper Records
Businesses should maintain:
Vendor invoice
PAN
Payment date
Amount
TDS deducted
TDS challan
TDS return details
Common Mistakes
Some common mistakes include:
Applying the wrong TDS section
Using an incorrect PAN
Missing deductions
Incorrect challan details
Not reconciling payments with TDS records
Conclusion
Professional-fee TDS should be reviewed transaction by transaction. Businesses should verify the applicable provisions and current rates before making deductions.
