Every time your FD earns interest and the bank quietly deducts a little before crediting it to your account — that's Section 194A at work. This section mandates TDS on interest income (other than interest on government securities, which has its own section). Think of it as the government's mechanism to catch interest income before it slips through the net.
Who must deduct? Any person other than an Individual or HUF paying interest to a resident must deduct TDS. So Rajesh & Co. Pvt. Ltd. paying loan interest to Ms. Iyer? Must deduct. But if Mr. Sharma (an individual) borrows from his neighbour and pays interest, no TDS. Exception: An Individual or HUF whose turnover crosses the Section 44AB tax audit threshold in the preceding year becomes liable to deduct — so a large-turnover proprietor cannot escape by hiding behind the individual tag. The deduction happens at credit or payment, whichever is earlier — so even if the bank credits interest to a suspense or 'interest payable' account, the TDS clock starts ticking. The TDS rate is 10% (20% if PAN is not furnished under Section 206AA).
When is TDS NOT required? This is the high-frequency exam area. No TDS if the interest amount does not exceed the threshold during the financial year: ₹40,000 for banks (including co-operative banks doing banking), co-operative societies carrying on banking, and post office deposits; ₹50,000 for senior citizens (age 60+ at any time during the year) on bank/co-op bank deposits; and ₹5,000 in all other cases (company FDs, NBFCs, etc.). For banks with Core Banking Solutions (CBS), the ₹40,000/₹50,000 limit is computed across all branches combined. For non-CBS banks, the limit applies branch-wise. Other key exemptions: interest paid by a firm to its own partner, by a co-operative society (non-bank) to its member, and interest paid to specified institutions like banks, LIC, UTI, and insurance companies. This section is asked frequently as a 4-mark or 6-mark question in CA Inter — especially the threshold limits and the senior citizen exception.
Example 1 — Bank FD, Senior Citizen vs. Regular Customer
Mr. Sharma (aged 62) and his son Rohan (aged 35) each have FDs with SBI (a CBS bank). During FY 2025-26, SBI credits the following interest across all branches:
- Mr. Sharma: ₹48,000
- Rohan: ₹48,000
Working:
- Threshold for Mr. Sharma (senior citizen): ₹50,000 → ₹48,000 < ₹50,000 → No TDS
- Threshold for Rohan (non-senior): ₹40,000 → ₹48,000 > ₹40,000 → TDS applies
- TDS on Rohan's interest = 10% × ₹48,000 = ₹4,800
Since SBI has CBS, the ₹40,000 limit is checked across all branches combined, not per branch.
Final Answer: TDS of ₹4,800 is deducted from Rohan's interest. Mr. Sharma's interest is fully credited — no TDS.
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Example 2 — Company Loan Interest (₹5,000 threshold)
Ms. Iyer lends ₹5,00,000 to Apex Solutions Pvt. Ltd. at 15% p.a. During FY 2025-26, Apex credits ₹75,000 as interest to Ms. Iyer's account.
Working:
- Payer is a company (not a bank/post office) → threshold is ₹5,000
- Interest credited = ₹75,000 > ₹5,000 → TDS applies
- TDS = 10% × ₹75,000 = ₹7,500
- Ms. Iyer receives: ₹75,000 − ₹7,500 = ₹67,500
Final Answer: Apex Solutions deducts TDS of ₹7,500 and pays Ms. Iyer ₹67,500 net.
📖 Bare Act text — Section 194A, Income Tax Act 1961
(click to expand)
(1) Any person, not being an individual or a Hindu undivided family, who is responsible for paying to a resident any income by way of interest other than income by way of interest on securities, shall, at the time of credit of such income to the account of the payee or at the time of payment thereof in cash or by issue of a cheque or draft or by any other mode, whichever is earlier, deduct income-tax thereon at the rates in force: Provided that an individual or a Hindu undivided family, whose total sales, gross receipts or turnover from the business or profession carried on by him exceed the monetary limits specified under clause (a) or clause (b) of section 44AB during the financial year immediately preceding the financial year in which such interest is credited or paid, shall be liable to deduct income-tax under this section. Explanation.—For the purposes of this section, where any income by way of interest as aforesaid is credited to any account, whether called "Interest payable account" or "Suspense account" or by any other name, in the books of account of the person liable to pay such income, such crediting shall be deemed to be credit of such income to the account of the payee and the provisions of this section shall apply accordingly. (3) The provisions of sub-section (1) shall not apply— (i) where the amount of such income or, as the case may be, the aggregate of the amounts of such income credited or paid or likely to be credited or paid during the financial year by the person referred to in sub-section (1) to the account of, or to, the payee, does not exceed— (a) forty thousand rupees, where the payer is a banking company to which the Banking Regulation Act, 1949 (10 of 1949) applies (including any bank or banking institution, referred to in section 51 of that Act); (b) forty thousand thousand rupees, where the payer is a co-operative society engaged in carrying on the business of banking; (c) forty thousand rupees, on any deposit with post office under any scheme framed by the Central Government and notified by it in this behalf; and (d) five thousand rupees in any other case: Provided that in respect of the income credited or paid in respect of— (a) time deposits with a banking company to which the Banking Regulation Act, 1949 (10 of 1949) applies (including any bank or banking institution referred to in section 51 of that Act); or (b) time deposits with a co-operative society engaged in carrying on the business of banking; (c) deposits with a public company which is formed and registered in India with the main object of carrying on the business of providing long-term finance for construction or purchase of houses in India for residential purposes and which is eligible for deduction under clause (viii) of sub-section (1) of section 36; the aforesaid amount shall be computed with reference to the income credited or paid by a branch of the banking company or the co-operative society or the public company, as the case may be: Provided further that the amount referred to in the first proviso shall be computed with reference to the income credited or paid by the banking company or the co-operative society or the public company, as the case may be, where such banking company or the co-operative society or the public company has adopted core banking solutions; Provided also that in case of payee being a senior citizen, the provisions of sub-clause (a), sub-clause (b), and sub-clause (c) shall have effect as if for the words "forty thousand thousand rupees", the words "fifty thousand rupees" had been substituted. Explanation.—For the purposes of this clause, "senior citizen" means an individual resident in India who is of the age of sixty years or more at any time during the relevant previous year; (iii) to such income credited or paid to— (a) any banking company to which the Banking Regulation Act, 1949 (10 of 1949), applies, or any co-operative society engaged in carrying on the business of banking (including a co-operative land mortgage bank), or (b) any financial corporation established by or under a Central, State or Provincial Act, or (c) the Life Insurance Corporation of India established under the Life Insurance Corporation Act, 1956 (31 of 1956), or (d) the Unit Trust of India established under the Unit Trust of India Act, 1963 (52 of 1963), or (e) any company or co-operative society carrying on the business of insurance, or (f) such other institution, association or body or class of institutions, associations or bodies which the Central Government may, for reasons to be recorded in writing, notify in this behalf in the Official Gazette; (iv) to such income credited or paid by a firm to a partner of the firm; (v) to such income credited or paid by a co-operative society (other than a co-operative bank) to a member thereof or to such income credited or paid by a co-operative society to any other co-operative society; Explanation.—For the purposes of this clause, "co-operative bank" shall have the same meaning as assigned to it in Part V of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949 (10 of 1949); (vi) to such income credited or paid in respect of deposits under any scheme framed by the Central Government and notified by it in this behalf in the Official Gazette; (vii) to such income credited or paid in respect of deposits (other than time deposits made on or after the 1st day of July, 1995) with a banking company to which the Banking Regulation Act, 1949 (10 of 1949) applies (including any bank or banking institution referred to in section 51 of that Act); (viia) to such income credited or paid in respect of,— (a) deposits with a primary agricultural credit society or a primary credit society or a co-operative land mortgage bank or a co-operative land development bank; (b) deposits (other than time deposits made on or after the 1st day of July, 1995) with a co-operative society, other than a co-operative society or bank referred to in sub-clause (a), engaged in carrying on the business of banking; (viii) to such income credited or paid by the Central Government under any provision of this Act or the Indian Income-tax Act, 1922 (11 of 1922), or the Estate Duty Act, 1953 (34 of 1953), or the Wealth-tax Act, 1957 (27 of 1957), or the Gift-tax Act, 1958 (18 of 1958), or the Super Profits Tax Act, 1963 (14 of 1963), or the Companies (Profits) Surtax Act, 1964 (7 of 1964), or the Interest-tax Act, 1974 (45 of 1974); (ix) to such income credited by way of interest on the compensation amount awarded by the Motor Accidents Claims Tribunal; (ixa) to such income paid by way of interest on the compensation amount awarded by the Motor Accidents Claims Tribunal where the amount of such income or, as the case may be, the aggregate of the amounts of such income paid during the financial year does not exceed fifty thousand rupees; (x) to such income which is paid or payable by an infrastructure capital company or infrastructure capital fund or a public sector company or scheduled bank in relation to a zero coupon bond issued on or after the 1st day of June, 2005 by such company or fund or public sector company or scheduled bank; (xi) to any income by way of interest referred to in clause (23FC) of section 10. Explanation 1.—For the purposes of clauses (i), (vii) and (viia), "time deposits" means deposits (including recurring deposits) repayable on the expiry of fixed periods. (4) The person responsible for making the payment referred to in sub-section (1) may, at the time of making any deduction, increase or reduce the amount to be deducted under this section for the purpose of adjusting any excess or deficiency arising out of any previous deduction or failure to deduct during the financial year.