Income tax due dates and the compliance calendar

If your tax payable after TDS is Rs 10,000 or more, you owe advance tax in four instalments: 15% by 15 June, 45% (cumulative) by 15 September, 75% by 15 December and 100% by 15 March. Spreading payments this way keeps you current with the department instead of facing one large bill at year-end.

Miss or short-pay these instalments and interest under sections 234B and 234C applies at 1% per month. It's charged on the shortfall for the period it stays unpaid, so even a partial, on-time payment reduces what you owe. Estimating your income each quarter and topping up the instalment is far cheaper than paying the interest later.

If you deduct tax at source, deposit it generally by the 7th of the following month, with a special date for March. The TDS returns themselves are filed quarterly. Build a monthly routine: reconcile deductions, deposit by the 7th, and prepare the quarterly statement well before its window closes so corrections aren't a scramble.

Your annual return has its own due date, after which a belated return is still possible for a limited period but with consequences. File on time so you preserve options like carrying forward certain losses and avoid late-filing costs. Reconcile your AIS and Form 26AS before the deadline rather than on the last day, when the portal is busiest.

The calendar repeats every year, so treat it as a routine: advance tax in June, September, December and March; TDS deposits by the 7th each month with quarterly returns; and the annual return by its deadline. Marking these dates and reconciling as you go turns compliance from a yearly scramble into a few quiet check-ins.