The Income Tax Act 2025 takes effect on 1 April 2026. The headline change for finance teams: every TDS section in the familiar Section 194 series, 194A, 194C, 194J, 194I, 194H, 194Q, 194R, 194O, 194S, 194T, 194B, 194BA, 194N and the rest, is now a numeric payment code under Section 393.
If your team’s mental model is “194C contractor 1% / 2%, 194J professional 10%, 194I rent 10%”, that vocabulary still describes the right rate, but the form filing, the challan, and your TDS software all now reference Section 393 + a four-digit payment code (1004 onwards) instead.
This piece is the complete reference: every legacy section mapped to its new payment code, what changed, what didn’t, and how to file Q1 FY 2026-27 returns under the new act.
Why this changed
The Income Tax Act 1961 accumulated TDS provisions over six decades. By the time the Act was retired, 25+ standalone non-salary TDS sections existed (194 to 194T, with sub-clauses), with numbering gaps, overlapping triggers and inconsistent threshold structures. Every CBDT circular adding a new TDS category had to invent a new section number.
The 2025 Act consolidates all of this:
| Section | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Section 392 | Salary TDS (was 192 in the 1961 Act) |
| Section 393 | All non-salary TDS (was 194A through 194T, plus 192A, 193, 194 dividend, 195) |
| Section 394 | TCS (was 206C and its sub-clauses) |
Within Section 393, each nature-of-payment is a numeric payment code starting from 1004. Adding a new TDS category in future is a matter of allocating a new code, no new section number, no Act amendment beyond the schedule.
Substantively, FY 2026-27 rates and thresholds are unchanged from the 194-series at the time of transition. The renaming is structural, not a new tax.
The complete mapping table
Every non-salary TDS section, with three identifiers, legacy section (194-series, what your team still calls it), new sub-section reference under Section 393 (per the IT Act 2025 schedule), and payment code (the numeric identifier used in challans, returns and TRACES). FY 2026-27 rate and threshold included.
| Legacy Section | New Sub-Section | Payment Code | Nature of Payment | Rate | Threshold | No PAN |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 192A | 392 (PF clause) | 1004 | EPF Withdrawal (PF accumulated balance) | 10% | ₹50,000 | 20% |
| 193 | 393(1) · Sl. 5(i) | 1019 | Interest on Securities | 10% | ₹10,000 | 20% |
| 194 | 393(1) · Sl. 7 | 1029 | Domestic Dividend (by domestic company) | 10% | ₹10,000 | 20% |
| 194A | 393(1) · Sl. 5(ii) | 1020 | Bank Interest, Senior Citizen | 10% | ₹1,00,000 | 20% |
| 194A | 393(1) · Sl. 5(ii) | 1021 | Bank Interest, Non-Senior | 10% | ₹50,000 | 20% |
| 194A | 393(1) · Sl. 5(iii) | 1022 | Non-Bank Interest | 10% | ₹10,000 | 20% |
| 194B | 393(3) · Sl. 1 | 1058 | Lottery / Crossword / Card Game Winnings | 30% | ₹10,000 | 30% |
| 194BA | 393(3) · Sl. 2 | 1060 | Online Game Winnings | 30% | No threshold | 30% |
| 194C | 393(1) · Sl. 6(i) | 1023 | Contract, Individual / HUF | 1% | ₹30,000 single / ₹1,00,000 aggregate | 20% |
| 194C | 393(1) · Sl. 6(ii) | 1024 | Contract, Other (Company / Firm) | 2% | ₹30,000 single / ₹1,00,000 aggregate | 20% |
| 194D | 393(1) · Sl. 1(i) | 1005 | Insurance Commission | 5% | ₹20,000 | 20% |
| 194H | 393(1) · Sl. 1(ii) | 1006 | Commission / Brokerage (non-insurance) | 2% | ₹20,000 | 20% |
| 194I(a) | 393(1) · Sl. 2 | 1008 | Rent, Plant / Machinery / Equipment | 2% | ₹6,00,000 / FY | 20% |
| 194I(b) | 393(1) · Sl. 2 | 1009 | Rent, Land / Building / Furniture | 10% | ₹6,00,000 / FY | 20% |
| 194J | 393(1) · Sl. 6(iii) | 1026 | Technical Services / Call Centre / Film Royalty | 2% | ₹50,000 | 20% |
| 194J | 393(1) · Sl. 6(iii) | 1027 | Professional Services | 10% | ₹50,000 | 20% |
| 194J | 393(1) · Sl. 6(iii) | 1028 | Director Remuneration / Fees / Commission | 10% | No threshold | 20% |
| 194K | 393(1) · Sl. 4(i) | 1013 | Mutual Fund Income | 10% | ₹10,000 | 20% |
| 194N | 393(3) · Sl. 5 | 1065 | Cash Withdrawal (above ₹1 Cr) | 2% | ₹1,00,00,000 | 20% |
| 194O | 393(1) · Sl. 8(v) | 1035 | E-Commerce Sales (operator → participant) | 1% | ₹5,00,000 | 20% |
| 194Q | 393(1) · Sl. 8(ii) | 1031 | Purchase of Goods (payer turnover > ₹10 Cr) | 0.1% | ₹50,00,000 / vendor / FY | 20% |
| 194R | 393(1) · Sl. 8(iv) | 1033 | Business Perquisite (cash benefit) | 10% | ₹20,000 | 20% |
| 194S | 393(1) · Sl. 8(vi) | 1037 | VDA Transfer (virtual digital asset, cash) | 1% | ₹50,000 | 20% |
| 194T | 393(3) · Sl. 7 | 1067 | Partner Remuneration (salary / interest to partner) | 10% | ₹20,000 | 20% |
| 195 | 393(2) · Sl. 17 | , | Non-Resident Payments (DTAA may apply) | 20% | No threshold | 20% |
Section 393 sub-section structure:
- 393(1), payments to residents (Sl. 1 to Sl. 8 with sub-clauses)
- 393(2), payments to non-residents (Sl. 1 to Sl. 17)
- 393(3), special categories: lottery, gaming, partner remuneration, NSS, cash withdrawal
A live, searchable version of this chart with a built-in calculator is available on our TDS Rate Chart tool, pick your section, enter the amount and PAN status, get the rate and TDS amount with both legacy and new section references.
What didn’t change
Rates. Every payment code in the table above carries the same rate that the corresponding 194-section carried as of 31 March 2026. CBDT did not use the consolidation as a vehicle for rate changes.
Thresholds. Same threshold values, same single-payment vs annual-aggregate logic (the 194C ₹30k / ₹1L pattern is preserved exactly under codes 1023 / 1024).
PAN-absent rule. Equivalent of Section 206AA carries forward, TDS rate becomes the higher of section rate, 20% or rate-in-force when payee has no valid PAN. Same 20% trigger.
Lower-deduction certificates. The Section 197 mechanism (and Section 195(3) for non-residents) carries forward. Existing certificates issued under the 1961 Act remain valid for their stated period; new certificates from FY 2026-27 reference the relevant payment code instead of the old section.
Quarterly returns. Form 24Q (salary), Form 26Q (non-salary residents), Form 27Q (non-residents) are unchanged in name and due dates. The form structure now requires payment code instead of legacy section per row.
Form 16 / 16A. Same forms, same issuance dates (15 June for Form 16; within 15 days of return filing for Form 16A). The certificate body now references payment codes.
What did change
Form filing references. From Q1 FY 2026-27 onwards, every row in Form 26Q references Section 393 + payment code, not the legacy 194-section. ERP and payroll systems need to update their TDS section dropdowns to emit payment codes.
Challan structure. The Challan 281 nature-of-payment field now accepts payment codes (1004-1067 for non-salary, 1001-1003 for salary). Submitting a legacy 194-series code to OLTAS during FY 2026-27 transition will return a validation error.
TRACES reconciliation. TRACES Form 26AS (now Form 26AS-393 in some references) shows the payment code per credit, not the legacy section. When reconciling against vendor / employee statements, match on payment code.
Software vendor list. Most ERP and TDS software (Tally, Zoho Books, BUSY, OneFinOps and the rest) shipped Section 393 support during Q4 FY 2025-26. If your software hasn’t updated, your Q1 FY 2026-27 return will fail validation. Confirm with your vendor before the first quarter cycle.
Contracts and master agreements. Legacy contracts referencing “194C” or “194J” remain legally valid, the substantive obligation transfers to the new section by operation of law. New contracts from FY 2026-27 onwards are usually drafted with the new section reference (or both, for the transition period). Don’t rush to amend existing contracts purely for the renaming.
How to find your payment code
Most teams know what nature of payment they’re making, they just need to find the right code. The mental shortcut:
- Contractor work → 1023 (Individual/HUF) or 1024 (Other), legacy 194C
- Professional services (lawyer, doctor, engineer, accountant, consultant) → 1027, legacy 194J
- Technical services (FTS) or call-centre fees → 1026, legacy 194J
- Rent on land or building → 1009, legacy 194I(b)
- Rent on plant, machinery, equipment → 1008, legacy 194I(a)
- Commission or brokerage (non-insurance) → 1006, legacy 194H
- Insurance commission → 1005, legacy 194D
- Bank interest → 1020 (senior) or 1021 (non-senior), legacy 194A
- Director fees → 1028, legacy 194J
- Buyer’s TDS on goods (turnover > ₹10 Cr) → 1031, legacy 194Q
- E-commerce operator payments to sellers → 1035, legacy 194O
- Crypto / VDA transfer → 1037, legacy 194S
- Partner remuneration (salary or interest to a partner) → 1067, legacy 194T
When in doubt, the TDS Rate Chart tool has every payment code with description and example.
194Q vs 206C(1H) under the new act
Both still exist under the 2025 Act, just under different sections:
- Buyer-side TDS on goods (legacy 194Q) → Section 393, payment code 1031 at 0.1% (when buyer’s previous-year turnover > ₹10 Cr; threshold ₹50 lakh per vendor per FY)
- Seller-side TCS on goods (legacy 206C(1H)) → Section 394, payment code under TCS at 0.1% (when seller’s previous-year turnover > ₹10 Cr; threshold ₹50 lakh receipts per buyer per FY)
The CBDT clarification of June 2021, when both apply, buyer’s TDS takes precedence; seller does not collect TCS, is carried forward into the 2025 Act. Tax software should track per-vendor cumulative receipts and per-customer cumulative purchases to apply the right one (or none) at the line level.
How to file Q1 FY 2026-27 returns
Q1 due date (April-June 2026 quarter): 31 July 2026 for Form 26Q non-salary residents; 31 July 2026 for Form 27Q non-residents; 31 July 2026 for Form 24Q salary.
The form structure is unchanged in shape, same columns, same control totals, but each detail row carries the payment code (1004-1067) where the legacy 194-section used to appear. The TRACES return preparation utility (RPU) released in March 2026 already supports payment codes; older RPU versions will fail validation.
Practical sequence:
- Confirm your TDS software has shipped Section 393 support (check vendor changelog)
- Run a test deduction in your software for a known transaction; verify the challan emits the correct payment code
- For Q1 FY 2026-27 onward, every challan and return references payment codes
- Form 16 / 16A issued from June 2026 onward will reference payment codes
- Reconcile against TRACES Form 26AS using payment codes for each credit
For OneFinOps customers: payment codes are auto-applied based on vendor + nature of payment captured at the bill level, with the legacy section reference preserved on the audit trail. No manual mapping needed.
What about contracts dated before April 2026?
Legacy contracts referencing 194-series sections remain valid. The substantive TDS obligation transfers to the new section by operation of law. Specifically:
- If a 2024 contract says “TDS at 194C rates”, that means 1% / 2% per Section 393 codes 1023 / 1024 from April 2026 onward.
- Don’t amend contracts purely for the renaming, costs more than it saves.
- For new contracts, drafting practice is to use the new section reference (or list both: “Section 393 payment code 1027 / legacy Section 194J”). The dual-reference style helps both the legal team and CFO confirm the right rate.
Common transition pitfalls
Mismatched challan codes. Submitting a legacy section code (e.g. “194C”) to OLTAS during FY 2026-27 returns an error. Fix: confirm software emits payment codes (1023 / 1024 for contractor) on the challan.
TRACES download in old format. If you download Form 26AS as PDF using a legacy template, it may not show payment codes. Use the JSON / TRACES utility download for the updated structure.
Vendor invoices referencing old sections. Many vendors continue to issue invoices saying “Subject to TDS @ 10% u/s 194J” through 2026 and beyond. This is valid, the obligation is the same. Just deduct under the new payment code on your end.
Section 206AA still applies. The PAN-absent rule (TDS at higher of 20% or section rate) is preserved under the 2025 Act, just under a different section number. Behaviour is the same.
Section 197 lower-deduction certificates. Existing certificates remain valid for their stated period. New certificates from April 2026 onward reference payment codes.
What this means for your finance team
The TL;DR for finance leaders:
- No new tax to learn, rates and thresholds are the same
- One software update, confirm your TDS / ERP / payroll vendor has shipped Section 393 support
- One mental shortcut, when colleagues say “194C”, read it as “Section 393 codes 1023 / 1024”
- Old contracts are fine, don’t amend them just for the renaming
- Form filing structure shifts, Q1 FY 2026-27 returns use payment codes per row; legacy sections will fail validation
For teams using OneFinOps, the transition is invisible: bills posted under the new act auto-apply the right payment code based on vendor and nature of payment. Legacy section references stay on the audit trail. Q1 returns drop ready for sign-off.
Quick reference
| Common term | Section 393 sub-section | Payment code(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 194C Contractor | 393(1) · Sl. 6(i) / 6(ii) | 1023 (Ind/HUF), 1024 (Other) |
| 194J Professional | 393(1) · Sl. 6(iii) | 1027 |
| 194J Technical | 393(1) · Sl. 6(iii) | 1026 |
| 194J Director | 393(1) · Sl. 6(iii) | 1028 |
| 194I Building | 393(1) · Sl. 2 | 1009 |
| 194I Plant / Machinery | 393(1) · Sl. 2 | 1008 |
| 194Q Goods purchase | 393(1) · Sl. 8(ii) | 1031 |
| 194H Brokerage | 393(1) · Sl. 1(ii) | 1006 |
| 194D Insurance commission | 393(1) · Sl. 1(i) | 1005 |
| 194A Bank interest | 393(1) · Sl. 5(ii) | 1020 (senior), 1021 (non-senior) |
| 194A Non-bank interest | 393(1) · Sl. 5(iii) | 1022 |
| 193 Securities interest | 393(1) · Sl. 5(i) | 1019 |
| 194 Dividend | 393(1) · Sl. 7 | 1029 |
| 194K Mutual fund | 393(1) · Sl. 4(i) | 1013 |
| 194O E-commerce | 393(1) · Sl. 8(v) | 1035 |
| 194S VDA / crypto | 393(1) · Sl. 8(vi) | 1037 |
| 194R Business perquisite | 393(1) · Sl. 8(iv) | 1033 |
| 194B Lottery | 393(3) · Sl. 1 | 1058 |
| 194BA Online gaming | 393(3) · Sl. 2 | 1060 |
| 194N Cash withdrawal | 393(3) · Sl. 5 | 1065 |
| 194T Partner remuneration | 393(3) · Sl. 7 | 1067 |
| 195 Non-resident payments | 393(2) · Sl. 17 | , (per DTAA) |
| Section 192 (salary) | Section 392 | 1001 / 1002 / 1003 |
| Section 206AA (no PAN) | Carried forward in IT Act 2025 | , |
| Section 197 (lower deduction) | Carried forward in IT Act 2025 | , |
| 206C(1H) (TCS on goods) | Section 394 (TCS umbrella) | , |
Bookmark the TDS Rate Chart tool for the live calculator and full reference. For the underlying compliance workflow, auto-deduction at line item, challan reconciliation, vendor TDS tracking and Form 16/16A in bulk, see Tax Automation.
Tags
- section-393
- section-194
- income-tax-act-2025
- tds-rate-chart
- fy-2026-27
- tds-mapping