What is Form 15H: Download & Fill Form 15H

Do you know Indian residents over 60 years of age need to submit Form 15H provided their tax liability is below exemption limit?

Since this form is valid for one financial year, it is important to submit it on time. In addition, this will ensure that a bank doesn’t deduct any TDS on interest income.

Keep scrolling to know important facts about this form, its uses, and how to fill Form 15H.

What Is Form 15H?

Form 15H is a self-declaration statement submitted by senior citizens above 60 years above. This is a request to reduce the TDS burden on interest earned on recurring deposits or fixed savings.

The Indian government allows TDS exemption on interest earned from savings by a senior citizen. However, their annual interest income from these deposits needs to exceed ₹ 50,000.

Individuals need to furnish Form 15H to a deductor before interest payment or applicable financial year. 15H Form is used for stating that the income earned in the preceding year doesn’t fall in a taxable income bracket.

What Are the Steps for Income Tax 15H Form Download?

The steps for downloading the form are-

Visit the e-Filing portal. Select “Offline Utilities” from the “Downloads” option.
Click on the available download link and extract the ZIP file.
On the redirected page, update the required fields and generate XML. Next, upload generated XML file at the e-Filing website.
Go to the e-File menu and select “Submit Form 15H”. Select a financial year, form name, quarter, and filing type. Click on “Validate”.
Finally, attach the XML and DSC file and click on “Submit”.

You can also check websites of financial institutions offering similar services to make the job simpler.

How to Fill in and Submit Form 15H?

You can download and print the number of copies required. Then, fill this form and submit it to the respective bank or authority.

Here are the steps on how to submit 15H Form after filing.

1. A senior citizen needs to fill the form with relevant details. This includes-

Name of an applicant
PAN details
Residential status and address
Birth date
Financial year about the mentioned income
Contact information, etc.

2. The next part of this form needs to be filled and submitted by a deductor. This person or organisation is liable to deposit deducted TDS with bank authorities.

Now let’s check what the other uses of the 15H form are.

Uses of Form 15H

The Form 15H is useful in many areas. The list explains them in detail.

TDS on Income from Corporate Bonds - TDS is applicable on income exceeding ₹5,000 earned from corporate bonds. An individual needs to submit Form 15H to an issuer to place a request for no TDS deduction. However, certain specified criteria need to be fulfilled. Therefore, it is recommended to check when to submit Form 15H to streamline the process.
TDS on the Interest Income from Fixed Deposits - This form aids a senior citizen in saving taxes on interest from recurring deposits and fixed deposits from the bank.
TDS on EPF Withdrawal - Ideally, TDS is levied on Employee Provident Fund balances when withdrawn before completing five years of service at a company. However, if an individual has a balance of ₹ 50,000 or above, the government allows exemption. You are liable to submit this form to avoid the deduction of TDS on the EPF balance. Before submitting the 15H Form online for the said reason, check the eligibility factors thoroughly. The EPF balance shouldn’t fall in the specified tax bracket.
TDS on Income from Deposits In Post Offices - Individuals can submit Form 15H to the Post Office who deducts TDS on income from deposits in respective branches. Hence, they can request to avoid TDS deduction if the criteria are fulfilled.
TDS on Rent - You should be aware that rental payments exceeding ₹1.8 lakh in a year are liable for TDS. An individual can submit Form 15H to his/her tenants and request them to avoid TDS reduction. However, you must check that the tax paid on the total income of the previous year is nil.

Individuals should also check the last date for submitting Form 15H for respective reasons. This will ensure all the parameters are fulfilled and there are no errors in TDS payment.

What Is Form 15H Eligibility Criteria?

These are some parameters that individuals need to check before proceeding with the submit 15H Form option.

Applicants should be an Indian resident
He/she should be an individual tax assessee, not an organisation
An individual should be at least 60 years old or above
The tax liability of an assessee should be nil for a financial year.

What Is the Form 15H Exemption Limit?

Individuals with an income below the exemption limit as per the Income Tax Act must submit this form.

The rules for the same are as follows -

Tax exemptions are applicable for individuals below 60 years and an income of ₹2.5 lakh
Individuals above 80 years with no tax liability and income from savings upto ₹5 lakh can submit Form 15H to the respective bank.
People who fall in the age bracket of 60 to 80 and have an income of ₹3 lakh are also exempted from tax.

This is some important information on Form 15H for income tax exemption. The last date to submit Form 15H this year was 30th June. Hence, keeping a tab on the updates and rules is essential to submit this form on time.