> Quick Answer: An employee with ₹15,00,000 estimated annual taxable income under the new regime, with 8 months left in the financial year, has ₹1,09,200 in total tax to be withheld through Section 192 salary TDS — about ₹13,650 per remaining month. A depositor earning ₹55,000 in FD interest (non-senior, PAN furnished) crosses the ₹50,000 Section 194A threshold and faces ₹5,500 in TDS.
Overview
Tax Deducted at Source (TDS) is how India collects tax in near-real time rather than waiting for an annual return, and it works completely differently depending on what kind of payment is involved. Salary TDS under Section 192 has no fixed rate or threshold at all — your employer estimates your full-year tax liability and withholds an even slice of it from each remaining paycheck. Fixed deposit interest under Section 194A and rent payments under Section 194-I, by contrast, use fixed percentage rates that only kick in once a payment threshold is crossed — and both thresholds changed in the Finance Act 2025, so figures you may remember from a year or two ago (₹40,000 for bank interest, an annual ₹2,40,000 rent threshold) are now out of date.
This calculator handles all three sections in one place: pick the payment type, enter the relevant numbers, and get the exact withholding amount using the current FY2025-26 thresholds and rates — including the newly monthly-tested rent threshold, which trips up even experienced filers who still remember it as an annual figure.
How This Is Calculated
Section 192 (Salary): No flat rate exists. Your employer computes your estimated total tax liability for the whole financial year at the "average rate of income-tax" — using whichever regime you (or, by default, the new regime) apply — and divides it evenly across however many pay periods remain.
$$\text{TDS per Remaining Month} = \frac{\text{Estimated Annual Tax Liability}}{\text{Remaining Months in FY}}$$
Section 194A (FD/Interest): No TDS applies at all until cumulative interest from a single payer in the year crosses the threshold. For FY2025-26: ₹50,000 at banks/co-operative banks/post offices, raised to ₹1,00,000 for senior citizens at those same payers, or ₹10,000 for any other payer (e.g., a company deposit). Once crossed, the ENTIRE interest amount (not just the excess over the threshold) is subject to TDS at 10% with PAN furnished, or 20% without PAN (Section 206AA).
Section 194-I (Rent): Finance Act 2025 replaced the old annual ₹2,40,000 threshold with a monthly ₹50,000 threshold, tested on rent for a month or part-month, effective 1 April 2025. Rates remain 2% for plant/machinery/equipment and 10% for land/building/furniture/fittings (20% without PAN). This section applies to a business/non-individual payer; an individual/HUF tenant paying over ₹50,000/month falls under the separate Section 194-IB instead.
Worked Example
Salary (Section 192): Estimated annual taxable income ₹15,00,000, new regime, 8 months remaining in the FY. 1. Tax on ₹15,00,000: 0% on the first ₹4L, 5% on ₹4L–8L (₹20,000), 10% on ₹8L–12L (₹40,000), 15% on ₹12L–15L (₹45,000) = ₹1,05,000 before rebate. 2. Income exceeds the ₹12,00,000 rebate threshold by more than the tax itself, so no rebate applies. 3. Cess: 4% × ₹1,05,000 = ₹4,200. Total annual liability: ₹1,09,200. 4. Spread across 8 remaining months: ₹1,09,200 ÷ 8 = ₹13,650 withheld per month.
FD Interest (Section 194A): ₹55,000 total interest, non-senior citizen, PAN furnished, paid by a bank. 1. Threshold for a bank (non-senior): ₹50,000. ₹55,000 exceeds it. 2. TDS applies to the entire ₹55,000 at 10% (PAN furnished) = ₹5,500.
Rent (Section 194-I): ₹60,000/month rent for office space (land/building), PAN furnished. 1. Monthly threshold: ₹50,000. ₹60,000 exceeds it. 2. TDS rate for land/building: 10%. ₹60,000 × 10% = ₹6,000/month, or ₹72,000/year.
What This Does Not Account For
- Section 194-IB, the separate provision for individual/HUF tenants (not covered by 194-I) paying more than ₹50,000/month rent, which carries its own distinct rate (2%) and annual-return mechanics rather than monthly TDS deposits.
- Lower/nil TDS certificates issued under Section 197, which can reduce or eliminate TDS for a specific taxpayer regardless of the standard thresholds/rates shown here.
- Form 15G/15H self-declarations, which can exempt FD interest from TDS entirely for taxpayers whose total income is below the taxable threshold, even if the interest itself exceeds the Section 194A threshold.
- TDS on other common payments — professional fees (Section 194J), contractor payments (Section 194C), commission (Section 194H), and dividends (Section 194) are not covered by this calculator.
- Actual employer withholding mechanics, such as mid-year regime changes, bonus payments, or reimbursement of previously over-withheld tax — this tool computes the theoretical average-rate spread, not a payroll system's exact month-by-month behavior.
Common Pitfalls
- Assuming the old ₹2,40,000 annual rent threshold still applies. Finance Act 2025 replaced it with a ₹50,000 monthly threshold effective FY2025-26 — a landlord receiving ₹45,000/month for 12 months (₹5,40,000/year, which would have crossed the old annual threshold) is actually below the new monthly threshold and faces no TDS at all.
- Believing TDS applies only to interest above the threshold. Once FD interest crosses the Section 194A threshold, TDS applies to the entire interest amount, not merely the portion exceeding the threshold — this is a step function, not a marginal one.
- Forgetting the higher senior-citizen threshold applies only at banks/co-operative banks/post offices, not at every payer — a senior citizen earning interest from a company deposit still faces the general ₹10,000 threshold, not ₹1,00,000.
- Not furnishing PAN and being surprised by 20% TDS. Section 206AA's higher rate applies uniformly whenever PAN is missing, across both Section 194A and Section 194-I.
- Confusing salary TDS's "average rate" method with a flat percentage. Unlike interest or rent TDS, salary TDS recalculates every time your estimated annual income or regime choice changes mid-year, since it is always the full annual liability divided across remaining pay periods.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the TDS threshold for FD interest in FY2025-26?▸
Has the TDS threshold on rent really changed to a monthly test?▸
Why doesn't my employer deduct a flat percentage from my salary like a bank does with interest?▸
What happens if I don't furnish my PAN to my bank or landlord?▸
Can I avoid TDS on FD interest if my total income is below the taxable limit?▸
Sources
- Section 192(1), Income-tax Act, 1961 (average-rate salary TDS method).
- Section 194A, Income-tax Act, 1961, as amended by the Finance Act, 2025 (Act No. 7 of 2025), effective 1 April 2025.
- Section 194-I, Income-tax Act, 1961, as amended by the Finance Act, 2025, effective 1 April 2025 (monthly ₹50,000 threshold).
- Section 206AA, Income-tax Act, 1961 (20% TDS rate absent PAN).