Statutory self-declaration forms under Section 197A and Rule 29C to prevent 10% TDS deduction on fixed deposit interest, EPF withdrawal, and dividend payouts
Forms 15G and 15H are valid for exactly one financial year. If you fail to submit by April, the bank will deduct TDS for the first quarter, which can only be recovered by filing an ITR.
💡 Form 15G (for individuals under 60 and HUFs) and Form 15H (for senior citizens aged 60+) are self-declaration certificates submitted to banks, post offices, and mutual funds under Section 197A. By submitting this form at the beginning of each financial year, you certify that your total income will remain below the taxable threshold, commanding the bank not to deduct Tax Deducted at Source (TDS) on your deposit interest.
Select the correct form based on age, entity type, and interest thresholds.
| Eligibility Criterion | Form 15G | Form 15H | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age Requirement | Below 60 years at any time during FY | 60 years or older (Senior Citizens & Super Seniors) | Age 60 turned during the FY qualifies for 15H |
| Eligible Assessees | Resident Individuals, HUFs, and Eligible Trusts | Resident Individuals only (HUFs not allowed) | Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) cannot submit either form |
| Maximum Interest Income Allowed | Cannot exceed basic exemption limit (₹2.5L / ₹3L) | No upper cap on interest income | For 15H, only final net tax liability must be NIL |
| TDS Exemption Threshold on Bank FD | ₹40,000 per financial year per bank | ₹50,000 per financial year under Section 194A(3) | Exemption applies across all branches of the same bank |
Instant when submitted through net banking / mobile app; 2 to 3 banking days when submitted physically at a branch.
100% Free of cost (banks and financial institutions cannot charge any fee for accepting or processing Form 15G/15H).
Form 15G: Resident individuals below 60 years and HUFs whose total taxable income is NIL and total interest income does not exceed the basic tax exemption limit (₹3,00,000 under new regime / ₹2,50,000 under old). Form 15H: Senior citizens aged 60 years or older whose final estimated net tax liability for the financial year is NIL.
Resident individuals, Hindu Undivided Families (HUFs), and trusts whose total annual income is below the basic taxable exemption limit, seeking to prevent banks, post offices, or EPFO from deducting 10% or 20% TDS on recurring interest or premature EPF withdrawals.
Access your net banking portal (e.g., SBI Onlinesbi, HDFC NetBanking, ICICI NetBanking) using your User ID and password/OTP.
Go to 'e-Services', 'Service Requests', or 'Tax Centre' and click on 'Submit Form 15G/15H' or 'TDS Exemption'.
The system automatically defaults to Form 15H if your date of birth indicates age 60+, or Form 15G if you are under 60. Select the Financial Year.
Select the branch and deposit account numbers. The portal auto-calculates your estimated interest. Enter your estimated total income from all sources (which must be zero tax liability).
Accept the legal declaration under Section 277 (penalty for false declaration), enter the high-security password or OTP sent to your registered mobile, and download the unique UIN (Unique Identification Number) acknowledgment slip.
Banks cannot reverse TDS once it has been deducted and remitted into the Central Government's tax account. Here is the legal remedy:
Request a quarterly TDS Certificate (Form 16A) from your branch or download it from Net Banking to confirm the exact tax deducted.
Verify on incometax.gov.in that the deducted amount reflects under Part A of your Form 26AS.
File an ITR before the July 31 deadline. Since your total income is below the taxable threshold, your tax liability will calculate as zero, and the entire deducted TDS will be credited to your bank account with refund interest.
If withdrawing EPF balance before completing 5 years of continuous service and the withdrawal amount exceeds ₹50,000, EPFO deducts 10% TDS with PAN (or 34.6% without PAN) unless Form 15G is uploaded.
Download Form 15G (Part 1 only) from the Income Tax or EPFO portal and print two copies.
Complete Field 1 to 19. In Field 15 (Estimated income for which declaration is made), write the exact EPF withdrawal amount. Mention your UAN.
Sign the declaration in ink, scan Part 1, and ensure the resulting PDF file size is under 1 MB.
On the Member e-Sewa portal (unifiedportal-mem.epfindia.gov.in), navigate to Online Services → Claim (Form-31, 19, 10C & 10D), and upload the signed Form 15G PDF.
Quick solutions for common submission errors across Indian bank portals.
| Issue | Probable Cause | Corrective Action |
|---|---|---|
| Net banking shows 'PAN is Inoperative' error | Has your PAN been linked with your Aadhaar card? | Pay the ₹1,000 fee on e-Pay Tax and link PAN with Aadhaar. Banks are legally barred from accepting Form 15G/H for inoperative PANs. |
| Bank branch refuses to accept physical Form 15G/H | RBI circular on Customer Service in Banks | Banks are mandated by the RBI and CBDT to accept and issue a stamped acknowledgment with a Unique Identification Number (UIN). |
| TDS deducted despite valid Form 15G submission | Check date of form submission vs interest credit date | If submitted after quarterly interest capitalization, TDS applies. If submitted prior, present the stamped acknowledgment copy to the branch manager for internal rectification. |
| Error in Field 18: 'Total number of declarations filed' | Did you submit forms to other banks this year? | Enter the exact cumulative count of Form 15G/H submitted to all financial institutions in the current fiscal year, along with the aggregate amount. |
No. Under Section 197A, Form 15G and Form 15H can only be submitted by resident individuals. NRIs with NRO accounts subject to 30% TDS must apply for a Lower Deduction Certificate in Form 13 under Section 195/197.
Under Section 277 of the Income-tax Act, 1961, making a false declaration where tax evaded exceeds ₹25,000 is punishable with rigorous imprisonment for 6 months to 7 years, along with a monetary fine. For amounts under ₹25,000, imprisonment ranges from 3 months to 2 years.
Not necessarily. Form 15G/15H only stops the bank from deducting tax at source. If your total gross income before Chapter VI-A deductions exceeds the basic exemption limit (₹2.5L / ₹3L / ₹5L depending on age), filing an Income Tax Return is still legally mandatory under Section 139(1).
Yes. Following the abolition of Dividend Distribution Tax (DDT), companies and mutual fund RTAs (like CAMS and KFintech) deduct 10% TDS under Section 194/194K if dividend exceeds ₹5,000 per year. You can email a signed Form 15G/15H to the company's registrar to prevent dividend TDS.
The declaration is valid for exactly one financial year (April 1 to March 31). You must submit fresh forms at the beginning of every financial year for each bank where you have active deposits.
Statutory provisions governing self-declarations for exemption from TDS on interest and other payments.
Checked on November 4, 2026
View Reference Document ↗Prescribes Form 15G and Form 15H formats, verification requirements, and electronic submission norms by banks.
Checked on November 4, 2026
View Reference Document ↗
Official consolidated annual tax credit statement on TRACES showing TDS deducted, TCS, advance tax, self-assessment tax, and high-value transactions
Comprehensive digital financial ledger under Rule 114-I showing stock trades, mutual funds, dividends, interest, crypto, and real estate transactions with feedback facility
How to file your ITR on the e-Filing portal: choosing ITR-1, ITR-2, ITR-3 or ITR-4, AY 2026-27 due dates (including the extension for audit cases), belated, revised and updated returns, the 30-day e-verification rule, and downloading the ITR-V acknowledgement.
Free Instant e-PAN with Aadhaar, new PAN in Form 93, reprint for ₹50, and what PAN 2.0 changes
Bank passbook print, mPassbook download, update rules, and verification guide
Unified statutory electronic claim document governed under the Employees' Provident Fund Scheme, 1952 and Employees' Pension Scheme, 1995 via the EPFO Member Portal, combining Form 19 (Full PF Final Settlement), Form 10C (Pension Withdrawal Benefit), and Form 31 (Non-Refundable PF Advance)
Tax-free, long-term savings scheme backed by Government of India
State tax registration for professionals and employees
Prescribed under Rule 29C of the Income-tax Rules, 1962. Blank forms can be downloaded from the Income Tax Department or submitted digitally through your bank's net banking portal or mobile app.
Download Official Form 15G & 15H Formats →