Quick answer: Form 131 — the new name for Form 16A — is the TDS certificate for tax deducted on non-salary payments such as professional fees, rent, interest and commission. For the July–September 2026 quarter, deductors must issue it to every deductee by 15 November 2026. It is generated only on the TRACES portal, after the quarterly TDS statement has been processed.
If tax was deducted from your payment between July and September 2026, a certificate should reach you in the next few days. If you are the one who deducted the tax, the clock is ticking. This guide covers both sides: the deductor’s checklist before 15 November, and what the deductee should check once the certificate arrives.
What is Form 131 (16A)?
Form 131 is the TDS certificate for income other than salary. When a bank deducts tax on your fixed deposit interest, a company deducts tax on professional fees, or a tenant deducts tax on rent, the deductor must give the person who received the payment a certificate that proves the tax was deducted and deposited with the government.
The certificate is issued under section 395(4)(a) of the Income-tax Act, 2025, which corresponds to section 203 of the old 1961 Act. The related rule is Rule 215(1) of the Income-tax Rules, 2026, which replaces Rule 31 of the 1962 Rules.
In plain words, Form 131 is your proof. Without it, you cannot easily show that tax was already paid on your behalf when you file your return. With it, you can match the TDS credit against your Form 26AS and Annual Information Statement (AIS) before you claim it.
Form 131 vs Form 16A: what changed under the Income-tax Act, 2025?
The Income-tax Act, 2025 applies from 1 April 2026. Tax deducted on or after that date falls under the new Act, and the forms were renumbered. The certificate itself works the same way — only the number and the section behind it changed.
| Old form (1961 Act) | New form (2025 Act) | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Form 16A | Form 131 | TDS certificate for non-salary payments, issued every quarter |
| Form 16 | Form 130 | TDS certificate for salary, issued once a year |
| Form 26Q | Form 140 | Quarterly TDS statement for non-salary payments to residents |
| Form 24Q | Form 138 | Quarterly TDS statement for salary |
| Form 27Q | Form 144 | Quarterly TDS statement for payments to non-residents |
So if your payer still says “Form 16A”, they mean Form 131. The two names refer to the same certificate — one under the old Act, one under the new one. For TDS deducted before 1 April 2026, the old Form 16A still applies. For everything deducted after that date, the certificate is Form 131.
What is the due date for Form 131?
The rule is simple: the certificate must be issued within 15 days from the due date of the quarterly TDS statement. The statement for the July–September 2026 quarter (Q2) was due on 31 October 2026, so the certificate is due by 15 November 2026.
The same 15-day rule runs all year:
| Quarter | Period | TDS statement due | Form 131 due |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 | April–June 2026 | 31 July 2026 | 15 August 2026 |
| Q2 | July–September 2026 | 31 October 2026 | 15 November 2026 |
| Q3 | October–December 2026 | 31 January 2027 | 15 February 2027 |
| Q4 | January–March 2027 | 31 May 2027 | 15 June 2027 |
The 15 November date is not a soft target. The Income Tax Department has listed it in its October–November 2026 compliance calendar, and it applies to every deductor who deducted tax on non-salary payments in Q2 — banks, companies, firms, and individuals who deducted tax under sections such as 194C, 194H, 194I, 194J and 194M.
How to download Form 131 from TRACES
Form 131 is generated only on the TRACES portal (tdscpc.gov.in). A deductor cannot create it by hand or in a spreadsheet — per CBDT Circular No. 01/2012, the certificate must come from TRACES. It also becomes available only after the quarterly statement has been processed, which is the most common reason certificates run late.
The steps for a deductor are:
- Log in to TRACES at tdscpc.gov.in with the deductor User ID, password and TAN.
- Go to Downloads and select Form 131 (shown as Form 16A on older portal screens).
- Pick the financial year, quarter and form type, and enter the deductee’s PAN. Bulk PAN download is available when there are many deductees.
- Submit the request and wait. If the status shows “Submitted”, allow 24 to 48 hours before it turns “Available”.
- Download the file from the Requested Downloads section. The file is a zip; the password to open it is the deductor’s TAN in capital letters.
- Convert it to PDF with the TRACES PDF Generation Utility, sign it digitally or physically, and send it to the deductee.
One point trips up many first-time deductors: the request fails if the deductee’s PAN is invalid or was not reported in the TDS statement. Form 131 is generated only for a valid PAN. If a certificate will not generate for one deductee, check the PAN in the filed statement first and file a correction statement if needed.
What does Form 131 contain?
Each certificate carries the details a deductee needs to claim TDS credit:
- Names and PAN of the deductor and the deductee
- The deductor’s TAN
- The period for which tax was deducted
- The nature of the payment — interest, rent, professional fees, commission, contract work, and so on
- The amount paid and the TDS deducted
- The challan identification number and the date the tax was deposited
- The certificate number, the issue date and a Document Identification Number (DIN)
You can check the certificate’s genuineness on the TRACES portal using the DIN. If any figure on the certificate differs from what you were actually paid, ask the deductor to correct it — a wrong certificate creates a mismatch in your return later.
Deductor checklist: three steps before 15 November 2026
If you deducted tax in Q2, this is the order to follow:
1. Make sure the statement is filed and processed. The Q2 statement in Form 140 was due on 31 October 2026. If it is still pending, file it now — the certificate cannot be generated until the statement is processed. A late statement also carries its own fee of ₹200 per day under section 427 of the 2025 Act (old section 234E), capped at the TDS amount for the quarter. We covered the missed-statement position in detail in our missed Q2 TDS return guide.
2. Download Form 131 for every deductee. Go through the full deductee list, not just the large payments. Small deductees — a part-time consultant, a landlord, a small vendor — are the ones most often missed. Use the bulk PAN option on TRACES when the list is long.
3. Issue the certificate and keep proof. Send each certificate to the deductee before 15 November and keep a record of the date you sent it. A certificate that sits in your downloads folder does not count as issued.
What should you do if you are the deductee?
If tax was deducted from your income in Q2, you should receive Form 131 by 15 November 2026. Here is what to do:
- Ask your payer if it has not arrived by 15 November. The deductor is the only one who can download it from TRACES — you cannot log in and fetch it yourself. The one exception is bank TDS: many banks place the certificate in the tax documents section of net banking.
- Match it against Form 26AS and AIS. Log in to the income tax e-filing portal and check that the TDS on the certificate matches the TDS shown in your Form 26AS and AIS. The figures should agree to the rupee. If they do not, tell the deductor — the fix is a correction statement on their side, not an adjustment in your return.
- Do not claim credit that is not in 26AS. A certificate alone does not create the credit in the department’s records. If the deductor deducted the tax but never deposited it or never filed the statement, the credit may not show up, and the certificate is your evidence when you follow up.
- Keep the certificate with your tax papers. You will need it when you file your return for FY 2026-27, and again if the department ever asks how a TDS credit was claimed.
Form 131 vs Form 16: do not mix them up
The two certificates look similar but cover different income and follow different timetables:
| Form 131 (old 16A) | Form 130 (old Form 16) | |
|---|---|---|
| Income covered | Non-salary: interest, rent, professional fees, commission, contract payments | Salary only |
| Issued by | Any deductor — bank, company, tenant, client | Employer only |
| How often | Every quarter | Once a year |
| Due date | Within 15 days of the statement due date — 15 Nov 2026 for Q2 | By 15 June of the next financial year |
If you are a salaried employee, your employer gives you Form 130, not Form 131. But if the same employer also deducted tax on a non-salary payment to you, or your bank deducted tax on your fixed deposit, you will get a Form 131 for that part.
What is the penalty for issuing Form 131 late?
A late certificate is not free. Under the Income-tax Act, 2025, the penalty for failing to issue the certificate on time is ₹500 per day of delay under section 465, capped at the amount of tax deducted. Two independent CA guides checked in early November 2026 state the ₹500-a-day figure for the new Act.
Under the old 1961 Act the figure was ₹100 per day under section 272A(2)(g), also capped at the TDS amount — so older articles that quote ₹100 a day are describing the old law, not the position from 1 April 2026.
Note the difference from the statement fee: a late statement costs ₹200 per day under section 427. A late certificate costs ₹500 per day under section 465. They are separate defaults with separate penalties, and a deductor who is late on both can face both.
For a deductor with many deductees, the cap matters: the penalty is capped at the tax deducted, so it cannot exceed the TDS amount itself. Even so, a few days of delay across a long deductee list adds up fast — and the follow-up calls from deductees cost more time than the penalty costs money.
Why this deadline matters more in 2026
This is the first full year under the Income-tax Act, 2025, and the first Q2 where every non-salary certificate carries the new Form 131 number. Deductors who used Form 16A for years need to check that their software and their TRACES workflow now produce Form 131, and deductees need to know that a certificate labelled 131 is the same document they used to receive as 16A.
The practical risk is a mismatch. If a deductor issues the certificate late, or with the wrong PAN, or for the wrong quarter, the deductee’s TDS credit will not match Form 26AS when the return is filed. That mismatch is what produces notices and follow-up work months later. Getting the certificate out by 15 November, with the right PAN and the right figures, avoids all of it.
Frequently asked questions
What is the due date for Form 131 (16A) for Q2 2026?
15 November 2026. The Q2 TDS statement was due on 31 October 2026, and the certificate must be issued within 15 days of the statement due date under Rule 215(1) of the Income-tax Rules, 2026. The same 15-day rule gives 15 August for Q1, 15 February for Q3 and 15 June for Q4.
How can I download Form 131 from TRACES?
Only the deductor can download it. Log in to TRACES at tdscpc.gov.in with the deductor’s TAN credentials, go to Downloads, select Form 131, pick the financial year and quarter, enter the deductee’s PAN and submit. The certificate appears under Requested Downloads once the status turns “Available”, usually within 24 to 48 hours. The zip file opens with the deductor’s TAN in capital letters as the password.
Can I download Form 16A myself as a deductee?
No. A deductee cannot log in to TRACES and download the certificate — only the deductor has that access. If your certificate has not arrived by 15 November, ask the deductor for it. If the TDS was deducted by your bank, check the tax documents section of your net banking portal, where many banks make the certificate available directly.
What is the difference between Form 16 and Form 131 (16A)?
Form 130 (old Form 16) is the annual salary certificate issued by your employer, due by 15 June of the next financial year. Form 131 (old Form 16A) is the quarterly certificate for non-salary income such as interest, rent, professional fees and commission, due within 15 days of each quarter’s statement due date. One covers salary, the other covers everything else.
What is the password to open the Form 131 PDF?
The password is the deductor’s TAN in capital letters — for example, ABCD12345E. The downloaded file is a zip, and the same TAN opens it. If the password does not work, check that the TAN is in capitals and that you are opening the file for the right deductor.
What is the penalty for late issue of Form 131?
Under the Income-tax Act, 2025, the penalty is ₹500 per day under section 465, capped at the amount of tax deducted. Under the old 1961 Act it was ₹100 per day under section 272A(2)(g). Do not confuse this with the late-statement fee of ₹200 per day under section 427 — that fee applies to the TDS statement, not the certificate.
What if my Form 131 details do not match Form 26AS?
First, check the figures on the income tax e-filing portal — compare the certificate against your Form 26AS and AIS. If the amounts differ, or a payment is missing, contact the deductor and ask them to file a correction statement. Only the deductor can correct the statement on TRACES. Do not claim a TDS credit in your return that does not appear in Form 26AS, and keep the certificate as your record of what was actually deducted.
Official sources
- Income Tax e-Filing Portal — https://www.incometax.gov.in
- TRACES (TDS Reconciliation Analysis and Correction Enabling System) — https://www.tdscpc.gov.in
- Income Tax Department (CBDT) — https://incometaxindia.gov.in
Related reading on eircicai: our Q2 TDS return due date guide covers the 31 October statement deadline and the new form numbers, and our Section 194M guide explains the 2% TDS rule for contractor and professional payments that feeds into many Form 131 certificates.
Reviewed by Asuthod Rathod, CA. Last updated: 11 November 2026.
Disclaimer: This article is for general information only and is not professional tax advice. Tax rules change by notification, and the penalty position under the Income-tax Act, 2025 should be checked against the latest provisions before you act. For your specific case, please consult a qualified chartered accountant.
Editorial byline for eircicai income tax guides — covering the Income Tax Act, 2025, section renumbering, regime comparison, and deductions. Content is reviewed by Asuthod Rathod, CA.