CORAA
CORAA University · Free tool

194Q or 206C(1H) determiner

One sale of goods, two sections that could both reach it, and a rule about which one wins. Enter the two turnovers, the transaction value and the year, and get the answer — who deducts or collects, on what base, at what rate, on which trigger — including the change that took Section 206C(1H) out of play from 1 April 2025.

Which year is the transaction in?
This decides whether Section 206C(1H) is in play at all
The parties
Did the buyer's turnover from business exceed ₹10 crore in the immediately preceding financial year?
The gate to Section 194Q — business turnover only, and a first-year buyer has none
Did the seller's turnover exceed ₹10 crore in the immediately preceding financial year?
The gate to Section 206C(1H)
Is the seller a resident?
Section 194Q reaches purchases from a resident seller only
Is tax deductible under another provision, or collectible under Section 206C other than (1H)?
Scrap, timber, motor vehicles, or a works-contract element caught by 194C — these displace 194Q
The numbers for this financial year
Aggregate value of goods purchased from this seller₹80 L
₹0₹500 L
Seller has PAN?
Without it, 194Q runs at 5% under the proviso to Section 206AA
Buyer has PAN?
Without it, 206C(1H) runs at 1% under Section 206CC
Why this matters in audit

Deducted or collected, the evidence sits in one ledger, both sides

The 194Q question is answered from the purchase ledger — party-wise totals against the ₹50 lakh line, checked against what was actually deducted. CORAA computes that from the books rather than from a spreadsheet rebuilt every quarter.

Keep going

Put checks like this inside your audit workflow

Run your first audit freeExplore all tools

Already missed a deduction? Compute the 201(1A) interest and 234E fee — or check the other collection categories in the TCS rate & threshold calculator.

How the 194Q and 206C(1H) question is settled

Two provisions were built on the same transaction. Section 194Q of the Income-tax Act, 1961 requires a buyer whose total sales, gross receipts or turnover from business exceeded ₹10 crore in the immediately preceding financial year to deduct 0.1% of the value of goods purchased from a resident seller, on the amount exceeding ₹50 lakh in the year, at the time of credit or payment, whichever is earlier. Section 206C(1H) required a seller whose turnover exceeded ₹10 crore in the immediately preceding financial year to collect 0.1% from a buyer on consideration received for sale of goods exceeding ₹50 lakh in the year, at the time of receipt. Both use a ₹10 crore turnover gate and a ₹50 lakh transaction gate, but one is a deduction on credit-or-payment and the other a collection on receipt.

Where both could apply, the statute resolves it in favour of the buyer. The second proviso to Section 206C(1H) provides that it does not apply where the buyer is liable to deduct tax under any other provision of the Act on the goods purchased and has deducted it — and CBDT Circular 13 of 2021 confirms that Section 194Q takes precedence. Section 194Q has its own stand-down in the opposite direction: the second proviso to Section 194Q(1) switches the section off where tax is deductible under any other provision of the Act, or collectible under any provision of Section 206C other than sub-section (1H). So a transaction already covered by, say, Section 206C(1) for scrap or Section 206C(1F) for a motor vehicle never reaches 194Q at all.

From 1 April 2025 the overlap has largely gone. A proviso inserted into Section 206C(1H) by the Finance Act 2025 makes it inapplicable to transactions on or after that date. The sub-section has not been omitted from the statute — which matters for earlier years still under assessment — but it has no operation going forward, leaving Section 194Q as the single question on an ordinary goods transaction. For a financial year up to 2024-25 the older analysis, including the priority rule, is still the one to apply.

Worked example — a purchase of ₹80 lakh in FY 2026-27

A buyer with business turnover of ₹42 crore in the preceding financial year purchases goods worth ₹80 lakh from a resident seller during the year. The seller has furnished its PAN. Nothing else in the Act catches the transaction.

Inputs
Financial yearFY 2026-27 — Section 206C(1H) inapplicable
Buyer turnover, preceding FY₹42 crore (exceeds ₹10 Cr ✓)
SellerResident, PAN furnished
Aggregate purchase value in the year₹80 lakh (exceeds ₹50 lakh ✓)
Other TDS/TCS provisionNone
Output
Applicable sectionSection 194Q — the buyer deducts
Base₹80 lakh − ₹50 lakh = ₹30,00,000
Rate0.1%
TDS to deduct₹3,000
TriggerCredit to the seller’s account or payment, whichever is earlier
ReturnForm 26Q, quarterly
Only the value above ₹50 lakh is taxed, not the whole ₹80 lakh — a point regularly got wrong in the first year of a supplier relationship. Had the seller not furnished a PAN, the proviso to Section 206AA would apply a 5% rate rather than the usual 20%, giving ₹1,50,000 instead of ₹3,000.

Common mistakes

Applying the rate to the whole purchase value
Both sections tax only the amount exceeding ₹50 lakh in the financial year for that party. On a ₹80 lakh purchase, the base is ₹30 lakh. Deducting 0.1% on ₹80 lakh over-deducts and leaves the buyer explaining a mismatch on the seller’s Form 26AS.
Still collecting TCS under 206C(1H) after 1 April 2025
A proviso inserted by the Finance Act 2025 makes Section 206C(1H) inapplicable to transactions on or after 1 April 2025. Sellers who left the ERP configuration untouched have continued collecting, which creates refund claims for buyers and reconciliation noise on both sides. The section is inoperative, not omitted — so it still governs earlier years under assessment.
Testing the buyer’s total receipts instead of business turnover
Section 194Q looks to the buyer’s total sales, gross receipts or turnover from business exceeding ₹10 crore in the immediately preceding financial year. Receipts from a profession, or non-business receipts, do not count towards it. A newly incorporated buyer has no preceding-year turnover at all and is outside Section 194Q for its first year.
Missing that another section displaces 194Q
The second proviso to Section 194Q(1) switches the section off where tax is deductible under any other provision, or collectible under Section 206C other than sub-section (1H). Scrap under 206C(1) and motor vehicles under 206C(1F) are the common ones, and a composite supply with a works-contract element may be caught by Section 194C instead. Test those first.
Getting the GST treatment backwards
For Section 194Q, CBDT Circular 13 of 2021 permits deduction on the value excluding GST where the deduction is made at the time of credit and GST is shown separately in the invoice — but not where deduction is made on payment. For Section 206C(1H), collection was on the amount received, inclusive of GST. Applying the 194Q carve-out to a TCS computation for an earlier year understates the collection.
Confusing the two triggers
Section 194Q bites at credit or payment, whichever is earlier — so it can fall due before any money moves. Section 206C(1H) bit only on receipt. A buyer accruing a large year-end purchase has a 194Q obligation on that credit even though the invoice is unpaid.
Assuming the 20% no-PAN rate applies to 194Q
Section 206AA ordinarily forces 20%, but its proviso caps the rate for a Section 194Q default at 5%. Applying 20% over-deducts materially on a large purchase.

Frequently asked questions

Is TCS under Section 206C(1H) still applicable?+
No, not for transactions on or after 1 April 2025. A proviso inserted into Section 206C(1H) by the Finance Act 2025 makes the sub-section inapplicable from that date. It has not been omitted from the statute, so it continues to govern financial years up to 2024-25 that are still open.
Which prevails between Section 194Q and Section 206C(1H)?+
Section 194Q. The second proviso to Section 206C(1H) provides that it does not apply where the buyer is liable to deduct tax under any other provision on the goods purchased and has deducted it, and CBDT Circular 13 of 2021 confirms that 194Q takes precedence where both could apply. From 1 April 2025 the question no longer arises because 206C(1H) is inapplicable.
What is the threshold for TDS under Section 194Q?+
The buyer’s total sales, gross receipts or turnover from business must have exceeded ₹10 crore in the immediately preceding financial year, and the aggregate value of goods purchased from the seller must exceed ₹50 lakh during the financial year. Tax is deducted at 0.1% on the value exceeding ₹50 lakh.
Is Section 194Q applied on the whole purchase value?+
No. It applies only to the value of goods purchased in excess of ₹50 lakh in that financial year from that seller. On purchases of ₹80 lakh, the base is ₹30 lakh and the tax is ₹3,000 at 0.1%.
When does the Section 194Q liability arise?+
At the time of credit of the sum to the account of the seller, or at the time of payment, whichever is earlier. A credit entry alone triggers it, even if payment has not been made.
What is the rate under Section 194Q if the seller has no PAN?+
5%. Section 206AA would ordinarily require 20%, but its proviso caps the rate at 5% for a deduction under Section 194Q.
Does Section 194Q apply to a purchase from a non-resident seller?+
No. Section 194Q applies to the purchase of goods from a resident seller. Payments to a non-resident are dealt with under Section 195, where the sum is chargeable to tax in India, with the Form 15CA/15CB reporting under Rule 37BB.
Does Section 194Q apply in the first year of a company’s existence?+
No. The gate is the buyer’s turnover in the immediately preceding financial year, and a company in its first year has none. It comes into the section from the following year if that first year’s turnover exceeded ₹10 crore.
Is GST included in the value for Section 194Q?+
Where the deduction is made at the time of credit and the GST component is shown separately in the invoice, CBDT Circular 13 of 2021 allows the tax to be deducted on the value excluding GST. Where the deduction is made on a payment basis, that split is not available and the whole sum is taken.
Which return reports a Section 194Q deduction?+
Form 26Q, the quarterly TDS return for payments other than salary. A Section 206C(1H) collection, for years in which it applied, went into Form 27EQ.

Authoritative sources

CBDT
Income-tax Act, 1961 — Section 194QRequires a buyer with business turnover above ₹10 crore in the preceding year to deduct 0.1% on the purchase of goods from a resident seller exceeding ₹50 lakh in the year; the second proviso stands the section down where tax is deductible under another provision or collectible under Section 206C other than sub-section (1H).
CBDT
Income-tax Act, 1961 — Section 206C(1H)Required a seller with turnover above ₹10 crore to collect 0.1% on consideration received for sale of goods exceeding ₹50 lakh; its second proviso deferred to a buyer liable to deduct under another provision. A proviso inserted by the Finance Act 2025 makes the sub-section inapplicable to transactions on or after 1 April 2025.
CBDT
CBDT Circular No. 13 of 2021 — guidelines under Section 194QDated 30 June 2021. Confirms the precedence of Section 194Q over Section 206C(1H), and sets out the treatment of GST, of purchase returns, and of the threshold computation for the first year of the section.
CBDT
Income-tax Act, 1961 — Sections 206AA and 206CCSection 206AA sets the higher rate where the deductee furnishes no PAN, with a proviso capping the Section 194Q rate at 5%; Section 206CC sets the corresponding higher collection rate where the buyer furnishes no PAN.
Always confirm against the latest version of the source. Regulations evolve and amendments are common.
Related calculators
TDS rate finderTCS rate & threshold calculatorTDS interest & late fee calculatorSection 195 & Form 15CA/15CB checker
Share this tool
Last reviewed: 2026-08-20 · For informational purposes only — not professional advice.