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TDS Section 194J Professional or technical fees

FY 2025-26 · Rate 10% (2% for technical services and call centres)

Section
194J
Rate (with PAN)
10% (2% for technical services and call centres)
Rate (no PAN)
20%

What does this section cover?

TDS on fees for professional services, technical services, royalty, non-compete fees, director's remuneration.

Why this section: Professional fees (CA, lawyer, doctor, architect, freelancer) and technical services above ₹50k per FY attract 10% TDS (2% for technical/call centre).

Note: Threshold raised from ₹30k to ₹50k per FY in Finance Act 2025. Director's sitting fees: no threshold, 10%. Royalty for film distribution rights: 2%.

Key facts

Threshold
₹50,000 per FY per category (raised from ₹30,000 by Finance Act 2025)
Applicable for
FY 2025-26
Who deducts
Companies, firms, individuals/HUFs (if turnover > ₹1 cr / ₹50 L in prev FY)
Paid to
Professional / consultant / technical service provider
Statutory source
Section 194J, Income Tax Act
Compute and file this TDS with CAhelperFree TDS computation, Form 26Q prep, challan generation — Part of KLI.

Common terms accountants use

If your description mentions any of these, Section 194J is likely the right answer. The matcher in this tool is a keyword scorer — not an AI classifier — so cross-check borderline cases against the official CBDT TDS rate chart.

professional feesconsulting feesfreelancerca feeslawyer feesdoctor feestechnical serviceroyaltyfreelance contractorconsultant paymentdirector remunerationnon compete

Related TDS sections

Other sections in the same series or adjacent. Useful when narrowing down between similar payment categories.

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Source: curated from the CBDT TDS rate chart. Dataset snapshot: 2025-04-01. Rates can change between Finance Acts and notifications — verify before deducting.