TDS | Payments to Contractors (Sec 194C) -- covering most of the circulars

  
Under the Indian Income Tax Act, the following provisions relate to the
Tax Deduction at Source from payments to Contractors and Subcontractors
under section 194C.

• Person responsible for paying
  any sum for carrying any work to any resident
   contractor should deduct tax at source.   
     

• Tax
  should be deducted at source only if the contract is between the
   contractor and the following specified persons: 

1.    The Central Government or any State Government.

2.    Anylocal authority.

3.    Any corporation established by or under a Central, State or Provincial Act

4.  A company

5.  Any Co-operative Society.

6.    Any authority, constituted in India by or under any law, engaged either for the purpose of dealing with and satisfying the need for housing accommodation or for the purpose of planning, development or improvement of cities, towns and villages, or for both.
 

7.    Any Society registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1960 or any
 law corresponding to that Act in any part of India.
 

8.   Any Trust.
 

9.   Any University established by or under any Central, State or Provincial Act
or any institution declared to be a University under the University
Grants Commission Act.
 

10.Any firm.
 

11.Any individual or Hindu Undivided Family whose books are required to be
audited under section 44AB during the immediately preceding financial
year. [The turnover from business/profession exceeds the limits
specified u/s 44AB during the immediately preceding financial year].

Note: Budget 2008 introduced the burden of
deduction of tax under this section to Association of Persons and Body
of Individuals also, whether they are incorporated or not.

•  Individual or HUF need not deduct tax if the contract is exclusively for personal
  purposes.
  

• Income Tax should be deducted at the time of payment or credit to the account of the contractor whichever is earlier.
  

• Income Tax is to be deducted at source @ 1% on Advertising contracts and @2% on any other contracts on the amount paid/credited. In the case of sub-contracts, the main
  contractor should deduct tax at source @1% on the amount paid/credited
  to the subcontractor.
  

• Provisions of Section 194C are applicable only where the contract is either a “contract for carrying out any work” or a “contract for supply of labour for works contract”. Hence, these provisions are not applicable for payments made under the contract of sale of goods.     
    
• For the purpose of this section, the following contracts are also
  included in the scope of “Work”:
  

1.   Advertising.

2.   Broadcasting
and telecasting including production of programs for broadcasting and
telecasting.

3.   Carriage
of goods and passengers by any mode of transport other than Railways.

4.  Catering.

• No deduction of tax at source shall be made under this section in the
   following circumstances:
  

1.  If the amount paid/payable or credited/likely to be credited to the
contractor/sub-contractor does not exceed Rs.20,000/-
in a single instance. However, the total of amounts paid or credited
during the financial year should not exceed Rs.50,000/-.
If the said amount exceeds Rs.50,000/-, then, the liability for payment
arises on the whole of amount paid or credited and not on the amount in
excess of Rs.50,000/-

2.   In the case of a sub-contractor who is a resident individual and who owns
not more than two goods carriages during the previous year, no tax
shall be deducted at source during the course of business of plying,
hiring or leasing goods carriages if he provides a declaration to the
person responsible for payment to that effect in the prescribed form.
[Form 15-I]

• Income Tax is to be deducted on the amount of payment/credit and not on the
  income part of the amount.
  

• In a case where advance payments are made in pursuance of contract to be
  adjusted against work to be done, tax has to be deducted at the time of
  the advance payments.
  

• The provisions of Sec 194C does not apply to payments made to Airlines or
  travel agents for the purpose of travel of individuals even though the
  payment/credit is made by the specified persons. But, if the aircraft
  is chartered for carriage of passengers or goods, this section shall be
   applicable. [Circular No.713 dt.2-8-1995 and No.715 dt.8-8-1995]

• In the case of advertising
  contracts, tax needs to be deducted only when the client makes payment
  to the advertising agency and not when the advertising agency makes
  payment to the media (includes both print and electronic media).
  [Circular No.715 dt.8-8-1995]
  

• If there is a consolidated bill given by advertising agencies which may include artwork charges etc apart from advertising charges, the rate applicable is 1% on the whole.
   Tax is to be deducted on the gross amount of the bill (including the portion of media bill) and not on the commission of the advertising agency. But, payments made to Doordarshan
   (Now Prasar Bharati) are not subject to TDS since it is a government agency and hence, not liable to income tax.
  [Circular No.715 dt.8-8-1995].
  

• The contract for putting up a hoarding is an advertising contract and hence, is covered under section 194C. [Circular No.715 dt.8-8-1995]
  

• But, if a particular space has been taken on rent by a person who subsequently sub lets it for putting up a hoarding, the TDS liability is not under Section 194C but under section 194-I. [Circular No.715 dt.8-8-1995]
  

• In the case of sponsorship for debates, seminars and other functions held in colleges, schools and associations with a view to earn publicity through display of banners,
   etc., put up by the organisers, the agreement of sponsorship is in essence an agree­ment for carrying out a work of advertisement. Therefore, provi­sions of section 194C
  will apply. [Circular No.715 dt.8-8-1995]
  

• Tax is deductible at source on payments for costs of advertise­ments issued in the souvenirs brought out by various organisations.
  [Circular No.715 dt.8-8-1995].
  

• Payments to Clearing and Forwarding agents for carriage of goods are subject to TDS. The Clearing and Forwarding agents themselves are also liable to deduct tax
  on payments to a carrier of goods. [Circular No.715 dt.8-8-1995]
  

• Payments to couriers are also covered u/s 194C because the carriage of documents, letters etc is in the nature of carriage of goods. [Circular No.715 dt.8-8-1995]
  

• In the case of payments to transporters, each GR can be said to be a separate contract, if the goods are transported at one time. But if the goods are transported
  continuously in pursuance of a contract for a specific period or
  quantity, each GR will not be a separate contract and all GRs relating to that period or
  quantity will be aggregated for the purpose of TDS. Even when the goods
  are received on ‘freight to pay’ basis, the TDS provisions would be
  applicable, irrespective of the actual payment. [Circular No.715
  dt.8-8-1995].
  

• TDS is not required to be made when payment is made for serving food in a restaurant in the normal course of business of the restaurant. [Circular No.715 dt.8-8-1995].
  

• Payments to recruitment agencies are in the nature of payment for services rendered and not for carrying out any work.  Hence, they are not covered under section 194C.
  However, such payments are liable to TDS under section 194J. [Circular
  No.715 dt.8-8-1995].
  

• The provisions of Section 194C
  would apply in case of supply of any article or thing as per prescribed
  specifications only if it is not a contract for sale. [Circular
  No.13/2006 dt.13-12-2006].
  

• Electrical contracts,
  maintenance contracts are covered by Section 194C. If any technical
  services are rendered, such payments would be covered under Section
  194J. [Circular No.715 dt.8-8-1995].
  

• Since Section 194C refers to
  “any sum paid”, if the bill contains reimbursement of expenses also,
  the TDS is applicable on the reimbursements also. [Circular No.715
  dt.8-8-1995]. However, if there are separate bills for contract
  payments and reimbursement of expenses, then, TDS is not required to be
  made on reimbursement of expenditure.
  

• Rendering of services for procurement of orders is not covered by Section 194C. [Circular No.715 dt.8-8-1995].
  

• In case of payments made to cold storages, thecustomer is not given any right to use any demarcated space/place or  the machinery of the cold store and thus does not    
  become a tenant. Therefore, the provision of 194-I is not applicable to
  the cooling charges paid by the customers of the cold storage. However,
  since the arrangement between the customers and cold storage owners are
  basically contractual in nature, the provision of section 194-C will be
  applicable to the amounts paid as cooling charges by the customers of
  the cold storage. [Circular No.1/2008 dt.10-1-2008].
  

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Disclaimer: All the information provided above is for informative purposes only. You are advised to consult your tax consultant before you act upon any of the above information. In spite of this, if any person acts upon this information and suffers any loss, we are not to be held liable.

Though all efforts have been made to provide latest information, you are advised to check latest circulars, latest changes in law etc from the Indian Income Tax Department.