Form 15H
What is Form 15H?
Form 15H is a self-declaration form invoked by a taxpayer to prevent tax deduction on the income earned from specific sources. Only senior citizens 60 years of age and above residing in India can use this form. However, for Indian citizens below the age of 60 years, this form does not apply to them. Such individuals are eligible for Form 15G.
It is a simple self-declaration form in which the taxpayer can declare that the income for the current financial year is below the Income Tax slab under the Indian IT Act. Through this, one can avoid TDS deduction. Remember, Form 15H is not a tax-saving tool but a convenience offered to senior citizens residing in India to avoid TDS being made on their incomes under specific sections of Indian laws.
For senior citizens, TDS deduction on income earned from bank FD and RDs is only applicable if the amount exceeds Rs 50000 per financial year.
When to use Form 15H?
Form 15H is extremely useful for senior citizens when their only income is from other sources, such as interest or income from fixed deposits, recurring deposits, EPF withdrawal in certain cases, corporate bonds, post office deposits, and rentals.
Starting from FY 2023-24, individuals can earn up to Rs 6,99,999 in gross income, including exempt limits from various deposit classes, without paying taxes. However, for this example, let us assume all your income is only from such income.
If you do not submit the 15H Form, the firms paying you the interest will deduct TDS at the applicable rate. However, if you submit Form 15H to all the entities separately where you have kept your deposits individually, those entities will not invoke TDS.
As mentioned earlier, TDS is not a tax-saving tool but a convenience. The convenience is that no TDS applies, and you receive your income without any tax being deducted. On the other hand, if you don’t submit Form 15H, TDS happens, and the TDS amount gets refunded after you file your return. This is the convenience that Form no. 15H offers to you as a senior citizen.
Submit Form 15H before the first interest payment for each financial year to avoid TDS on interest income from multiple sources.
Who can Submit Form 15H?
Indian resident
Only an Indian resident residing in India can submit Form 15H if the individual is 60 and over. No other category is permitted to use this form. Other categories, like under-60 individuals and HUFs, can use Form 15G for TDS exemption.
Age
Only an Indian resident 60 years of age and above residing in India can submit Form 15H.
Tax component
Any Indian resident 60 years of age and above with zero tax liability after computing the final tax based on their estimated income can use Form 15H. If applicable, others can use other available forms, such as Form 15G.
Individual
Only individuals can use this form, meaning other classes of assesses have to look for other avenues available under the Act.
Interest aggregate
You should ensure you do not submit Form 15H if your income exceeds the taxable limit. Form 15H from the Income Tax website specifies that a declaration under section 197A(1C) is to be made by an individual of sixty years or older. This declaration is for claiming certain incomes without deduction of tax.
At the end of Form 15H, senior citizens must sign a declaration stating that they reside in India as defined in Section 6 of the Income-tax Act. By signing this declaration, they become eligible for tax exemptions on certain incomes.
To recapitulate, only Indian citizens 60 years of age and above residing in India can submit Form 15H. This form must be submitted to each entity authorised to deduct TDS for each financial year to ensure you do not get TDS deducted.
Components of Form 15H
Form 15H comes with two parts to be filled by you and the entity paying the relevant income to you. Part I of the form is to be filled by you and signed and submitted to the person making the payment of the interest income.
Part I of the form comprises 18 elements covering the relevant details, which are self-explanatory.
This will include you’re the following:
- Name of the Assessee
- PAN Number of the Assessee,
- Date of birth
- Year in which declaration is being made
- Complete address
- Email and Telephone Number
- If the Assessee is to be assessed for taxation
- If yes, then mention the latest year in which the assessment was done
- Approximate or estimated income for which the declaration is being made
- Approximate total income for the year in which the above income Is to be included
- If there have been any other Form 15H filled
- Details of all the forms with the amount
- Details of any unique number, nature of income, and under which section tax is deductible will be mentioned, along with the amount of income.
- Finally, the signature of the Assessee is followed by verification.
An important element is column 15, which asks for the estimated income for this declaration.
Part II is to be filled by the person responsible for paying the income referred to in column 15 of Part I, and that person will submit the form to the IT authorities.
You can view Income Tax Form 15H here.
Things to Remember while filling Form 15H
Form 15H is self-explanatory, but importantly, it contains explanations for you to understand.
The thing you must remember is all information submitted must be accurate. The important factor is to ensure the name and PAN are given correctly. Without PAN, the submission will be invalidated.One advantage of online e-filing is that it is easy to fill in stored data. You have to make sure that you have submitted your data correctly.
Please remember the following before you proceed to fill the Form 15H:
- You are an individual taxpayer aged 60 years and above
- You are a resident Indian senior citizen
- Your tax liability on total income is zero

Form 15H is for a specific category of individuals defined by age, taxable income, and residence status, as above.
Please remember the IT Act is dynamic, and provisions change every year after the budget announcement on dates specified by the proposals. Therefore, please update your knowledge base periodically.
FAQs on Form 15Hs
Where should you submit Form 15H?
You submit Form 15H to all individual entities that provide you with the interest income. For instance, if you hold deposits in three banks, which pay interest to you, then you submit three separate forms to each of the three banks.
Typically, your bank or post office or other entities send you communication at the start of the financial year asking you to submit Form 15H so that TDS can be avoided.
Please remember you have to submit a form for each financial year and each entity.
For how long is Form 15H valid?
It is valid for one financial year. You have to submit a fresh Form 15H at the beginning of each financial year.
What to do if I forget to submit Form 15H on time?
There is no big harm if you forget to submit Form 15H. You can always claim a refund, but you have to file ITR properly and on time.
You can still submit the form as soon as you remember so that TDS will not be deducted from the next time interest is paid.
If some TDS has been made, you must wait to file your return and then claim a refund.