- Date : 27/01/2023
- Read: 4 mins
Indirect taxation is levied by the government on goods and services. There are two forms of Indirect taxation, TDS and TCS. TDS is the person paying for the goods or services, whereas TCS is the responsibility of the person selling the goods or services.

India has 11.9 million taxpayers who contribute to the country's development and the government's functioning. There are different ways in which these taxpayers pay taxes to the government, Direct taxation and indirect taxation. Direct taxation can be easy to understand for taxpayers, but indirect taxation may be confusing. The two most common forms of indirect taxation that taxpayers may encounter are TDS and TCS. Read on to understand the key attributes and differences between TDS and TCS.
TDS VS TCS: Understanding the indirect forms of taxation
TDS stands for Tax Deducted at source and is a form of Tax collected by the person making the payment to an entity or an individual. The Tax is deducted from the income or profit of the individual or entity but must be deducted by the payer. The person paying the income or profit is responsible for depositing the taxes to the government. The taxes under TDS are deducted at regular intervals, such as each month or each quarter.
TCS stands for Tax Collected at source and is a form of Tax collected by the individual selling goods or providing services to another individual or entity. The seller collects the taxes from the buyer and pays them to the government. The taxes under TCS are deducted each time a sale or purchase is carried out.
TDS VS TCS: Key differences
The key differences between TDS and TCS, which would clear any confusion between the two forms of indirect taxation, are:
1. The person responsible for deducting/collecting the Tax: Under TDS, the person making the payment is responsible for deducting the Tax and depositing it with the government. Under TCS, the seller of goods or provider of services is responsible for collecting the Tax and depositing it with the government.
2. The time of tax deduction/collection: TDS is typically deducted regularly, such as monthly or quarterly, whereas TCS is collected at the point of sale.
3. The rate of tax deduction/collection: TDS rates vary depending on the type of income and the category of the taxpayer, while TCS rates are usually a small percentage of the sale price and vary depending on the type of transaction.
4. The purpose of Tax: TDS is primarily used to collect Tax on income, whereas TCS is used to collect Tax on the sale of goods and services.
5. The applicability: TDS applies to a wide range of incomes such as salary, interest, rent, professional fees and commission and brokerage, while TCS applies to a specific set of transactions such as the sale of goods, services, parking space, toll plaza, mining and quarrying, lottery tickets and foreign remittances.
6. compliance: TDS compliance requires the regular filing of TDS returns, and TCS compliance requires filing TCS returns every quarter.
TDS VS TCS: Examples
Examples of TDS are:
- TDS on salary income: The TDS on salary income is deducted at 10% for individuals who do not file a tax return and 20% for individuals who file a tax return. However, if the individual can submit the Permanent Account Number (PAN) and Form 15G/15H, the TDS rate will be Nil for a certain income limit.
- TDS on interest income: The TDS on interest income is deducted at 10% for individuals and Hindu Undivided Families (HUFs) and 30% for other entities.
- TDS on rent income: The TDS on rent income is deducted at 2% for individuals and HUFs and 30% for other entities.
Examples of TCS are:
- TCS on sale of goods: The TCS on the sale of goods is collected at 0.1% for specified goods such as alcohol, tobacco, and scrap.
- TCS on sale of parking space, toll plaza, mining and quarrying: The TCS on these services is collected at 5%.
- TCS on sale of lottery tickets: The TCS on sale of lottery tickets is collected at 10%.
TDS and TCS are both forms of indirect taxation in India, but they are used for different types of transactions. They are collected and deposited by different parties at different times.
India has 11.9 million taxpayers who contribute to the country's development and the government's functioning. There are different ways in which these taxpayers pay taxes to the government, Direct taxation and indirect taxation. Direct taxation can be easy to understand for taxpayers, but indirect taxation may be confusing. The two most common forms of indirect taxation that taxpayers may encounter are TDS and TCS. Read on to understand the key attributes and differences between TDS and TCS.
TDS VS TCS: Understanding the indirect forms of taxation
TDS stands for Tax Deducted at source and is a form of Tax collected by the person making the payment to an entity or an individual. The Tax is deducted from the income or profit of the individual or entity but must be deducted by the payer. The person paying the income or profit is responsible for depositing the taxes to the government. The taxes under TDS are deducted at regular intervals, such as each month or each quarter.
TCS stands for Tax Collected at source and is a form of Tax collected by the individual selling goods or providing services to another individual or entity. The seller collects the taxes from the buyer and pays them to the government. The taxes under TCS are deducted each time a sale or purchase is carried out.
TDS VS TCS: Key differences
The key differences between TDS and TCS, which would clear any confusion between the two forms of indirect taxation, are:
1. The person responsible for deducting/collecting the Tax: Under TDS, the person making the payment is responsible for deducting the Tax and depositing it with the government. Under TCS, the seller of goods or provider of services is responsible for collecting the Tax and depositing it with the government.
2. The time of tax deduction/collection: TDS is typically deducted regularly, such as monthly or quarterly, whereas TCS is collected at the point of sale.
3. The rate of tax deduction/collection: TDS rates vary depending on the type of income and the category of the taxpayer, while TCS rates are usually a small percentage of the sale price and vary depending on the type of transaction.
4. The purpose of Tax: TDS is primarily used to collect Tax on income, whereas TCS is used to collect Tax on the sale of goods and services.
5. The applicability: TDS applies to a wide range of incomes such as salary, interest, rent, professional fees and commission and brokerage, while TCS applies to a specific set of transactions such as the sale of goods, services, parking space, toll plaza, mining and quarrying, lottery tickets and foreign remittances.
6. compliance: TDS compliance requires the regular filing of TDS returns, and TCS compliance requires filing TCS returns every quarter.
TDS VS TCS: Examples
Examples of TDS are:
- TDS on salary income: The TDS on salary income is deducted at 10% for individuals who do not file a tax return and 20% for individuals who file a tax return. However, if the individual can submit the Permanent Account Number (PAN) and Form 15G/15H, the TDS rate will be Nil for a certain income limit.
- TDS on interest income: The TDS on interest income is deducted at 10% for individuals and Hindu Undivided Families (HUFs) and 30% for other entities.
- TDS on rent income: The TDS on rent income is deducted at 2% for individuals and HUFs and 30% for other entities.
Examples of TCS are:
- TCS on sale of goods: The TCS on the sale of goods is collected at 0.1% for specified goods such as alcohol, tobacco, and scrap.
- TCS on sale of parking space, toll plaza, mining and quarrying: The TCS on these services is collected at 5%.
- TCS on sale of lottery tickets: The TCS on sale of lottery tickets is collected at 10%.
TDS and TCS are both forms of indirect taxation in India, but they are used for different types of transactions. They are collected and deposited by different parties at different times.