Interest lands in your account, smaller than you calculated. Nothing has gone wrong. The issuer deducted tax before paying you, and that is TDS on bonds.
The key point is that TDS is not a separate charge. It is an advance payment of tax you already owed on that interest. When you file, the amount deducted is credited against your final bill. If too much was taken, you get it back.
People lose money not in the deduction but in failing to claim the credit or not knowing they could have prevented it.
This article covers when TDS on bonds in India applies, how much is taken, how to get it back, and the mistakes that cost money.
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When TDS on Bonds Is Deducted and How Much
The rule for TDS on bonds sits in Section 193 of the Income Tax Act, which covers interest on securities [1].
TDS on bonds runs at 10% when you have given a valid PAN. Without one, or with a PAN gone inoperative because it is not linked to Aadhaar, the rate rises to 20% under Section 206AA [1].
The TDS on bond interest limit is 10,000 rupees in a financial year from a single issuer, raised from 5,000 by the Finance Act 2025 with effect from 1 April 2025 [2]. Earn less, and no TDS on bonds is deducted.
Two points need precision. It applies per issuer, not across your portfolio, so 8,000 rupees each from two companies attracts no deduction. And it is a deduction threshold, not an exemption. Interest below 10,000 is still fully taxable, simply not withheld.
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Removal of the Exemption for Listed Debentures
Until 2023, listed debentures held in demat form were exempt from this tax entirely. Many investors chose listed NCDs partly for that reason.
The Finance Act 2023 removed that exemption from 1 April 2023. Listed NCDs in demat now attract TDS on bond interest exactly as unlisted ones do [1].
This is the commonest surprise for anyone who built a portfolio before 2023 and has not revisited it. The TDS exemption for listed demat securities is gone.
Where a TDS Exemption Still Applies
Some interest genuinely escapes TDS on bonds, and it is worth knowing which.
Tax-free bonds carry a full TDS exemption, since the interest is exempt under Section 10(15). Nothing is taxable, so nothing is withheld.
Interest on Central or State Government securities is exempt up to 10,000 rupees a year. Note the carve-out: this TDS exemption does not extend to the 8% Savings (Taxable) Bonds 2003 or the 7.75% Savings (Taxable) Bonds 2018, where deduction applies above the same figure [3].
Beyond that the routes are procedural rather than automatic, but all are legitimate.
- Form 15G, for anyone under 60 whose income falls below the taxable limit, is submitted to the issuer at the start of the year.
- Form 15H, the equivalent for senior citizens.
- Form 13 to your assessing officer for a certificate of nil or lower deduction under Section 197. This suits anyone whose liability falls well below the amount withheld.
- Keeping your PAN valid and linked, which is the difference between 10% and 20%.
How to Claim TDS on Bonds Back
If TDS on bonds exceeds your final liability, the excess comes back as a refund. The process is straightforward.
To claim TDS refund amounts, start with Form 26AS and your Annual Information Statement on the tax portal. Every instance of TDS on bonds against your PAN appears there. Collect Form 16A from the issuer, the certificate you need to claim the TDS refund credit.
Then declare the gross interest in your return, the full amount before deduction, and claim the TDS refund credit against it. That is how to claim a TDS refund on bonds. Most errors happen here: people declare the net amount received and then claim credit on tax never shown as income.
If the credit exceeds your liability, the balance returns to your bank account, and the claim TDS refund process is done. To claim TDS refund amounts, you must file a return, even if your income is below the taxable limit. No filing, no refund.
TDS on Bonds Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, on most bonds. Under Section 193, TDS on bond interest applies once it crosses the threshold. Since April 2023 this includes listed debentures in demat form, previously exempt. Tax-free bonds are the main exception, since their interest is not taxable.
10% where a valid PAN is on record, or 20% without one under Section 206AA. The TDS on bond interest limit is 10,000 rupees per financial year per issuer, raised from 5,000 by the Finance Act 2025.
TDS on bonds covers corporate bonds and NCDs, listed and unlisted, plus government savings bonds above the threshold. Tax-free bonds sit outside because their interest is exempt. Government securities carry a TDS exemption up to 10,000 rupees, with specific savings bond issues excluded.
Yes. Interest on RBI savings bonds is fully taxable, and TDS on bonds applies once interest crosses 10,000 rupees in a year. These bonds do not benefit from the general government securities exemption, which the Act specifically excludes them from.
Only through legitimate routes, since TDS on bond interest cannot be waived on request. Submit Form 15G if you are under 60 and below the taxable limit or Form 15H if you are a senior citizen. Apply in Form 13 for a lower deduction certificate under Section 197. And keep your PAN valid, since an inoperative one doubles the rate.
None of it, unless the bond carries a TDS exemption as a tax-free issue under Section 10(15). The 10,000 rupee figure is a deduction threshold, not an exemption. Interest below it is still taxed at your slab rate, with no TDS on bonds withheld.
Conclusion
TDS on bonds in India is a timing mechanism, not a cost. With TDS on bonds, the tax was always owed. The only question is whether it leaves your hands at payment or at filing.
Three things are worth doing about TDS on bonds. Check whether interest from any one issuer will cross 10,000 rupees this year. File Form 15G or 15H before the year starts if your income falls below the taxable limit, since it cannot apply retrospectively. And always declare gross interest in your return, not the net figure that reached your account.
Get the last one wrong and you pay tax twice on income that already suffered TDS on bonds, which is the most expensive mistake in this area and the easiest to avoid.
Sources
- Section 193, TDS on interest on securities: 10% rate, 20% without PAN (Sec 206AA), and the Finance Act 2023 removal of the listed-demat exemption (Learn by Quicko)
- Section 193 threshold raised to ₹10,000 per year by the Finance Act 2025 / Budget 2025 (Tax2win)
- Section 193 exemptions and the government savings-bond carve-out (8% Savings Bonds 2003, 7.75% Savings Bonds 2018) (Income Tax Department, Section 193 bare provision)
Disclaimer
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