How-to · Tax
Form 15G and 15H: use Form 121 from tax year 2026-27
Form 15G and Form 15H still describe the declaration to receive specified income without TDS. From tax year 2026-27 that declaration is Form 121 under section 393(6) of the Income-tax Act, 2025. Who can file, what changed, and how to confirm on official pages.
In this guide
Form 15G and Form 15H are self-declarations so a payer does not deduct TDS on specified income when tax on your estimated total income is nil. From tax year 2026-27 that declaration is Form 121 under section 393(6) of the Income-tax Act, 2025. Eligibility is unchanged. Confirm the form on the official e-Filing forms page before you give it to the bank.
What the declaration does
A bank deducts TDS on interest once the amount crosses the threshold in the TDS table. If your estimated tax for the year is nil, that deduction is money you then wait to get back. The declaration is how you tell the payer, in writing, not to deduct.
It is not a refund claim and it is not a lower-deduction certificate. A lower or nil certificate is a different paper (section 197 earlier, section 395(1) now). The declaration is only valid when tax on your estimated total income of the year is nil.
Who can file, and who still cannot
The official forms FAQ keeps the old split, then says the tests continue under section 393(6):
| Old form | Who it was for |
|---|---|
| Form 15G | Resident individual below 60, and other eligible persons other than companies and firms, subject to the prescribed income thresholds |
| Form 15H | Resident individual aged 60 or more |
Companies and firms were never in this queue. Non-residents were not either. The income thresholds sit in the form and the rules, not in this page. Read the form you are about to sign.
A declaration without PAN is invalid. Tax is then deducted at the higher of the rate in the relevant provision, the rates in force, or 20 per cent. That is the department's own answer, not a bank circular.
Form 121 from tax year 2026-27
For income of tax year 2026-27, which began on 1 April 2026, the written declaration under section 393(6) is Form 121. The official FAQ is blunt: the two old forms merged so people would stop guessing which one to pick.
Paper you gave a bank for FY 2025-26 stays on Form 15G or 15H. Do not reuse that sheet for interest accruing after 31 March 2026. Give the payer Form 121 for the new tax year.
The legal test did not change. You still declare that tax on your estimated total income of the tax year will be nil. What changed is the form number, the section number, and how the department tracks the declaration.
One UIN per PAN for the year
Under the old system each payer generated a Unique Identification Number for every 15G or 15H they received, even when the PAN and the year were the same. Reconciliation across banks was messy.
The revised framework allots one UIN per PAN for a tax year. Every declaration you give, to any payer, links to that number. The payer fetches it from the departmental portal. If two banks quote two UINs for you in the same year, one of them is working off the old habit.
How to confirm on official pages
- Open the official Income Tax Forms FAQ and read the Form 15G / 15H / 121 answers. That page is the department's own map.
- Confirm section 393(6) on Complied AI, or the corresponding text on the Income Tax Department Act pages.
- If someone asks you to file without a PAN, stop. The official PAN FAQ says that declaration is not valid.
After the year ends, match the interest the bank reports against Form 26AS and AIS. A declaration that was accepted in April can still show as deducted if the payer filed the wrong line.
Where Complied AI fits
The form number is settled in the Rules. What still moves is a utility change, a UIN circular, or a correction to the TDS table. CBDT updates on Complied AI keep those documents in one feed so you open the source instead of a bank WhatsApp forward.
Practical checks
Common questions
Is Form 15G or 15H still used after 1 April 2026?
For a tax year beginning on or after 1 April 2026 the declaration is Form 121, prescribed under the Income-tax Rules, 2026. Form 15G and Form 15H remain the names people search, and they still describe the same request: do not deduct TDS because tax on my estimated total income is nil. The official e-Filing forms FAQ is the page that maps the old names to Form 121.
Who was eligible for Form 15G and who for Form 15H?
Form 15G could be furnished by a resident individual below 60, or by other eligible persons other than companies and firms, subject to the prescribed income thresholds. Form 15H was for a resident individual aged 60 or more. The official FAQ says those eligibility tests continue under section 393(6) of the 2025 Act.
Can I file Form 15G or 15H without a PAN?
No. A declaration without PAN is not a valid declaration. Tax is then deducted at the higher of the rate in the relevant provision, the rates in force, or 20 per cent. The department's own FAQ on this point still stands.
Do I need a separate UIN for every bank now?
No. Under the revised framework the department allots one Unique Identification Number for each PAN for a given tax year. Declarations you give to different payers link to that one UIN. The payer fetches the UIN from the departmental portal instead of minting a new number each time.
Publication method
How this guide was prepared
This guide is published by the Complied AI research desk. Its source list and stated position were checked against the official records shown below on 15 August 2026.
Automation, including AI, may assist research, drafting and structure. It does not replace the official record or amount to an independent professional review. Read our editorial standards and corrections policy.
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