In India, the core payroll compliance deadlines repeat every month: deposit salary TDS by the 7th, and deposit PF and ESI by the 15th, of the following month. Around these sit quarterly TDS returns and a handful of annual filings. This is the full payroll compliance calendar for FY 2026-27 (April 2026 to March 2027), laid out month by month, with the two changes that are new this year, so your HR and payroll team never misses a statutory cutoff.
Key Takeaways
- Every month, deposit salary TDS by the 7th, and PF and ESI by the 15th, of the following month.
- TDS on March salary gets extra time and is due by 30 April.
- Quarterly salary TDS returns are due 31 July, 31 October, 31 January and 31 May.
- New for FY 2026-27: the salary TDS return is now Form 138, which replaces Form 24Q from 1 April 2026.
- Issue Form 16 to employees by 15 June, after filing the fourth-quarter return.
- Professional tax and Labour Welfare Fund dates are state-specific, so check every state where you employ staff.
- The four Labour Codes are now in force, so review wage definitions as your state notifies its rules.
Your month-by-month payroll calendar for FY 2026-27
Each deadline below relates to the previous month's salary. So the PF and ESI shown against 15 July are for June salary, and the TDS shown against 7 July is the tax deducted in June. Professional tax and Labour Welfare Fund are state-specific and sit on top of this list.
| Month | Statutory deadlines falling in this month |
|---|---|
| April 2026 | 15 Apr: PF and ESI for March · 30 Apr: TDS on March salary |
| May 2026 | 7 May: TDS for April · 15 May: PF and ESI for April · 31 May: Q4 salary TDS return for FY 2025-26 |
| June 2026 | 7 Jun: TDS for May · 15 Jun: PF and ESI for May · 15 Jun: issue Form 16 for FY 2025-26 |
| July 2026 | 7 Jul: TDS for June · 15 Jul: PF and ESI for June · 31 Jul: Q1 Form 138 (Apr to Jun) |
| August 2026 | 7 Aug: TDS for July · 15 Aug: PF and ESI for July |
| September 2026 | 7 Sep: TDS for August · 15 Sep: PF and ESI for August |
| October 2026 | 7 Oct: TDS for September · 15 Oct: PF and ESI for September · 31 Oct: Q2 Form 138 (Jul to Sep) |
| November 2026 | 7 Nov: TDS for October · 15 Nov: PF and ESI for October · 30 Nov: statutory bonus for FY 2025-26 |
| December 2026 | 7 Dec: TDS for November · 15 Dec: PF and ESI for November |
| January 2027 | 7 Jan: TDS for December · 15 Jan: PF and ESI for December · 31 Jan: Q3 Form 138 (Oct to Dec) |
| February 2027 | 7 Feb: TDS for January · 15 Feb: PF and ESI for January |
| March 2027 | 7 Mar: TDS for February · 15 Mar: PF and ESI for February |
The cycle then rolls into the next year: PF and ESI for March 2027 are due 15 April 2027, TDS on March 2027 salary by 30 April 2027, the Q4 return by 31 May 2027, and Form 16 by 15 June 2027.
The recurring monthly deadlines
Strip away the dates and the monthly routine is just four items. Learn these once and the whole calendar becomes predictable.
| Deadline | What is due |
|---|---|
| 7th of every month | Deposit TDS deducted on the previous month's salary (March TDS is the exception, due 30 April) |
| 15th of every month | Deposit the PF (EPF) contribution and file the ECR for the previous month |
| 15th of every month | Deposit the ESI contribution for the previous month |
| State-specific | Deposit professional tax (monthly in most states, annual in a few) where it applies |
One ESI point that catches employers: contributions run in two fixed periods, April to September and October to March. If an employee crosses the Rs 21,000 wage ceiling mid-period, you keep contributing until the period ends.
Quarterly TDS returns: Form 138 (formerly Form 24Q)
After depositing salary TDS each month, you file a quarterly return. From 1 April 2026 this return is Form 138, which replaces the old Form 24Q under the Income Tax Act 2025. The quarters and dates are unchanged.
| Quarter | Period | Form 138 due date |
|---|---|---|
| Q1 | April to June 2026 | 31 July 2026 |
| Q2 | July to September 2026 | 31 October 2026 |
| Q3 | October to December 2026 | 31 January 2027 |
| Q4 | January to March 2027 | 31 May 2027 |
Annual and one-off deadlines for FY 2026-27
| Deadline | What is due |
|---|---|
| 30 April 2026 | Deposit TDS on March 2026 salary (the one month with extra time) |
| 31 May 2026 | File the Q4 return for FY 2025-26 |
| 15 June 2026 | Issue Form 16 to all employees for FY 2025-26 |
| 30 November 2026 | Pay statutory bonus for FY 2025-26, within eight months of year-end, under the Payment of Bonus Act |
| State-specific | Professional tax annual return, and Labour Welfare Fund (half-yearly or annual, by state) |
What changed for FY 2026-27
Two shifts make this year different from older compliance calendars you may be following.
- New TDS return forms. From 1 April 2026, salary TDS is reported in Form 138 in place of Form 24Q, part of the move to the Income Tax Act 2025. The filing dates and the process stay the same, only the form number and references change.
- Labour Codes are in force. The four Labour Codes took effect from 21 November 2025, with central rules notified in 2026. As each state notifies its own rules, the definition of wages that drives PF and ESI can shift, so review your salary structure when your state's rules land. You can track this on our India payroll compliance hub.
Professional tax and Labour Welfare Fund are state-specific
Professional tax frequency and due dates change by state, and some states do not levy it at all. If you employ people in more than one state, confirm each one separately against the state professional tax rules that apply there. Labour Welfare Fund is the same story, with contributions that can be monthly, half-yearly or annual depending on the state.
The employee tax-declaration cycle
Alongside the statutory deposits, payroll runs an annual income-tax cycle with employees. At the start of the year, in April, employees submit their investment and regime declarations so you can compute monthly TDS correctly. Near year-end, between January and March, they submit actual proofs, and you true up the tax in the final months so the year closes clean.
What happens if you miss a deadline
- TDS: interest of 1% per month if you deduct late and 1.5% per month if you deposit late, a late-filing fee of Rs 200 per day, and a penalty that can run from Rs 10,000 to Rs 1,00,000.
- PF: interest of 12% per year plus damages of 5% to 25% per year on the delay. Deducting employee PF and not depositing it can lead to prosecution.
- ESI: simple interest of 12% per year on delayed contributions, with damages and possible prosecution for continued default.
How to never miss a payroll deadline
The reliable fix is to stop tracking these dates by hand. A payroll software that deducts, deposits, reconciles and files from one set of records will flag every cutoff, keep deducted equal to deposited, and generate challans, the Form 138 return and Form 16 on time, so the calendar runs itself.
Frequently asked questions
What are the monthly payroll compliance deadlines in India?
Deposit salary TDS by the 7th of the next month, and deposit PF and ESI by the 15th of the next month. Professional tax follows a state-specific schedule. TDS for March salary is due by 30 April.
When are the salary TDS returns due for FY 2026-27?
Q1 by 31 July 2026, Q2 by 31 October 2026, Q3 by 31 January 2027 and Q4 by 31 May 2027. From this year the return is filed as Form 138, which replaces Form 24Q.
Is Form 24Q still valid, or is it Form 138 now?
For FY 2026-27 onwards, salary TDS is reported in Form 138. Form 24Q applied up to FY 2025-26. The due dates and quarterly cadence are unchanged, so only the form reference is different.
By when must Form 16 be issued?
Employers must issue Form 16 to employees by 15 June, after filing the fourth-quarter return by 31 May.
Is the professional tax deadline the same in every state?
No. Professional tax is a state subject, so the rate, frequency and due date differ by state, and some states do not levy it at all. Check every state where you have employees.
What is the penalty for depositing TDS or PF late?
Late TDS deposit attracts 1.5% interest per month plus a Rs 200 per day late-filing fee. Late PF attracts 12% per year interest plus damages of 5% to 25%.
Final word
The FY 2026-27 payroll calendar is a short list repeated monthly, the 7th for TDS and the 15th for PF and ESI, wrapped with quarterly returns and a few annual filings. The two things to update this year are the move to Form 138 and the arrival of the Labour Codes. Keep deducted equal to deposited, confirm your state professional tax and Labour Welfare Fund dates, and the rest follows. Want it handled automatically? Book a free factoHR India demo and see the calendar run inside your payroll.
