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The penalty you'd owe for paying late.

Type your liability and what you paid by each instalment date. We'll show you exactly what 234B + 234C interest you'd owe at filing — and how much paying on time would save.

Your tax for the year

₹
50% = profit

Specified professions only (IT, engineering, architecture, legal, medical, accountancy, technical consultancy, interior decoration and a few notified others), receipts up to ₹50L — ₹75L if cash is ≤5%. Writers, marketers and coaches may not qualify; check with your CA.

₹
₹
Tax for FY 2026-27₹4,99,200
Less: TDS–50,000
Assessed tax (AT)₹4,49,200

Cumulative paid

Tip: enter CUMULATIVE totals — what you'd paid by that date in total, not just that quarter's amount.

₹

Threshold: ₹67,380 (15% target, waived at ≥12%)Shortfall: ₹67,380

₹

Threshold: ₹2,02,140 (45% target, waived at ≥36%)Shortfall: ₹2,02,140

₹

Threshold: ₹3,36,900 (no tol.)Shortfall: ₹3,36,900

₹

Threshold: ₹4,49,200 (no tol.)Shortfall: ₹4,49,200

When will you file?

( default: 31 August, the due date for business/professional income without audit — salary-only returns are due 31 July. We assume the balance is paid when you file. )

Months from 1 April to filing (and paying) date: 5

Section 425 (formerly 234C) — missed instalment interest

Q1 ₹67,380 × 1% × 3 mo₹2,021
Q2 ₹2,02,140 × 1% × 3 mo₹6,064
Q3 ₹3,36,900 × 1% × 3 mo₹10,107
Q4 ₹4,49,200 × 1% × 1 mo₹4,492
Subtotal 425₹22,684

Section 424 (formerly 234B) — interest after the year ends

You paid: ₹0 (0% of assessed)
Required: ≥ 90% for no 424
Unpaid ₹4,49,200 × 1% × 5 mo₹22,460

What if you file later?

Filing 01 Oct 2027+ adds ₹8,984
Filing 31 Oct 2027+ adds ₹8,984
Filing 01 Dec 2027+ adds ₹17,968

Take it with you

Take the computation with you

Each instalment's threshold, what was paid against it, the shortfall, and the interest that follows — traceable line by line, which is what your CA needs to check the figure rather than take it on trust.

No email, no signup — the PDF downloads straight to your device.

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How this works

234B and 234C, demystified.

What’s the difference between Section 234B and 234C?
Both penalise missed advance tax, but they cover different periods. 234C (s.425 from FY 2026-27) is a fixed charge per instalment — 1% a month for three months on each of the first three instalment shortfalls, one month on the March shortfall — however soon or late you eventually pay. 234B (s.424 from FY 2026-27) is interest from 1 April (after FY-end) until you actually pay — applies only if the advance tax you paid by 31 March was less than 90% of your assessed tax (your tax for the year after TDS). You can owe both at once: 234C for each quarter you missed plus 234B for the balance you carry past FY-end.
Do 44ADA freelancers pay 234C on each quarter?
No. Section 211(1)(b) (s.408(2) from FY 2026-27) gives 44ADA and 44AD assessees a single instalment due 15 March, not four. So 234C only applies if you paid less than 100% of your assessed tax by 15 March — and only 1 month of interest, not 3. This is the “presumptive simplification” most freelancer tax tools miss.
What’s the 80% tolerance rule on Q1 and Q2?
For non-44ADA assessees, Q1 (15 June) requires 15% paid and Q2 (15 September) requires 45% paid. But 234C only kicks in if you paid less than 12% (80% of 15%) by Q1 or less than 36% (80% of 45%) by Q2. So if you paid exactly 12% by 15 June, you skip the Q1 penalty even though the official target was 15%. Q3 and Q4 have no such tolerance — thresholds are exact at 75% and 100%.
How is 234B different from the late-filing fee under Section 234F?
They’re separate. 234B is interest (1% per month) on unpaid advance tax — keeps accruing as long as the tax is unpaid. 234F is a flat fee for filing your ITR late: ₹5,000 if filed after the due date (₹1,000 if total income ≤ ₹5L). You can owe both if you both underpaid advance tax AND filed late.
Can I avoid 234C if I file my return by 31 March?
No. 234C is determined by what you paid by each instalment date — not when you file. If you paid zero advance tax through the year and then dump it all in your ITR filed by 31 March, you’ve still missed every instalment date and still owe 234C on each shortfall. The only escape is paying advance tax on time through the year.

Approximations per the standard 1% per month formula. 234C (s.425 from FY 2026-27) is a fixed charge — 1% a month for three months on each of the first three instalment shortfalls, one month on the March shortfall — however late you eventually pay. 234B (s.424) runs from 1 April after the year ends until the tax is paid. Presumptive filers have one instalment due 15 March (s.211(1)(b) for FY 2025-26; s.408(2) from FY 2026-27). Actual numbers may differ by a few percent — your CA will compute the exact figure at ITR filing.

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