Reviewed through: 12 August 2026

Finin2min Summary

  • The Income-tax Act, 2025 applies from 1 April 2026 to Tax Year 2026–27 onward. Older periods continue to use the Income-tax Act, 1961 framework.
  • Many familiar form numbers changed. The safest approach is to choose the governing period and transaction first, then the form number.
  • Key mappings include 10F → Form 41, 15G/15H → Form 121, 24Q → Form 138, 26Q → Form 140, 26QB/26QC/26QD/26QE → Form 141, 26QF → Form 142, 27EQ → Form 143, 27Q → Form 144, 15CA → Form 145 and 15CB → Form 146.
  • A changed number does not erase the old form from history. The e-Filing system supports old and new versions in parallel for the transition.
  • Form selection is only one layer. The underlying TDS/TCS, treaty, foreign-tax-credit or remittance provision still determines rate, threshold, evidence and due date.
  • Before filing, verify the live utility and user manual on the Income Tax Department portal; portal availability has been rolling out in phases during 2026.

The Two-Minute Answer

The 2026 form transition is best understood as a crosswalk, not a mass cancellation. If the compliance belongs to Assessment Year 2026–27 or an earlier period governed by the 1961 Act, the legacy form can still be the correct route. If it belongs to Tax Year 2026–27 or later under the 2025 Act, use the corresponding new form prescribed by the Income-tax Rules, 2026.

That distinction prevents one of the most likely 2026 filing errors: seeing a headline that “Form 24Q has been replaced by Form 138” and trying to use Form 138 for an older quarter or correction statement that still belongs to the 1961-Act system.

Old-to-New Form Crosswalk

Legacy form New form under 2025 Act / 2026 Rules Main purpose Practical transition note
Form 10F Form 41 Treaty information from a non-resident where prescribed particulars are required Use the period and treaty-claim framework before choosing the form
Form 10FA Form 42 Application for tax-residence certificate New numbering applies to the 2025-Act regime
Form 10FB Form 43 Tax-residence certificate Authority-issued certificate; do not confuse with taxpayer declaration
Form 67 Form 44 Foreign tax credit statement Legacy Form 67 remains relevant for old-law periods
— Form 45 Intimation where a foreign-tax dispute is settled and credit is claimed later New procedural form; linked to the foreign-tax-credit workflow
Form 15G / 15H Form 121 Eligible resident's declaration for non-deduction where estimated tax is nil One unified form replaces the two age-labelled formats
Form 24Q Form 138 Quarterly TDS statement for salary/pension-type withholding Employer/payer must map quarter to correct law
Form 26Q Form 140 Quarterly resident non-salary TDS statement Do not use for non-resident payments
Forms 26QB, 26QC, 26QD, 26QE Form 141 Transaction-based challan-cum-statement for specified TDS categories Existing Finin2min Form 141 guide covers this in depth
Form 26QF Form 142 Quarterly statement for specified VDA-exchange withholding Specialized reporting route
Form 27EQ Form 143 Quarterly TCS statement TCS, not TDS
Form 27Q Form 144 Quarterly non-resident non-salary TDS statement Treaty/section rate analysis remains separate
Form 15CA Form 145 Information relating to specified payments/remittances to non-residents Chargeability and remittance facts still drive the obligation
Form 15CB Form 146 Accountant's certificate for specified non-resident payment cases Certification is not required merely because money goes abroad; test the rule
Form 15CC Form 147 Quarterly remittance statement by authorised dealer Institutional reporting
Form 15CD Form 148 Quarterly statement by specified IFSC unit Specialized institutional reporting

The Transition Rule That Matters More Than the Form Number

The Department's 2026 FAQs make the transition explicit: the portal is designed to support both old and new form versions. That is necessary because filings, corrections and compliances relating to periods up to FY 2025–26/AY 2026–27 remain under the repealed-but-saved 1961-Act framework, while Tax Year 2026–27 onward moves to the 2025 Act.

Use this four-step control:

  1. Identify the income/payment/transaction period.
  2. Identify which Act governs that period.
  3. Identify the substantive withholding, treaty or reporting provision.
  4. Select the corresponding form and live utility.

Do not reverse the sequence by starting with a form number found in an old checklist.

Five High-Risk Transition Scenarios

1. Salary TDS correction for an older quarter

A correction relating to a quarter governed by the 1961 Act does not become a Form 138 filing merely because it is submitted after 1 April 2026. The underlying period controls.

2. Property TDS around 31 March / 1 April 2026

The same property can produce different form routes depending on the relevant deduction event. Finin2min already has a dedicated Form 141 transition article, so this page links to it instead of duplicating the detailed property workflow.

3. DTAA documentation for a non-resident

The treaty claim should begin with residence, treaty eligibility, TRC and prescribed information. Form 41 is the new form number corresponding to legacy Form 10F; it is not a substitute for analysing treaty entitlement.

4. Foreign tax credit for an old assessment year

Do not assume Form 44 should be used for every FTC claim filed in 2026. If the return/claim belongs to the old regime, legacy Form 67 can still be the relevant form.

5. Bank asks for “15G/15H”

For Tax Year 2026–27, the statutory declaration is Form 121. A bank's UI may continue to use familiar 15G/15H labels during transition, but the legal form framework has changed.

How Finance Teams Should Update Their Masters

A good master-data change is more than a find-and-replace exercise. Add columns for:

  • governing Act;
  • tax year / assessment year;
  • old form;
  • new form;
  • section/rule;
  • filer;
  • event or quarter;
  • due date;
  • portal status;
  • certificate/output form;
  • correction route;
  • official user-manual URL.

Keep the old-form column permanently. It is valuable for audit trails, old corrections, notices and reconciliations.

What Not to Do

  • Do not publish “all old forms abolished from 1 April 2026.”
  • Do not choose the new form solely because the filing date is after 1 April.
  • Do not mix Form 140 (resident non-salary) with Form 144 (non-resident non-salary).
  • Do not treat Form 141 as a universal quarterly TDS return; it is a transaction-based challan-cum-statement for specified categories.
  • Do not assume Form 145/146 is required for every outward remittance.
  • Do not delete legacy form references from historical working papers.

Practical Checklist

  • [ ] Confirm the governing period.
  • [ ] Confirm 1961 Act versus 2025 Act.
  • [ ] Map the substantive section before the form.
  • [ ] Check the current e-Filing utility.
  • [ ] Reconcile TAN/PAN and payer/payee data.
  • [ ] Save acknowledgement, challan and certificate.
  • [ ] Keep the old-form number in the audit trail.
  • [ ] Recheck the portal before a correction statement.

Article-Specific Q&A

Does Form 138 replace Form 24Q for every filing made after 1 April 2026?

No. Form 138 is the new-regime quarterly salary TDS statement. Older periods and corrections can remain on the legacy route.

Is Form 121 just a renamed Form 15G?

It consolidates the old Form 15G/15H declaration framework into one form under section 393(6). Eligibility still has to be tested.

Is Form 44 the same as old Form 67?

It is the corresponding foreign-tax-credit statement in the new framework, but transition matters. Old-law claims may still require Form 67.

Do Forms 145 and 146 automatically apply to every foreign remittance?

No. The payment's chargeability, payer/payee facts and prescribed rule determine the reporting/certification route.

Why keep old form numbers in an ERP master?

Because historical filings, correction statements, notices, certificates and reconciliations will continue to refer to them.

Where should I verify a form immediately before filing?

Use the current Income Tax Department forms directory and the specific user manual, not a static third-party list.

Official Sources

Relevant Finin2min Links

Finin2min Review Trigger

Refresh this crosswalk whenever CBDT releases another 2026 statutory form, changes a utility, publishes a correction-statement route, or issues a transition clarification.

Disclaimer

This article is educational and general. Filing obligations depend on the actual period, transaction, taxpayer facts, applicable provision, saved/repealed-law rules and portal utility. Verify the current Income Tax Department source immediately before filing or relying on a form number.