Form 121 Eligibility Checker — Formerly Forms 15G and 15H
Reviewed by Finin2min Editorial Desk · Last reviewed 11 August 2026
Check preliminary eligibility for the unified Form 121 under the Income-tax Rules, 2026 using nil-tax, age, specified-income and PAN conditions.
Check preliminary Form 121 eligibility
Screening result
Form 121 replaced legacy Forms 15G and 15H under the Income-tax Rules, 2026.
How This Is Calculated
This tool screens eligibility for the lower/nil TDS declaration route, checking residency status, nil-tax position, valid PAN, and whether specified higher-risk conditions apply — all of which must align before the declaration route can be safely used instead of a formal certificate application.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who can use a self-declaration instead of applying for a lower-TDS certificate?
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Generally only resident individuals whose estimated tax liability for the year is nil, who hold a valid PAN, and who don't fall into specified higher-risk income categories — anyone outside these conditions needs to apply through the formal certificate route instead.
What happens if I use the wrong route for reducing TDS?
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Using a self-declaration when you don't actually qualify can result in under-deduction of TDS, leaving you liable for the shortfall plus interest when you file your return — always confirm eligibility carefully before choosing this route over a formal application.
Methodology, assumptions and sources
Scope: Checks eligibility for filing the declaration (currently Form 15G for individuals below 60 / HUF, or Form 15H for senior citizens) to prevent TDS deduction on interest income where total income is below the taxable threshold.
Calculation logic
Form 15G eligibility (below 60 years / HUF): total tax on estimated total income for the year must be nil, and the aggregate interest income for the year must not exceed the basic exemption limit.
Form 15H eligibility (60 years and above): total tax on estimated total income for the year, after all eligible rebates/deductions, must be nil — there is no separate interest-income ceiling for Form 15H, unlike Form 15G.
Where eligible, the declaration must be submitted to each deductor (bank/institution) separately for each financial year, before the interest is credited, to prevent TDS deduction at source.
Inputs and assumptions
Eligibility is assessed based on estimated total income for the full financial year as entered by the user — if actual income later exceeds the estimate and becomes taxable, the declaration was invalid and the taxpayer remains liable to include the interest and pay tax (with the deductor separately liable to deduct TDS going forward once aware).
Under the new Income-tax Act, 2025, these declarations are renumbered but functionally continue the same forms/rule position as the erstwhile Forms 15G/15H — the calculator uses the current form reference in force.
Exclusions and edge cases
Filing a false declaration attracts penal consequences under the Act — this calculator only checks numerical eligibility based on entered figures, not the accuracy of the underlying income estimate.
Does not itself submit the declaration to any deductor — it is an eligibility-check tool only.