How to Download TDS Challan from Income Tax Portal – Challan 280, 281, and 26QB

A TDS challan is both a payment receipt and a compliance document — you need it to prove you have deposited tax, to file TDS returns accurately, and to verify that amounts show in your deductee's Form 26AS. Missing or incorrect CIN details cause return filing errors and credit mismatches. This guide walks through every download method across all three major challans.

This page covers:

• What a TDS challan is and why you need it
• Three types of challans — 280, 281, and 26QB
• How to download challan from the new Income Tax portal (incometax.gov.in)
• How to download challan from the old TIN-NSDL portal
• How to download Challan 26QB specifically (property purchase TDS)
• How to verify challan status using CIN
• What to do if challan is not showing in the portal
• Common challan-related errors and how to fix them
• How TDS challan connects to home loan documentation

A TDS challan is the official payment receipt generated after paying Tax Deducted at Source (TDS), Tax Collected at Source (TCS), or any direct tax to the government. The challan confirms that a specific amount has been deposited with the Income Tax Department under a specific head (code), for a specific assessment year and TAN/PAN.

The most critical element of a challan is the CIN (Challan Identification Number) — a unique combination of BSR code + challan date + challan serial number that identifies the specific payment in the government's records. The CIN is required when filing TDS returns to link the deposit to the specific payment made.

The Income Tax portal is the primary platform for challan downloads for all tax payments made through it:

1. Visit https://www.incometax.gov.in/ and log in with your PAN and password
2. Navigate to 'e-File' from the top menu
3. Click 'e-Pay Tax' from the dropdown
4. Select 'Payment History' from the e-Pay Tax section
5. Filter by date range and payment type to locate your specific payment
6. Under the 'Action' column next to your payment, click the Download/Receipt option
7. The challan receipt PDF — containing the CIN, BSR code, date, amount, and tax head — will download

For Challan 281 payments made before migrating to the new portal, use the TIN-NSDL challan verification method below.

For older challans or verification of CIN:

1. Visit the TIN-NSDL portal at https://onlineservices.tin.egov-nsdl.com/TIN/JSP/tds/TDSlogin.jsp
2. Log in using your TAN and password
3. Navigate to 'Challan Status Inquiry' (CSI)
4. Choose your search method:
   • By CIN — enter the BSR Code + Challan Deposit Date + Challan Serial Number
   • By TAN and date range — view all challans deposited for your TAN in a period
5. The challan details will display — confirm amount, date, and TAN/PAN match your records
6. Download the statement or print the screen for records

Challan 26QB is specifically for property buyers who have paid 1% TDS under Section 194-IA:

1. Log in to the Income Tax portal at incometax.gov.in
2. Navigate to 'e-File' > 'e-Pay Tax' > 'Payment History'
3. Filter by payment type — select 'TDS on Sale of Property (800)' or '26QB'
4. Locate your payment by date
5. Click Download Receipt to get the Challan 26QB payment receipt

Alternatively:

1. Visit the TIN-NSDL portal
2. Navigate to 'TDS on Sale of Property' > 'Online Form for Furnishing TDS on Sale of Property (Form 26QB)'
3. Log in and go to 'Payment History' to access and download the 26QB receipt

If someone has given you a CIN and you want to verify it:

1. Visit https://tin.tin.nsdl.com/oltas/servlet/TINServlet?function=CINBasedView (Challan Status Inquiry)
2. Select 'CIN Based View'
3. Enter: BSR Code + Deposit Date (DD/MM/YYYY) + Challan Serial Number
4. Click 'View' — the challan details will confirm: amount, PAN/TAN, nature of payment, and deposit status

This is particularly useful for verifying 26QB challans before claiming Form 16B as a seller.

If payment was made but the challan is not appearing:

Wait 3-5 working days — bank-to-government reconciliation takes time. Payments made late on Friday or during bank holidays may appear after the next working day.

Check OLTAS — the Online Tax Accounting System at incometax.gov.in or TIN-NSDL gives real-time status once the payment is reconciled.

Contact your bank — if 10 working days have passed, contact the bank where the payment was made. They can provide a payment reference and initiate a NSDL ticket for missing challan rectification.

File a correction — if the challan was deposited with wrong PAN, TAN, or assessment year, a challan correction request can be filed through your Assessing Officer within the applicable window period.

For property purchases above Rs. 50 lakh financed through a home loan, the Challan 26QB is part of the transaction's tax compliance:

• The buyer's 26QB receipt confirms TDS has been deposited on the property purchase price
• The seller receives Form 16B (generated from the buyer's 26QB filing) as their TDS certificate
• Lenders may request the 26QB acknowledgement as part of post-disbursement compliance documentation

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