If you’re encountering an “Year of Tax Deduction (Col 4)” error, then it’s commonly seen when filing your ITR using the Indian tax portal. This typically falls under a Category A defect, meaning the return can’t be uploaded until this is resolved.
Here’s how to tackle it effectively:
What Does the Error Mean?
Column 4 refers to the financial year in which TDS was deducted—for instance, if TDS was deducted during FY 2022–23, you must enter 2022 in Col 4. The system triggers an error if this is missing, mismatched, or selected incorrectly.
Specifically, the error commonly reads:
“Year of tax deduction (Col 4) – Please select deduction year from dropdown” .
How to Fix the Col 4 Error — Step-by-Step
1. Select the Correct Year in Column 4
Ensure you’re entering the correct financial year for the TDS deduction.
Example: If the deduction occurred between April 2022 to March 2023, enter
2022.
This value must match with what’s shown in Form 26AS, Form 16, or Form 16A.
2. Use the Dropdown Provided in the Form
The e-filing utility provides a dropdown—you must select from it, not type manually.
If the dropdown is missing or not visible:
Switch to online filing mode instead of utilities like Excel.
Clear your browser cache or try another browser.
Tax experts on CAClubIndia often suggest using online filing to avoid control issues with dropdowns.
3. Cross-Verify with Your TDS Documents
Confirm the year matches across your documents:
Form 26AS — TDS entries
Form 16 / 16A — paid TDS details
Any inconsistency here can cause validation failures.
4. Complete Other Mandatory Fields
A missing or blank year in Col 4, especially when you’re carrying forward TDS, is not allowed and will block submission.
Also Read : Unknown Number Catfish Reddit
Additional Tips & Real User Insight
A taxpayer on Reddit shared:
“I think the issue was that the JSON generated had a ‘0’ for year of TDS deduction brought forward… Once I updated it (ensured it’s not zero), the credit was correctly applied.”
This highlights how platform glitches—like a 0 or null year—can be the root cause. Ensuring the field is populated correctly (not null or zero) often resolves the issue.
Troubleshooting Checklist
| Step | Action |
|---|---|
| 1⃣ | Select correct FY year in Column 4 using the dropdown. |
| 2⃣ | Validate your entries against Form 16/16A and Form 26AS. |
| 3⃣ | Switch to online filing mode if dropdowns aren’t visible. |
| 4⃣ | Avoid leaving Col 4 blank or with invalid values (e.g., 0/null). |
| 5⃣ | Re-validate the form and upload only after all fields are correctly entered. |
Summary
You’re seeing a “Year of Tax Deduction (Col 4)” error because:
Column 4 is empty, incorrectly entered, or set to
0/null.The value must be chosen from the dropdown and match your actual deduction year (FY).
Using online filing and verifying with Form 26AS helps resolve it.
Ensuring Col 4 is not null — even in JSONs — is critical for validation.
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