Finance/Compliance Consultant
75663 Points
Posted on 08 November 2026
Late fees as business expenses:
• GST late fees (Sec 47) and interest (Sec 50): generally deductible as business expenses (compensatory, not penal, per many tribunals). GST penalties are penal and disallowed (Explanation 1 to Sec 37).
• Income-tax late fee (234F) and interest (234A/B/C): not deductible (income-tax is a tax on the owner's income, and its interest and fees are personal; Sec 40(a)(ii)).
• TDS late fee (234E): disallowed by many tribunals as connected with income-tax (Sec 40(a)(ii)). Some allowed it as compensatory.
• For a proprietor, income-tax related payments are drawings.