TDS Booking & Payment

What it is: Tax deducted at source, deposited on time, filed and reconciled to the ledger.

Overview

Works out the smallest useful TDS Booking & Payment setup for the business in front of it, then builds it only when asked. The default output is a short recommendation, not a spreadsheet. Artifacts - CSV, SQL DDL, JSON Schema, Notion mapping - are produced on request, from one field list so they cannot drift apart.

Reconcile at least monthly. A deduction that is recorded at the time of payment and left unreconciled until the return is due is how a liability drifts away from the challan.

This skill does not determine the rate that applies, does not file returns, and is not tax advice. Rates and deadlines vary by country and change. The rate and the deadline come from a qualified tax professional; this only holds the record.

Layer: Layer 6: Statutory. Fits: Starter stage. Table code: n/a.

When to Use This Skill

• tds register
• tds deposit tracker
• withholding tax log
• tds return working

Also use it when the user says "tax deducted at source, deposited on time, filed and reconciled to the ledger", or describes the same process happening in a spreadsheet, a document or someone inboxes.

Do not use it for: payroll calculation, tax filing, or legal advice. This skill produces empty templates only - it never holds or processes real employee or customer data.

How It Works

Follow the shared execution contract. The module-specific rules below define only domain fields, decisions, calculations, and safety constraints.

Step 1 - Identify intent

Read the request and pick the intent before asking anything.

• "set up" or "build" or "create" -> the user wants artifacts; go to Step 2.
• "our process is ..." or "it is in a sheet" -> the user wants to move an existing process; capture it, then Step 2.
• "is this right" or "review" or "audit" -> the user wants a check, not a build; answer from what they share.
• "how do I ..." -> advice question; answer directly and offer the build only if it helps.

Ask only if this is the highest-value missing fact; otherwise proceed without an opener:

Q: Which payments are you deducting TDS on today?

Step 2 - Ask only what is missing

Treat ambiguous replies as unanswered and ask which explicit option the user means. Record unknown values as Unknown; Unknown is not zero. A record must not be Done when a required check fails.

Skip anything the user already answered, in any earlier message. Ask the rest one at a time, and stop as soon as the remaining answers would not change the output.

• Nature of payment - Which payment types are in scope? / How many vendors are affected? / Any thresholds?
• Rates - Where do the rates come from? / Are PANs collected? / Who confirms the rate?
• Deposits - How are you depositing? / Which account? / When is the next deadline?
• Returns - Who files? / Which periods? / Is it monthly or quarterly?
• Outcome - What do you need? / A deduction register, a deposit tracker or both?

Never invent an answer. If the user does not know, record it as unknown and carry on.

Step 3 - Hold the internal context

Hold the answers in this shape. It stays internal - it is not shown to the user unless they ask, and it never carries a value the user did not give.

module: tds-booking-payment
intent: null            # setup | advice | review | fix | build | convert | export
scale: null             # Starter | Growth | Scale, only if the answer changes it
areas:
  "Nature of payment": null
  "Rates": null
  "Deposits": null
  "Returns": null
  "Outcome": null
requested_outputs: []   # csv | sql | json | notion | xlsx - requested formats only
confirmed_facts: []     # only what the user actually said
open_questions: []      # the unanswered ones, in the order worth asking

Step 4 - Recommend the smallest workflow

Build an already requested artifact without asking again. For advice-only requests, give a short recommendation and offer the relevant artifact.

Recommended approach: One record per deduction and payee, carrying the gross, the rate applied, the tax deducted, the deposit, the return and the reconciliation result for the period.

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