NepalHRM
Payroll & tax

eTDSइ-टीडीएस

Definition

eTDS is the Inland Revenue Department's electronic format for withholding returns. It reports, employee by employee and against each personal PAN, how much tax the employer withheld and deposited for the period.

Also called: e-TDS, electronic TDS Nepal, withholding return Nepal

Key facts

Defined by
Inland Revenue DepartmentThe layout is the IRD's, not the vendor's.
Frequency
MonthlyAlongside the withholding deposit.
Keyed on
Employee PANOne line per employee.
Submitted through
The IRD taxpayer portalBy the taxpayer or their agent.

What the return contains

The eTDS return is the detail behind the deposit. The deposit is one figure; the return breaks that figure down by employee, each identified by their personal PAN, so the tax office can credit each individual with the tax withheld from their salary.

An employee missing from the return, or listed against a wrong PAN, has effectively had tax deducted that nobody has credited to them. That surfaces much later, usually when the employee needs proof of tax paid.

Generating the file and submitting it are two steps

A payroll system produces the eTDS file in the IRD's layout. Submission through the taxpayer portal is a separate act, done by the taxpayer or by the agent they authorise. It is worth being precise about which of the two your process covers, because assuming the software did the second one is how a month gets missed.

What makes a clean return

  • Every employee has a verified personal PAN on file before their first payroll run.
  • Names on the return match the names on the PAN certificates.
  • Leavers are reported for the months they were actually paid in, and not after.
  • The sum of the return's lines equals the amount deposited, to the rupee.
Common questions

eTDS, answered

It is the Inland Revenue Department's electronic format for withholding returns. It reports the tax withheld from each employee's salary against that employee's personal PAN, alongside the monthly deposit.

Monthly, with the withholding deposit that is due within 25 days of the end of each month.

Producing the file in the IRD's format and submitting it through the taxpayer portal are separate steps. Check which one your process covers, and who is authorised to do the submission.

Last reviewed 2026-07-29
  • Inland Revenue Department published eTDS specification and taxpayer portal procedures.

This page explains general practice in Nepal. It is not legal or tax advice, and statutory figures are revised from time to time. Check the current Act, rule or notice before acting on it.

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