Written by Md Rakib Hassan — Income Tax Practitioner with 10+ years of tax compliance and audit experience across Bangladesh and the UK. Former accounts manager at a UK chartered accounting firm managing 1,000+ clients, with direct experience resolving multi-year tax audit disputes with HMRC and the NBR. Currently Finance Controller at a UK-based multinational tech group.
Most tax penalties in Bangladesh do not arise from incorrect calculations. They arise from missed deadlines. A return filed one day late triggers interest. A TDS deposit delayed by a week becomes a penalty. A missed quarterly advance tax instalment compounds into an end-of-year deficit that can take months to resolve with the DCT.
This detailed guide maps every monthly tax compliance deadline Bangladesh across all 12 months of FY 2023–24, organised by month, with the legal section reference for each obligation. Whether you are a CFO, finance manager, company secretary, or tax consultant, this is your operational reference.
How the Monthly Tax Compliance Deadline Bangladesh Framework Works
Every month in Bangladesh carries the same core set of obligations, with certain months carrying additional annual or quarterly requirements. Understanding the recurring baseline is essential before examining what makes individual months unique.
The recurring monthly baseline — every month, every organisation:
| Date Window | Obligation | Section/Rule |
|---|---|---|
| 1st–7th | Deposit VAT Payable at Source | Section 14(6), SRO 240-Law/2021/163-Mushok |
| 8th–10th | Issue Mushak 6.6 (VDS Certificate) | Section 53, Mushak 6.6 |
| 1st–14th | Deposit TDS (general payments) | Section 146, Rule 08 |
| 1st–14th | Deposit TDS (salary payments) | Section 86, Rule 13 |
| 14th | Issue TDS Certificate to payees | Section 145, Rule 10 |
| 15th | File Monthly VAT Return (Mushak 9.1) | Section 64, Rule 47 |
| 15th | File Monthly Withholding Tax Return | Section 177, Rule 13 |
Now let us walk through each month and the additional obligations layered on top.
January — Annual Income Tax Return Month
January carries significant additional weight for companies with a June year-end. On top of all standard monthly tax compliance deadlines Bangladesh, January requires:
15th January — Corporate Income Tax Return (June year-ending) Section 166, SL 1.04: The annual income tax return must be filed, accompanied by audited financial statements.
15th January — Annual Withholding Tax Return Section 237(E): International Transaction Statement must be submitted.
15th January — Transfer Pricing Return Section 238: Annual TP return for international transactions with non-residents (Section 235).
15th January — Chartered Accountant’s Report Section 239(F): Where applicable, the CA’s report on international transactions must accompany the return.
20th January — FDI Report (October to December quarter) Bangladesh Bank Reference BB.CN.02/2023: FDI quarterly report covering October–December must be filed.
February — Standard Month
February carries the standard baseline obligations only. No additional deadlines beyond the recurring monthly tax compliance deadline Bangladesh framework apply.
Finance teams often use February as a reset month — completing reconciliation of Q2 advance tax payments and reviewing year-to-date withholding tax positions ahead of the March instalment.
March — Advance Tax Quarter 3
15th March — 3rd Instalment of Advance Income Tax Section 155: The third of four quarterly advance tax payments is due. Each instalment is 25% of the estimated annual tax liability.
Missing this instalment causes interest to accumulate on the shortfall. Entities that underpay in Q3 often face a rushed adjustment in the June quarter, which compounds cash flow pressure at financial year-end.
April — Employee Tax Returns Included
April’s Withholding Tax Return carries a special additional requirement:
15th April — Withholding Tax Return (including Employee Return Details) Section 177, Rule 13: The April WHTR must include individual employee tax return details, capturing salary tax deductions for the prior quarter.
This is a frequently overlooked enhancement to what appears to be a standard monthly filing. Employers who omit employee return data from the April submission face correction proceedings with the DCT.
May — Standard Month
May carries only the baseline monthly tax compliance deadline Bangladesh obligations. However, it marks the final full month before the critical June deadline season, making it the ideal time to:
- Confirm all licence renewal documentation is in order
- Verify advance tax running totals against the estimated annual liability
- Pre-prepare VAT reconciliation for the year-end filing
June — The Most Compliance-Intensive Month
June is categorically the most demanding month on the monthly tax compliance deadline Bangladesh calendar. Multiple annual deadlines converge simultaneously.
15th June — 4th Instalment of Advance Income Tax Section 155: The final quarterly advance tax payment completes the annual advance tax cycle.
30th June — Trade Licence and Document Renewals This is the deadline for renewing: Trade Licences, Import Registration Certificate (IRC), Export Registration Certificate (ERC), BIDA registrations, Fire clearances, and Environment clearances.
Failure to renew before 30 June can trigger penalties from City Corporations and may complicate the issuance of audit certificates and NBR clearance letters.
June AGM Season — RJSC Schedule X Section 36, Schedule X: Within 21 days of the Annual General Meeting, the annual summary of share capital and list of shareholders and directors must be filed with RJSC.
June AGM Season — Auditor Notification Section 210(2): Auditors must file their appointment notification with RJSC within 30 days of receiving confirmation from the company.
20th June — FDI Report (April to June quarter) Bangladesh Bank Reference BB.CN.02/2023: Q4 FDI report covering April–June.
July — New Financial Year + Annual Return
July marks the beginning of FY 2024–25 but also carries an important annual obligation from the previous year:
15th July — 1st Instalment of Advance Income Tax (New FY) Section 155: The first advance tax instalment of the new financial year is due.
15th July — Annual Income Tax Return (if applicable) Section 166, SL 1.04: For certain entities with non-standard year-ends, the annual return may fall in July.
August — Standard Month
August returns to baseline monthly obligations. The focus for compliance teams should be reconciling Q1 advance tax and verifying that FDI reports submitted in July covered the April–June period accurately.
September — Corporate Tax (December Year-End) + AIT Q1
September is a dual-deadline month and one of the busiest on the monthly tax compliance deadline Bangladesh calendar.
15th September — Corporate Income Tax Return (December year-ending) Section 166: Companies with December year-end must file their annual tax return, accompanied by full audited financial statements and supporting documentation.
15th September — 1st Instalment of Advance Income Tax Section 155: The first quarterly advance tax instalment for companies is due.
20th September — FDI Report (July to September quarter) Bangladesh Bank Reference BB.CN.02/2023: Q1 FDI report covering July–September.
October — Standard Month
October carries only standard recurring deadlines. Compliance teams managing large withholding tax portfolios should use October to conduct an internal TDS audit — verifying rates applied to vendors against the current SRO rates, particularly where rates changed under the Finance Act.
November — Individual Tax Return Deadline
30th November — Individual Income Tax Return Section 180: All individual taxpayers — including employees, sole traders, and directors with taxable personal income — must submit their annual income tax return by 30 November.
Employers play a critical role here. The employee tax return data captured in the April Withholding Tax Return feeds directly into employees’ November filing obligations. Mismatches between employer WHTR data and employee self-assessments are a common trigger for DCT queries.
December — Advance Tax Quarter 2
15th December — 2nd Instalment of Advance Income Tax Section 155: The second quarterly advance tax payment is due.
December often creates cash flow pressure for organisations managing both advance tax payments and year-end provisions simultaneously. Planning the December advance tax deposit alongside the Q3 audit closing process requires early preparation.
The 50% Surcharge Rule — A Critical Compliance Obligation
One of the most commercially damaging risks in the monthly tax compliance deadline Bangladesh framework is the 50% surcharge. Under Section 142 of the Income Tax Act 2023:
If the person from whom TDS is deducted cannot produce Proof of Submission of Return (PSR), the applicable TDS rate automatically increases by 50%.
This means if a vendor’s normal TDS rate is 10%, you must deduct 15% if they cannot show PSR. If you deduct only 10% and it is later found the vendor had no PSR, the shortfall is your liability — not the vendor’s.
Practical solution: Build a PSR verification step into every vendor payment process. Request PSR copies at the start of each financial year and update records each time a new return is filed.
Grossing Up — When Tax Must Be Calculated Backwards
A second critical formula from this compliance calendar: if an entity pays an amount without deducting tax, the tax must be calculated through grossing up under Section 141:
Amount of Tax = (100 × a) ÷ (100 – b)
Where:
- a = the exact amount paid
- b = the applicable TDS rate
This means if you pay BDT 100,000 net to a consultant and forget to deduct the 15% TDS, the grossed-up tax is not simply BDT 15,000 — it is BDT 17,647. The difference is your risk.
Conclusion
The monthly tax compliance deadline Bangladesh calendar for 2023–24 reveals a system that is dense, sequential, and unforgiving of delay. Every month has a fixed set of obligations. Certain months layer on quarterly advance tax, annual returns, FDI reports, and RJSC filings simultaneously.
The finance professionals who navigate this calendar without penalties are not the ones who remember every deadline — they are the ones who build systems: automated reminders, ownership matrices, and pre-submission checklists calibrated to this exact schedule.
Disclaimer: This blog is for general informational purposes. Always verify with the latest NBR circulars, SROs, and the Income Tax Act 2023 before filing. Consult a registered tax practitioner for entity-specific compliance advice.Share
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