Introduction To Income Tax 2020–21

For FY 2020–21, individual taxpayers are free to choose between the old and the new regimes when filing their income tax return. The coronavirus outbreak has also led to additional relief measures that ease the financial pressure on income taxpayers. Let’s find out what the current rules for income tax in India hold for you.

Types Of Tax In India

Taxpayers in India are liable to pay two kinds of tax: Direct tax and Indirect tax.

Direct tax is a tax applied to your income, and you pay it directly to the government. While individuals pay income tax in India, businesses have to pay corporate tax.

Indirect tax is a tax you pay when buying goods and services. The seller collects the tax from you and passes it to the government. Goods and Services Tax (GST) is a form of indirect tax.

Income Tax Slabs For 2020–21

Taxpayers have a choice between the old and new taxation regimes in FY 2020–21. The income tax slabs are given below.

Slabs for Income Tax 2020–21: Old Regime

1. Income tax slabs for the following groups:

• Individual (resident or non-resident) (age: below 60 years)

• Hindu United Family (HUF)

• Association of Persons (AoP)

• Body of Individuals (BoI)

• Any other artificial juridical person

2. Tax slabs for resident senior citizen (age: 60 years and above but less than 80 years)

3. Tax slabs for resident super senior citizen (age: 80 years and above)

Slabs for Income Tax 2020–21: New Regime

The optional income tax 2020–21 slabs are the same for all individual taxpayers regardless of age. However, taxpayers who opt for this regime cannot claim up to 70 income tax deductions.

Pointers for both regimes

Rebate: A resident Indian whose total income does not exceed Rs 5 lakh qualifies for a rebate (under Section 87A) of up to Rs 12,500 on tax payable.

**Further charges: **The following charges additionally apply to all taxpayers:

• Surcharge:

  • Income exceeds Rs 50 lakh but not Rs 1 crore: 10% surcharge on income tax
  • Income exceeds Rs 1 crore but not Rs 2 crore: 15% surcharge on income tax
  • Income exceeds Rs 2 crore but not Rs 5 crore: 25% surcharge on income tax
  • Income exceeds Rs 5 crore: 37% surcharge on income tax

• 4% health and education cess on income tax and surcharge

Income Tax Deduction

Use the available tax deductions to reduce your taxable income. Here’s what you need to know:

Taxpayers who opt for the new regime will have to forego several tax deductions and exemptions. These include (among others):

• Exemption on various allowances (e.g. LTA, HRA, conveyance allowance, relocation allowance, etc.), children’s tuition fees, other special allowances under Section 10(14)

• Standard deduction

• Deduction on housing loan interest payment under Section 24

• Deductions available under Chapter VI-A (Sections 80C,80D, 80E, etc,), except for Sections 80CCD(2) and 80JJA

Tax-Saving Schemes

The following tax-saving schemes fall under Section 80C, fetching you up to Rs 1.5 lakh as tax deduction under the section.

1. Public Provident Fund (PPF)

This retirement savings scheme brings tax-free returns and you can invest as little as Rs 500 per year. The investment is locked in for 15 years, though partial withdrawals are possible after five years.

2. National Pension Scheme (NPS)

This scheme matures once you hit retirement at 60 years, thus encouraging long-term savings. Other than the Section 80C deduction, NPS allows an additional deduction of Rs 50,000 under Section 80CCD(1b).

3. Equity-Linked Savings Scheme (ELSS)

ELSS brings high returns and a short lock-in period of three years. Investors can choose between the growth option (returns are reinvested in the scheme) and the dividend option (regular interest pay-outs).

4. Unit-Linked Insurance Plan (ULIP)

This product combines life insurance with investment and maturity earnings are tax-free. To get the tax benefit under Section 80C, you must stay locked in for five years.

5. Senior Citizens’ Savings Scheme (SCSS)

This government-backed scheme is safe, provides interest payments every quarter, and has a five-year lock-in period. Interest earnings are tax-free up to Rs 50,000. The overall investment limit is Rs 15 lakh.

6. National Savings Certificate (NSC)

NSCs bring assured returns, much like a fixed deposit (FD). Once you invest in an NSC, you need not pay into the account year after year. But interest earnings are taxable.

7. Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana (SSY)

You can open an SSY account for up to two daughters aged less than 10 years. The return rate is around 8%, though it changes quarterly. Interest earnings are tax-exempt and the minimum annual investment is Rs 1,000.

8. Tax-saving FDs

Five-year tax-saving FDs are some of the most convenient modes of tax saving. The returns are guaranteed though the interest earnings are taxable.

9. Life Insurance

A traditional life insurance policy is not an investment but it safeguards your family’s future. The premium paid is tax-deductible under Section 80C, but you have to stay locked in for two years.

Click here to read about common tax exemptions in India.

How To Calculate Income Tax

Say, X earns Rs 12 lakh per year. He has Rs 1.5 lakh worth of investments under Section 80C, is eligible for the extra tax deduction of Rs 50,000 under Section 80CCD, and gets HRA of Rs 1.5 lakh from his employer. He also pays a medical insurance premium of Rs 20,000 for his family.

The first step is to calculate his taxable income:

Now, let’s calculate how much tax he is liable to pay under the new regime:

And let’s see what his dues are if he chooses the old taxation regime:

In this case, X has more tax savings under the old regime.

But this is a very simple example. Which regime is better for you will depend on the particulars of your income, expenses, and investments. So, make sure to calculate your tax payable under both regimes before making a choice. Use an income tax calculator if you need help.

Income Tax Payment

Income tax payments are mainly of four types, based on when and how they are paid.

• Tax deducted at source (TDS): Your employer deducts TDS from your salary throughout the financial year. The deduction reflects in your payslip.

• Advance tax: This is payable by those earning non-salary income (e.g. freelancers, professionals, independent consultants). If you pay tax exceeding Rs 10,000 in a year, you may need to pay advance tax.

• Self-assessment tax: You need to pay this at the time of filing your tax return.

• Regular assessment tax: Taxpayers sometimes receive a notification about outstanding dues from the Income Tax Department. These represent regular assessment tax.

To pay income tax online, log in to the tax filing website and fill in ‘Challan No. /ITNS 280’. Next, choose ‘(0021) Income Tax (Other than companies)’, enter your details, and select the type of tax you wish to pay. You can pay via net banking or debit card.

If you prefer offline channels, collect Challan 280 from your bank and pay by cheque or cash.

TDS relief due to COVID-19

TDS rates have been reduced by 25% for up to 23 non-salaried payments to Indian residents who hold valid PAN cards. This includes TDS applicable on contracts, professional fees, interest, rent, dividend, commission, and brokerage, among others. The relief will be available for FY2019–20 and FY2020–21.

However, the benefit will not decrease the tax liability of the taxpayer. They will still have to pay their total tax liability when filing their income tax return. View Form 26AS to check the income tax paid by you over the financial year.

Deadline Extensions Due To Covid-19

Some deadline relaxations have been introduced after considering the economic impacts of the COVID-19 lockdown. Here are the due dates that income taxpayers should keep in mind for FY2019–20:

Tax Deduction Claims

Normally, all contributions under Sections 80C, 80D, 80G, and others must be completed by 31 March of the relevant financial year. Only then can the taxpayer claim tax deductions on them. But for FY2019–20, taxpayers have time till 30 June 2020 to complete their tax-saving investments and payments.

Income Tax Returns

The standard deadline for filing income tax returns for FY2019–20 would have been 31 July 2020. However, the deadline has now been shifted to 30 November 2020. Click here to learn how to file income tax return without Form 16.

Linking PAN and Aadhaar

Taxpayers who are yet to link their PAN and Aadhaar cards have been granted an extension. They can complete the linkage by 30 June 2020. The earlier deadline was 31 March 2020.

Barring of Assessments

Any tax assessments that would have got time-barred on 31 March 2021 now have an extension till 30 September 2021.