New Income Tax Slabs for individuals under new tax regime. Applicable to FY 2020-21 (AY 2021-22)
Income Tax in India: Taxes in India can be categorized as direct and indirect taxes. Direct tax is a tax you pay on your income directly to the government. Indirect tax is a tax that somebody else collects on your behalf and pays to the government eg restaurants, theatres and e-commerce websites recover taxes from you on goods you purchase or a service you avail. This tax is, in turn, passed down to the government. Direct Taxes are broadly classified as :
Income Tax – This is taxes an individual or a Hindu Undivided Family or any taxpayer other than companies, pay on the income received. The law prescribes the rate at which such income should be taxed
Corporate Tax – This is the tax that companies pay on the profits they make from their businesses. Here again, a specific rate of tax for corporates has been prescribed by the income tax laws of India
Canceled Ration Card can be activated again, till 30th January is the last chance
Indirect taxes take many forms: service tax on restaurant bills and movie tickets, value-added tax or VAT on goods such as clothes and electronics. Goods and services tax, which has recently been introduced is a unified tax that has replaced all the indirect taxes that business owners have to deal with.
Latest News and announcements Income Tax
| Notification number & date | Description |
|---|---|
| Press release dated 13 May 2020 | (a) The due date to file income tax returns for AY 2020-21 stands extended from 31 July to 30 November 2020. The due date for tax audit stands extended from 30 September 2020 to 31 October 2020. Similarly, the income tax returns filed upon a tax audit are now due by 30 November 2020. (b) Reduction in TDS and TCS rates by 25% of the present rates, for payments from 14 May till 31 March 2021. (c) All pending income-tax refunds to be released to non-corporate entities immediately. (d) The last date for completion of assessments which are getting time-barred on 30 September 2020 stands extended to 31 December 2020. In the case of assessments which get time-barred on 31 March 2021, the time stands extended to 30 September 2021. (e) The last date of making payment under Vivaad se Vishwas Scheme without additional amount stands extended to 31 December 2020. |
| 31 January | 31 March | 31 July | Oct – Nov |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deadline to submit your investment proofs | Deadline to make investments under Section 80C | Last date to file your tax return | Time to verify your tax return |
Income Tax Basics
Everyone who earns or gets an income in India is subject to income tax. (Yes, be it a resident or a non-resident of India ). Also read our article on Income Tax for NRIs. Your income could be salary, pension or could be from a savings account that’s quietly accumulating a 4% interest. Even, winners of ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati’ have to pay tax on their prize money. For simpler classification, the Income Tax Department breaks down income into five heads:
| Head of Income | Nature of Income covered |
|---|---|
| Income from Salary | Income from salary and pension are covered under here |
| Income from Other Sources | Income from savings bank account interest, fixed deposits, winning KBC |
| Income from House Property | This is rental income mostly |
| Income from Capital Gains | Income from sale of a capital asset such as mutual funds, shares, house property |
| Income from Business and Profession | This is when you are self-employed, work as a freelancer or contractor, or you run a business. Life insurance agents, chartered accountants, doctors and lawyers who have their own practice, tuition teachers |
Taxpayers and Income Tax Slabs
Taxpayers in India, for the purpose of income tax includes:
Individuals, Hindu Undivided Family (HUF), Association of Persons(AOP) and Body of Individuals (BOI)
Firms
Companies
Each of these taxpayers is taxed differently under the Indian income tax laws. While firms and Indian companies have a fixed rate of tax of 30% of profits, the individual,HUF, AOP and BOI taxpayers are taxed based on the income slab they fall under. People’s incomes are grouped into blocks called tax brackets or tax slabs. And each tax slab has a different tax rate. In India, we have four tax brackets each with an increasing tax rate.
Income earners of up to 2.5 lakhs
Income earners of between 2.5 lakhs and 5 lakhs
Income earners of between 5 lakhs and 10 lakhs
Those earning more than Rs 10 lakhs
| Income Range | Tax rate | Tax to be paid |
|---|---|---|
| Up to Rs.2,50,000 | 0 | No tax |
| Between Rs 2.5 lakhs and Rs 5 lakhs | 5% | 5% of your taxable income |
| Between Rs 5 lakhs and Rs 10 lakhs | 20% | Rs 12,500+ 20% of income above Rs 5 lakhs |
| Above 10 lakhs | 30% | Rs 1,12,500+ 30% of income above Rs 10 lakhs |
This is the income tax slab for FY 2017-18 for taxpayers under 60 years. There are two other tax slabs for two other age groups: those who are 60 and older and those who are above 80.A word of note: People often misunderstand that if they earn let’s say Rs.12 lakhs, they will be paying a 30% tax on Rs.12 lakhs i.e Rs.3,60,000. That’s incorrect. A person earning 12 lakhs in the progressive tax system, will pay Rs.1,12,500+ Rs.60,000 = Rs. 1,72,500. Check out the income tax slabs for previous years and other age brackets.
Exceptions to the Tax Slab
One must bear in mind that not all income can be taxed on slab basis. Capital gains income is an exception to this rule. Capital gains are taxed depending on the asset you own and how long you’ve had it. The holding period would determine if an asset is long term or short term. The holding period to determine nature of asset also differs for different assets. A quick glance of holding periods, nature of asset and the rate of tax for each of them is given below.
| Type of capital asset | Holding period | Tax rate |
|---|---|---|
| House Property | Holding more than 24 months – Long Term Holding less than 24 months – Short Term | 20% Depends on slab rate |
| Debt mutual funds | Holding more than 36 months – Long Term Holding less than 36 months – Short Term | 20% Depends on slab rate |
| Equity mutual funds | Holding more than 12 months – Long Term Holding less than 12 months – Short Term | Exempt (until 31 March 2018) Gains > Rs 1 lakh taxable @ 10% 15% |
| Shares (STT paid) | Holding more than 12 months – Long Term Holding less than 12 months – Short Term | Exempt (until 31 March 2018)Gains > Rs 1 lakh taxable @ 10% 15% |
| Shares (STT unpaid) | Holding more than 12 months – Long Term Holding less than 12 months – Short Term | 20% As per Slab Rates |
| FMPs | Holding more than 36 months – Long Term Holding less than 36 months – Short Term | 20% Depends on slab rate |
Residents and non residents:
Levy of income tax in India is dependent on the residential status of a taxpayer. Individuals who qualify as a resident in India must pay tax on their global income in India i.e. income earned in India and abroad. Whereas, those who qualify as Non-residents need to pay taxes only on their Indian income. The residential status has to be determined separately for every financial year for which income and taxes are computed.
