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income tax

Income Tax - Latest Updates, Basics, Tax Slabs, Rules, Income Tax Guide 2024-25

Income tax is a type of direct tax i.e. it is directly levied on the wealth or income of a person. the person who pays the tax to the Government cannot recover it from someone else i.e. the burden of tax cannot be shifted. In this article we will explain the following:

  • Latest Budget updates
  • Income tax meaning
  • Types of taxpayers
  • Different heads of income
  • Income tax slabs under the old regime
  • Income tax slabs under the new regime
  • Meaning of important terms
  • Different ITR forms 

Budget 2024 Updates

  • For the AY 2025-26, the tax structure has been revised by FM Nirmala Sitharaman as under for new regime: 
Tax Slab Tax Rate
upto ₹ 3 lakh Nil
₹ 3 lakh - ₹ 7 lakh 5%
₹ 7 lakh - ₹ 10 lakh10%
₹ 10 lakh - ₹ 12 lakh15%
₹ 12 lakh - ₹ 15 lakh20%
more than ₹ 15 lakh30%
  • Standard deduction on salaried individuals is increased to ₹75,000 for the FY 2024-25 under the new tax regime.
  • The family pension deduction limit has been increased to ₹25,000 from ₹ 15,000. 
  • From FY 24-25, the limit on the exemption of Long Term Capital Gains on the transfer of equity shares or equity-oriented units or units of Business Trust is proposed to be increased from Rs.1 Lakh to Rs.1.25 lakh per year. The rate at which it is taxed is also proposed to be increased from 10% to 12.5%. 
  • For transfers taking place on or after July 23rd, 2024 taxation of STCG for listed equity shares, a unit of an equity-oriented fund, and a unit of a business trust has been increased to 20% from 15%
  • For long term capital gains (LTCG) on other assets, the tax rate has been reduced to 12.% for transfers made from 23rd July, 2024. However, indexation benefit while calculating LTCG has also been removed for such transfers.
  • Further, options have been given to resident Individuals and HUFs for calculation of LTCG on sale of land and building made on or after 23rd July, 2024 (where acquisition has been made on or before 22nd July, 2024 and is classified as long term capital assets), the options available are as under:
    • Calculate LTCG without indexation and pay tax at 12.5% or;
    • Calculate LTCG with indexation and pay tax at 20%.
  • The TDS rate of 5% on specified payments has been reduced to 2%, and the TDS of 20% charged on repurchasing units by mutual funds or UTI under section 194F has been omitted.
  • TDS on E-commerce has been reduced from 1% to 0.1%
  • The budget for 2024 has abolished the Angel tax.
  • Security transaction tax (STT)  on Futures and Options has been increased from 0.02% to 0.1%. 

Click here to read all highlights on Budget 2024

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What is Income Tax?

Income tax is a type of tax that the central government charges on the income earned during a financial year by individuals and businesses. Taxes are sources of revenue for the government. The government utilises this revenue for developing infrastructure, providing healthcare, education, subsidies to the farmer/agriculture sector and other government welfare schemes. 

Taxes are mainly of two types: direct taxes and indirect taxes. Tax levied directly on the income earned is called a direct tax; for example, Income tax is a direct tax. The tax calculation is based on the income slab rates applicable during that financial year.

Direct Taxes are broadly classified as :

  • Income Tax – This is taxes an individual, a Hindu Undivided Family (HUF), or any taxpayer other than companies pay on the income received. The law prescribes the rate at which such income is taxable.
  • Corporate Tax - This is the tax paid on the company's taxable income. Here again, a specific tax rate for corporations has been prescribed by the income tax laws of India.
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Who Should pay Income Tax? – Types of Taxpayers

According to the Income Tax Act, everyone in India, whether resident or non-resident, who earns taxable income, has to file income tax returns. Currently, tax is payable if the income exceeds Rs 3 lakh in a financial year as per the new tax regime. The Income Tax Act has classified taxpayers into various categories. Different tax rules apply to different types of taxpayers. 

   Below are the categories of taxpayers: 

  • Individuals
  • Hindu Undivided Family (HUF)
  • Firms
  • Companies
  • Association of Persons(AOP)
  • Body of Individuals (BOI)
  • Local Authority
  • Artificial Judicial Person

Further, Individuals and HUFs are classified as residents and non-residents. Resident individuals are liable to pay tax on their global income in India, i.e. income earned in India and abroad. Meanwhile, those who qualify as non-residents must only pay taxes on income earned or accrued in India. The residential status has to be determined separately for tax purposes for every financial year based on the individual tenure of stay in India. Resident Individuals are further classified into the mentioned categories for tax purposes:

  • Individuals less than 60 years of age
  • Individuals aged more than 60 but less than 80 years
  • Individual aged more than 80 years 

Types of Income – What are the 5 Heads of Income?

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). For simpler classification, the Income tax department breaks down income into five main heads:

Head of Income

Nature of Income covered

Income from Other Sources

Income from savings bank account interest, fixed deposits, and winning in lotteries is taxable under this head of income. 

Income from House Property

Income earned from renting a house property is taxable under this head of income.

Income from Capital Gains

Income from the sale of a capital asset such as mutual funds, shares, house property, etc, is taxable under this head of Income.

Income from Business and Profession

Profits earned by self-employed individuals, businesses, freelancers or contractors and income earned by professionals like life insurance agents, chartered accountants, doctors and lawyers who have their own practice, and tuition teachers are taxable under this head.

Income from Salary

Income earned from salary and pension is taxable under this head of income.

Taxpayers and Tax Slabs

Each of these taxpayers is taxed differently under the Indian income tax laws. While firms and Indian companies have a fixed rate of tax calculated on taxable income, the individual, HUF, AOP and BOI taxpayers are taxed based on the income slab they fall under. People's income grouped into blocks are called tax brackets or tax slabs. And each tax slab has a different tax rate. The rate at which the tax is charged increases as the taxable income increases. 

What is the Old Income Tax Regime?

The old tax regime provides three slab rates for income tax levy, which are 5%, 20%, and 30% for different income brackets. Individuals can continue with the old taxation regime, and they can claim the following deductions: 

  • Deductions of allowances like Leave Travel Concession (LTC), House Rent Allowance (HRA), and specific other allowances.
  • Deductions for tax-saving investments as per Section 80C (LIC, PPF, NPS, etc) to 80U can be claimed.
  • Standard deduction of Rs 50,000.
  • Deduction for interest paid on home loan.

Tax slab rates applicable for Individual taxpayers below 60 years for the Old tax regime are as below: 

Income Range

Tax rate

Tax to be paid

Up to Rs 2,50,000

0

No tax

Rs 2.5 lakhs - Rs 5 lakhs

5%

5% of your taxable income

Rs 5 lakhs - Rs 10 lakhs

20%

Rs 12,500+20% on income above Rs 5 lakh

Above 10 lakhs

30%

Rs 1,12,500+30% on income above Rs 10 lakh

There are two other tax slabs for two other age groups: those 60 and older and those above 80. 

A word of note: People often misunderstand that if they earn, let's say, Rs12 lakh, they will be paying a 30% tax on Rs.12 lakh, i.e. Rs 3,60,000. This is incorrect. Tax is payable slab wise. A person earning Rs 12 lakh in the progressive tax system will pay Rs 1,12,500 + Rs 60,000 = Rs 1,72,500. 

Income Tax Slabs Under New Tax Regime

In the 2020 budget, a new tax regime was introduced with lower tax rates and limited deductions/exemptions for Individuals and HUFs. Hence, many taxpayers did not opt for the new tax regime. However, to encourage taxpayers to adopt the new tax regime in Budget 2023, it was made the default regime and the income tax slabs under the new tax regime for FY 2024-25 (AY 2025-26) are revised by Budget 2024as follows:

New tax regime FY 2023-24   
(As per Budget 2023)

New tax regime FY 2024-25   
(As per Budget 2024)

Income up to Rs 3 lakh

Nil

Income up to Rs 3 lakh

Nil

Rs 3 lakh to Rs 6 lakh

5%

Rs 3 lakh to Rs 7 lakh

5%

Rs 6 lakh to Rs 9 lakh

10%

Rs 7 lakh to Rs 10 lakh

10%

Rs 9 lakh to Rs 12 lakh

15%

Rs 10 lakh to Rs 12 lakh

15%

Rs 12 lakh to Rs 15 lakh

20%

Rs 12 lakh to Rs 15 lakh

20%

Income above Rs 15 lakh

30%

Income above Rs 15 lakh

30%

Most of the deductions and exemptions are not allowed if the taxpayers opt for the New Tax regime. However, the exemptions and deductions available under the new regime are:

  • Transport allowances in case of a specially-abled person.
  • Conveyance allowance received to meet the conveyance expenditure incurred as part of the employment.
  • Any compensation received to meet the cost of travel on tour or transfer.
  • Daily allowance received to meet the ordinary regular charges or expenditures you incur on account of absence from his regular place of duty. 
  • Under the new tax regime, the highest surcharge has been reduced to 25% from 37% for people earning more than Rs 5 crore. This move brings down their tax rate from 42.74% to 39%.
  • The new IT regime will be the default tax regime. However, taxpayers can opt out of the new regime before the due date for filing the IT returns for the respective assessment year.
  • Further, Budget 2024 has provided the following benefits to taxpayers opting for new regime:
    • Standard deduction under the head salary has been increased to Rs. 75,000
    • Deduction on employer's contribution to pension scheme has been increased to 14% of salary
    • Maximum limit on family pension deduction has been increased to Rs. 25,000.

Exceptions to the Income Tax Slab

One must remember that not all income can be taxed on a slab basis. Capital gains income is an exception to this rule. Capital gains are taxed depending on your asset and how long you’ve owned it. The holding period would determine if assets are long-term or short-term. The holding period to determine the nature of assets differs for different assets. A glance at the holding period, the nature of the assets and the tax rate for each are given below.

Financial Year

The financial year is a one-year period that the taxpayers use for accounting and financial reporting purposes. It is the year in which the income is earned. According to the Income Tax Act, such a period begins from 1st April of the calendar year to 31st March of the next calendar year. It is abbreviated as “FY”. For example, the financial year starting from 1st April 2023 and ending on 31st March 2024 can be written as FY 2023-24.

 

In simple words, a financial year is a year in which the income of a person is earned.  

Assessment Year

The one year from 1st April to 31st March starting immediately after the financial year is termed an assessment year. This period is the assessment year because all the taxpayers have to evaluate their income earned in the financial year and pay taxes this year. For example, for incomes earned during the FY 2023-24, the assessment year will be AY 2024-25.

 

In simple words, the income earned in the financial year will be assessed to tax in the assessment year. 

Assessee

The assessee is a person or a group who assesses his/her income and pays tax as per the Income Tax Act. The assessee can be an individual, a partnership firm, a company, an Association of Persons (AOP), a Trust, etc.

What is PAN?

PAN is an abbreviation for the Permanent Account Number. It is a unique 10-digit alphanumeric digit issued by the Income Tax Department to Indian taxpayers. All the tax-related transactions and information of a person are recorded against their unique permanent account number. When the person has to pay advance tax or self-assessment tax, they must mention the PAN number. 

Also, an individual submits his PAN to certain entities like banks, mutual fund companies, etc. The financial information from such entities goes to the income tax department via PAN. This allows the Government to link all tax-related activities with the department. Hence, just by putting in a permanent account number, the department can identify all your financial transactions.      

What is TAN?

TAN is an abbreviation for Tax Deduction and Collection Account Number. It is a unique 10-digit alphanumeric digit allotted by the Income Tax Department of India. All persons responsible for deduction (TDS) or collection of tax (TCS) are required to obtain TAN. It is compulsory to quote the TAN in TDS/TCS return, any TDS/TCS payment challan, and TDS/TCS certificates.   

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.

Income Tax Payment

Tax Deducted at Source (TDS)

For specified payments, tax is deducted at source when paying the recipient of income. The income recipient can claim credit of the TDS amount by adjusting it with the final tax liability.

Advance Tax

The taxpayer must pay tax in advance when his estimated income tax liability for the year exceeds Rs 10,000. The government has specified due dates for payment of advance tax installments. Click here to learn more about the advance tax liability and due dates.

Self-Assessment Tax

It is the balance tax that the taxpayer has to pay on the assessed income. The self-assessment tax is calculated after reducing the advance tax and TDS from the total income tax calculated on the assessed income.

E-Payment of Taxes

Taxpayers can pay advance tax and self-assessment tax online from the e-filing website. Click here to learn how to pay taxes online through e-filing portal.

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Filing Your ITR

E-filing of income tax return has been made mandatory for all classes of taxpayers, barring a few exceptions:

  • Taxpayers aged 75 or more and satisfying the following conditions:
    • Total income consists of only pension and interest income. Interest income can be from any account maintained with the same bank in which they receive pension.
    • They have submitted a declaration to the bank.
    • Such bank deducts TDS under Section 194P.
  • Taxpayers with an income less than the applicable basic exemption limit.

For the rest, E-filing is mandatory. Do note that deadlines for filing returns have also been prescribed. For most individual taxpayers, the due date for filing the return of income is 31 July, immediately following the concerned financial year. If you do not file on time, here are some disadvantages:

  • You will be denied carry forward of losses (except house property loss) to future years.
  • Delay processing of refund claims if any.
  • Difficulty on getting home loans.
  • Levy of late filing fee upto Rs 5,000 (if the total income is above Rs 5 lakh) and Rs 1,000 (if the total income is below Rs 5 lakh) under Section 234F.
  • Levy of interest under Section 234A if there are taxes due as on 31 July.

Once you file your return online, you either e-verify the same or take a print of the ITR V and send it to CPC, Bengaluru, for processing your return.    

Read our detailed article on e-verification of return of income.   

Here’s a guide to e-filing your first tax return on Clear.

Income Tax Return

The taxpayer shall file an income tax return every year via ITR forms prescribed by the income tax department. The government has prescribed seven ITR forms through which the taxpayer can file his income tax return. The taxpayer has to choose the appropriate ITR forms and file his income tax return.

Income Tax Forms List

The seven ITR forms are:

  • ITR-1: Individuals (residents) having income from salary, one house property, other sources, agricultural income less than Rs 5,000 and with a total income of up to Rs 50 lakh.
  • ITR-2: Individuals/HUFs not having any business or profession under any proprietorship, more than one house property. 
  • ITR-3: Individuals/HUFs having income from a proprietary business or profession, income of a person as a partner in a firm.
  • ITR-4: Individuals/HUFs having presumptive income from business or profession, one house property.
  • ITR-5: Partnership firms or LLPs.
  • ITR-6: Companies.
  • ITR-7: Trusts.

Documents Required for ITR Filing

Form 16, Form 26AS, AIS, TIS, Form 16A, proof of tax saving investments made, bank account details, etc, are some of the crucial information/documents you need to be ready with before filing your return. Further, the documents you will need to file your tax return will largely depend on your source of income. Here is our detailed article on documents you need for filing of your return of income

How Can I Calculate my Income Tax?

Individuals should calculate income tax depending on the nature of their income. The salaried individual can take the eligible exemptions available for various allowances received. Individuals/HUF can take a deduction under Sections 80C to 80U, deduct it from the gross total income, and calculate the income tax liability. Also, the total income tax liability should be adjusted by the taxes paid, such as advance tax, TDS, etc. 

Also, the taxpayer should apply the effect of rebate under Section 87A and relief under Section 89, Section 90, and Section 91 to arrive at the net amount of income tax payable.

Any income that you receive should form part of your income tax return. Of course, the law provides exemptions for certain incomes, e.g. LTCG on listed equity shares up to Rs 1 lakh in any financial year, agricultural income, etc.  Therefore, here is a quick guideline you can probably follow to compute taxes due on your income:

  • List down all your income – be it salary, rental income, capital gains, interest income or profits from your business or profession.
  • Remove incomes that are exempt under the law.
  • Claim all applicable deductions available under every source of income. E.g., claim a standard deduction of Rs 50,000 from salary income, claim municipal taxes from rental income, claim business-related expenses from your business turnover, etc.
  • Claim all applicable exemptions under every head of income, e.g., amount reinvested in another house property can be claimed as exemption from capital gains income, etc.
  • Claim applicable deductions from your total income, e.g. the Section 80 deductions like 80C80D80TTA80TTB, etc.
  • You will now arrive at your taxable income. Check the tax slab you fall under and accordingly arrive at your income tax payable.

The government keeps introducing and altering tax slabs, schemes and tax benefits, so it’s a good idea to keep up with the Budget. 

What Is Computation Of Income?

The process of calculating taxable income after taking into account the income from all the five heads (salary, house property, capital gains, business or profession, and other sources), exemptions, deductions, rebates, set off of losses, etc., is called computation of income. After the computation of income, the taxpayer can compute the income tax liability as per the Income Tax Act.

Rebate u/s 87A

Rebates under Section 87A allow taxpayers to reduce their income tax liability. If you are a resident individual and the amount of your total income after reducing Chapter VI-A deductions (Section 80C, 80D, 80U, etc) does not exceed Rs 5 lakh in a financial year, you can claim a tax rebate up to Rs 12,500. This means if your total tax payable is less than Rs 12,500, then you will not have to pay any tax.

In Budget 2023, a tax rebate on income of Rs 7 lakhs has been introduced under the new tax regime, and no changes have been made in the 2024 interim budget. Under the new tax regime, if your net taxable income is less than Rs 7 lakh, you can claim a tax rebate of up to Rs 25,000. Meaning, you will not have to pay any tax if your total tax payable is less than Rs 25,000, 

E-File Returns

The taxpayer shall electronically file the income tax return through the e-filing platform of the IT department. To file the income tax return, the taxpayer should register at www.incometax.gov.in. After that, the taxpayer can log in to the website and file his ITR. Also, there is no need to manually send the acknowledgement of the return to the income tax department. The income tax department now allows e-verification of the ITR in different ways, which completes the income tax return process.   

What is ITR–V?

Form ITR-V is an income tax return verification form generated after the taxpayer files income tax return and submits it to the income tax department. The ITR-V should be e-verified or must be sent to CPC Bangalore at “Income Tax Department – CPC, Post Box No – 1, Electronic City Post Office, Bangalore – 560100, Karnataka” for verification. The ITR processing takes place only if its verification is completed.

Did You E-file Your Tax Return For This Year?

You can file your Income Tax Return on EasyTax. Even if you don’t know anything about taxes, we will take you step-by-step and help you e-file. Check EasyTax Income Tax E Filing. Clear also helps you lose the fear of not taking the applicable deductions by helping you claim all the relevant deductions.

Income Tax Saving Instruments

A taxpayer can save tax by tax planning. A taxpayer can do tax planning by investing in tax-saving instruments. It helps in reducing the income tax liability. Section 80C to 80U of the Income Tax Act allows a deduction for certain expenditures and investments from the total computed income if taxes are paid under the old tax regime. Some of the popular Section 80C investments are: 

Popular Section 80C Investments

Particulars

ELSS

PPF

NSC

5-Year Tax Saving FD

SCSS

Section 80C Benefit

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Type of Investment

Equity

Fixed Income

Fixed Income

Fixed Income

Fixed Income

Lock-in Period

3 Years

15 Years

5 Years

5 Years

5 Years

Maximum Investment

No Max Limit

Rs 1.5 lakh

No Max Limit

Rs 1.5 lakh

Rs 15 lakh

*ELSS and NSC have no upper investment limit. However, you get tax benefits under Section 80C only up to Rs 1.5 lakh per financial year.

Health Insurance and Medical Expense Deduction

Apart from the Section 80C deduction, a taxpayer can also take a tax benefit under Section 80D for health insurance premium and medical expenditure incurred for self, family and parents. 

Person insured

Maximum deduction Below 60 years

Maximum deduction 60 years or older

You, your spouse, your children