What are exemption under Section 10?
Section 10 of the Income Tax Act has been divided into various sub-sections, with each offering distinct exemptions to salaried professionals. Let’s study these sub-sections in detail:
Section 10(13A) of the Income Tax Act
This sub-section deals with House Rent Allowance (HRA). It provides an exemption on the part of your salary that you receive to cover house rent and accommodation expenses.
The exemption allowed is the least of the following amounts:
- Actual HRA received
- 50% of [basic salary + dearness allowance (DA)] for those living in metro cities (Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata), or 40% for those living in other cities
- Actual rent paid minus 10% of [basic salary + DA]
Under Section 10(13A), the following expenses related to rental accommodation are covered for HRA exemption:
- Rent paid for the residential accommodation.
- Brokerage or commission paid to a real estate agent.
- Maintenance charges for the rented accommodation, such as society fees.
- Lease agreement costs for preparing and registering the lease agreement.
To understand this section better, let’s study a hypothetical example:
Say an employee is living in Mumbai (a metro city) and:
- Earns a basic salary of Rs. 50,000 per month
- Receives HRA of Rs. 25,000 per month
- Pays rent of Rs. 20,000 per month
Now, let’s calculate the various limits:
- Actual HRA received
- Rs. 25,000 per month x 12 months
- Rs. 3,00,000 per year
- 50% of basic salary + DA
- 50% of (50,000 x 12)
- Rs. 3,00,000 per year
- Actual rent paid minus 10% of basic salary:
- Rent paid:
- Rs. 20,000 per month = Rs. 2,40,000 per year
- 10% of basic salary + DA:
- 10% of (50,000 x 12) = Rs. 60,000
- Actual rent paid minus 10% of basic salary + DA:
- Rs. 2,40,000 - Rs. 60,000 = Rs. 1,80,000 per year
The exempt amount of HRA is the least of the three conditions:
- Rs. 3,00,000 (Actual HRA received)
- Rs. 3,00,000 (50% of basic salary + DA)
- Rs. 1,80,000 (Actual rent paid minus 10% of basic salary + DA)
So, the exempt amount of HRA is Rs. 1,80,000. This means out of Rs. 3,00,000 (total HRA received):
- Rs. 1,80,000 will be exempt under section 10(13A)
and
- Rs. 1,20,000 will be charged as tax
Section 10(5) of the Income Tax Act
This section offers the leave travel allowance (LTA) exemption, which applies to individual taxpayers. This exemption is specifically for the expenses incurred on domestic travel, such as:
- Airfare
- Train fare, or
- Bus fare
Some key points of Section 10(5):
- The LTA exemption only applies to travel expenses within India.
- The following expenses are not covered by the exemption:
- Local transportation at the destination
- Sightseeing
- Hotel stays
- Food
- The exemption is limited to the LTA amount provided by your employer in your Cost to Company (CTC).
For more clarity, let's look at an example to understand how the LTA exemption works.
- Say your employer provided you with an LTA of Rs. 30,000.
- On the other hand, you spend only Rs. 20,000 on airfare, train, or bus fare.
- Now, only the actual amount spent on travel (Rs. 20,000) will be exempt from tax.
- The remaining Rs. 10,000 (LTA provided Rs. 30,000 - Actual travel expenses Rs. 20,000) will be included in your taxable income.
Section 10(26) of the Income Tax Act
Section 10(26) of the Income Tax Act provides tax exemptions for members of Scheduled Tribes (ST) residing in:
- Tripura
- Nagaland
- Mizoram
- Manipur
- Arunachal Pradesh
The exemption applies to income earned from “any source” within these states. It also includes income earned through dividends or interest on securities.
Section 10(14)(i) of the Income Tax Act
This section provides tax exemptions for certain allowances given by an employer to cover expenses incurred in the course of performing your job. These allowances are exempt from tax as long as they are actually spent for the specified purposes.
Some common types of such as allowances are:
- Travelling allowance: For expenses incurred on official travel
- Conveyance allowance: For expenses incurred on daily commuting for official work.
- Research allowance: For expenses related to research activities.
Section 10(11) of the Income Tax Act
This section offers tax exemptions on the interest earned from a provident fund. Therefore, any interest accumulated in your provident fund upon retirement or resignation is not subject to taxation.
However, starting from 1st April 2021, if your contributions to the provident fund exceed Rs. 2,50,000 in any previous year, the interest earned on the excess amount will not be exempt from tax.
Section 10(34) - Exemption on Dividends
This section provides an exemption for dividends you receive from investments in Indian companies. The exemption is limited to Rs. 10,000. If you receive dividends exceeding this amount, the excess will be subject to tax.
However, it must be noted that this exemption applies only to dividends received until 31st March 2020.
Section 10(26AAA) of the Income Tax Act
Section 10(26AAA) of the Income Tax Act provides tax exemptions for Sikkimese individuals. This exemption applies to:
- Income earned from any source within the state of Sikkim.
- Income earned through dividends.
- Interest earned on securities.
Section 10(38) of the Income Tax Act
Section 10(38) of the Income Tax Act exempts long-term capital gains (LTCG) arising from the sale of:
- Equity shares
or
- Equity-oriented mutual funds
However, this exemption is available only when the sale transaction includes payment of the Securities Transaction Tax (STT). Also, please note that this exemption applies only to long-term capital gains earned up to 31st March 2018.
Section 10(23C) of the Income Tax Act
Under this section, educational or medical institutions with total annual receipts not exceeding Rs. 5 crore are exempt from income tax. This exemption applies only if they meet the specified income threshold, which allows them to avoid paying taxes on their earnings.
Section 10(37) of the Income Tax Act
Under this section, you gain exemptions on capital gains resulting from the compulsory acquisition of urban agricultural land. However, to claim the exemptions, the following conditions must be met:
- The land must be urban agricultural land, meaning
- The land is used for agricultural purposes
and
- Located in an urban area
- The land should have been used for agricultural purposes for at least two years before its sale date.
- The acquisition of the land must be under a scheme approved by the Central Government or the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
Now, if these conditions are met, any capital gains arising from the compulsory acquisition of such urban agricultural land are exempt from income tax.
Section 10(10A) of the Income Tax Act
Section 10(10A) of the Income Tax Act provides exemptions to government employees. It states that any amount received by way of accumulated pensions by a government employee is exempt from income tax.
Section 10(10D) of the Income Tax Act
Section 10(10D) of the Income Tax Act exempts any income received from a life insurance policy, such as:
- Maturity proceeds
or
- Bonuses
However, this exemption will not be available if:
- Life insurance policy is taken for a specially-abled dependent family member
- It is a Keyman Insurance policy
- The premium paid in any year exceeds 10% of the sum assured
When structured correctly, life insurance not only provides financial protection but also enables tax-exempted wealth creation under Section 10(10D). It’s a smart strategy to combine protection and tax saving into one investment.
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Section 10(35) of the Income Tax Act
Section 10(35) of the Income Tax Act provides exemptions for income earned from the sale of specified mutual fund units. However, it must be noted that this exemption applied only to income earned until 31st March 2020.
Section 10(10) of the Income Tax Act
Section 10(10) of the Income Tax Act deals with the taxation of gratuity received by employees. For government employees, the entire gratuity is exempt from tax. However, the exemption is allowed for private sector employees subject to certain conditions.
You can supplement gratuity with life insurance savings plans to ensure a steady tax-exempted corpus post-retirement.
Section 10(15) - Interest on savings certificate
Section 10(15) of the Income Tax Act offers tax exemptions on the interest income earned from specific investments. This provision is designed to encourage saving and investment by reducing the tax burden on the earnings from these investments.
Investment Type
|
Eligible Entities
|
Interest Exemption
|
Savings Certificates
|
Individuals
|
Fully Exempt
|
Bonds and Debentures
|
Specified entities, NRIs
|
Varies, up to full exemption
|
Deposits under NSSF
|
Any entity
|
Fully Exempt
|
NRI Accounts
|
Non-Resident Indians
|
Fully Exempt on certain accounts
|
This exemption includes earnings from different sources like savings certificates, bonds, debentures issued by certain public companies, or the government, and deposits with the National Savings Fund. The specific exemptions apply under various clauses of this section, catering to different types of financial instruments and investor categories, such as non-resident Indians (NRIs).
Investors should consult with tax professionals or refer to the latest guidelines from the Income Tax Department to understand the exact conditions and limits of the exemption under Section 10(15). This will ensure they maximise their benefits while complying with tax regulations. Understanding these exemptions can significantly impact investment decisions, especially for those looking to optimize their tax liabilities.