Don't Miss Out on Savings: Follow This Tax Saving Checklist

2024-08-02

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The month of March is a busy one both for taxpayers as well as financial institutions as everyone hurries to make last minute investments in order to save Income Tax. However, in the view of the whole country under lockdown due to the Coronavirus crisis, the last date for filing taxes has been extended to June 30 by the government.

This is opposed to March 31, which is usually earmarked as the deadline to be through with your tax-saving investments for the financial year. However, even with this breather, there is only a month left for you to furnish your tax return. So, if you are looking for assistance, here is a tax-saving checklist to guide you properly and help you claim relief from Income Tax.

Click here to use - Income Tax Calculator

Save up to Rs 1.5 lakh under Section 80C, 80CCC and 80CCD(1)

Investments made by you in the schemes below during financial year 2019-2020 less than or equal to Rs 1.5 lakh can help you claim an Income tax deduction. Here are a few:

Employee Provident Fund( EPF) contribution
Public Provident Fund(PPF) investment
Money invested in National Pension Scheme
Amount deposited in Sukanya Samriddhi Scheme for your daughter
Life insurance premium paid by you to keep policy in force
5 year tax-saving fixed deposits of a bank or post office
Contribution made towards Post office Senior citizen saving scheme
Tution fees paid for your children’s education

Additional deduction for NPS subscribers:

While the majority of taxpayers utilise the deductions above to the maximum in their tax-saving checklist , NPS subscribers holding a Tier-I account have the advantage to claim upto Rs 50,000 beyond the 1.5 lakh limit as specified above.

Health insurance premiums:

If you have purchased a health insurance plan for you or your family, you are eligible to claim deduction according to Section 80D, which is not to be missed on your tax-saving checklist . A maximum amount of Rs 25,000 is allowed as exemption for you, your spouse and children collectively, while you can also claim a similar amount towards both or either of your parents health policy. All of you should be below 60 years of age in this case. However, you can claim up to Rs 50,000 for your spouse, children and yourself if you are above the age of 60. Similarly, for both parents aged 60 and above, a maximum of Rs 50,000 paid as health insurance premium can be claimed.

Education loan interest

Section 80E allows you to save tax on the interest paid towards an education loan taken for yourself, your spouse or your children. This can be availed upto 8 years starting from the year when you start repaying the interest or till it is repaid, the earlier of either.

Home loan interest

Starting FY 2019-20 if you have taken a home loan from a bank or financial institution between April 1 2019 and March 31 2020, you are eligible for tax benefit on interest up to Rs 1.5 lakh according to Section 80EEA. This is over and above Rs 2 lakh tax rebate already available on interest repayments as per Section 24b of Income Tax. However, before you tick it off your tax-saving checklist, you need to keep a few things in mind:

The value of the stamp duty paid on the property for which the loan is taken should be below Rs 45 Lakhs
You should not own any other residential property apart from the one for which the loan has been sanctioned
You can claim tax benefits starting 1 April 2020 till the time you complete all the instalments of your home loan

Loan for Up to Rs 1.5 lakh can be saved in tax if you taken a loan to purchase an electric vehicle anytime during the last financial year

Donations made to charities are exempted as per Section 80G. These need to be made in cash if below Rs 2000 and in any other mode apart from cash if above this amount to claim a deduction

Interest of up to Rs 10,000 earned by your savings account does not attract any tax

An individual who is blind or mentally retarded can claim Rs 75,000 as a deduction while the limit increases to Rs 1.25 lakh for severely disabled people.

Now that you have a handy tax-saving checklist in place, you can easily calculate your tax liability and complete tax filing before time. However, if you have still not made investments to make you eligible for deductions, consider the iSelect Smart360 Term Plan from Canara HSBC Life Insurance that offers life cover along with flexible premium payment and benefit options to suit your needs.

Opt for increasing cover with age, add your spouse on discounted rates and opt for accidental death benefit or child support benefit to make sure your family is financially independent at every stage of their life even in your absence. iSelect Smart360 Term Plan offers you value for money with a plethora of advantages to ensure that you steer your loved ones into a secure future so that they can live their dreams and realise their goals without any interruptions.

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