Earning a salary? Save tax the smart way!

Earning a salary? Looking to save tax the smart way? Then you have two options. First is salary restructuring and second is tax saving instruments. Here we take a look at both these options and how to use them effectively.

Salary restructuring: As the term implies, salary restructuring allows you to redesign your salary, so as to reduce your total tax liability. Here are some steps you can take in order to reduce your tax liability:

• Do you need a house? Does your employer offer Rent Free Accommodation or House Rent Allowance? Then go for it, as the amount gets deducted from your total taxable income.
• Does your company expect you to wear uniform at work? If so, the expenses incurred on buying and maintenance the uniform will not be taxed.
• Does your employer provide you with allowance for your children's education and hostel accommodation? Then use it to claim exemption under section 10 (14).
• Does your company provide you with a telephone facility in your home? Then it not taxed. However be warned against taking telephone allowance, since it is totally taxable and will increase your taxable income.
• Opt for the car facility, since the value of the perk is much lower than the actual expenditure incurred on the car.
• We all have to visit the doctor at some point of time. So save tax by claiming medical reimbursements up to Rs 15,000.00 p.a. But don't take any medical allowance, since it is completely taxable.
• If your employer pays Fringe Benefit tax (FBT), then sum of fringe benefits, is tax-free for you. Also if salary is paid in arrears or in advance, claim relief under section 89 (1).
• Always ask your employer to include dearness allowance and dearness pay along with commissions earned in your salary. It will lower your tax liability on house rent allowance, gratuity and pension.
• If you are eligible for a pension, always get it commuted, as commuted pension is tax-free for government employees and partially exempted for others. You can get tax relief under section 89(1).
• If your current employer is participating in an authorized provident fund, and you change your employer within 5 years of joining the firm, ensure your new employer is also a member of the authorized provident firm. It will let you transfer the corpus in your provident fund to the new company without paying any tax. Also insist your employer fix his contribution to your provident fund to 12% of your salary, as it is the highest limit for tax exemption.
• Plan your retirement or resignation at the start of the financial year in order to lower the tax on retirement benefits.
• As leave travel concession is not taxed if certain criteria are fulfilled, try to claim this incentive to the highest possible level, without having to pay any tax.

Let us assume your annual salary is Rs 200,000. You get HRA of Rs 10,000 and your medical reimbursement is Rs 5,000. Your employer gives you an allowance of Rs 15,000 for your son's educational expenses. So instead of Rs 200,000 your total taxable salary now becomes Rs 170,000 (2,00,000 - 10,000 - 5,000 - 15,000). This will effectively reduce your tax liability.

Now that we have seen how to design your salary let us take a look at the most effective tax saving instruments available.

Tax saving instruments: While these instruments do help you save tax, they have a maximum limit of Rs 100,000. Any income above this limit attracts tax.

• Insurance: All payments made towards both life and health insurance are eligible for tax benefits. Even contributions made towards pension payments can be eligible for tax benefits. Health insurance can let you save Rs. 15,000 over and above the ceiling of Rs. 1 lakh.
• PPF: It is one of the safest tax saving investments available. Both interest and capital withdrawal from the fund are tax free. However its drawback is the lock-in period of 15 years.
• NSC, Post office (CTD) accounts: These are government savings schemes available at post office, with a lock-in period of 5 years.
• Bank deposits: These are special tax saving FDs offered by banks with a lock-in period of 5 years.
• ELSS: These are tax savings instruments offered by mutual funds, with a lock-in period of 3 years. They invest in various quality stocks.

All these instruments carry different degrees of risks. While PPF, NSC, Post office accounts, insurance (except ULIPs) and FDs are safer, they offer lower returns and are not very liquid, due to their long lock-in period.

On the other hand, ELSS has a short lock-in period but is more risky, while ULIPs carry the risk of ELSS but without the liquidity benefit. So while investing for tax saving purpose, take into account factors like your risk appetite, returns generated by the instrument, liquidity, capital appreciation and safety of capital.

Remember, if you are young, riskier options are better for you, since over a long time, these instruments can generate higher returns for you, and minimize the risk of capital erosion. Also diversify your investment portfolio.

If these options are not enough for you, then here are some more:

• Housing loan and education loan
• Donation to charities/religious trusts

To summarize, first thing to do is to structure your salary so as to minimize your tax liability. This will minimize the need to invest for tax saving. This is because as with any investment, you must have the necessary capital to invest.

Also the instruments that tend to be safer, have a longer lock-in period with low returns. This means you must keep on investing with fresh capital every year and in turn get meager returns.

Those investments with higher returns mean you may not be able to withdraw your money even after the lock-in period, if the value of your investment is lesser than the capital invested. Take all these points into consideration before opting for tax saving plans.

Smart ways to lower your tax bill

Deductions under Section 80C

Of the sections that offer you tax breaks, Section 80C tends to be most popular since you can get an exemption of up to Rs 1 lakh on contributions to a wide range of investments. 

These include Employee Provident Fund (EPF), Public Provident Fund (PPF), National Savings Certificate (NSC), 5-year bank fixed deposits, life insurance policies, equity-linked savings schemes (ELSS), unit linked insurance plans (Ulips), school fees, and home loan principal repayment.

Pension plan deductions

One significant point to note is that pension plan deductions under Section 80CCC are also available within the overall limit of Rs 1 lakh under Section 80C and if any investment is made under the former section, the qualifying amount under Section 80C stands reduced to that extent.

Medical insurance

You can also look beyond Section 80C to reduce your tax liability. For instance, if you have taken a medical insurance plan for yourself, your spouse, parents and dependent children, you can under Section 80D claim deduction up to Rs 15,000 for the premium paid. 

For senior citizen tax payers of age 65 years or more, the limit now has been enhanced to Rs 20,000. One good news is that the condition of dependency of parents has now been removed from this financial year. Thus, even if your parents are not dependent on you, you can claim the deduction after paying the premium for their health plan. 

However, the premium for health plans should always be paid through a cheque. That is, tax benefit is not allowed if the premium is paid in cash. 

Medical treatment of dependent

Expenses on the medical treatment of a dependent who is a person with a disability also qualify for tax benefits under Section 80DD. In this case, deductions up to Rs 50,000 can be claimed. 

A life insurance policy bought for the benefit of such a handicapped person is also eligible for this benefit up to Rs 50,000. In case the disability is severe, the claim can go up to Rs 75,000. However, to claim any deduction under this section, certification by a medical authority is mandatory.

Medical treatment of specified ailments 

Deductions of expenses on medical treatment of specified ailments (such as AIDS, cancer and neurological diseases) can be claimed under Section 80DDB. 

The maximum amount of deduction allowed from gross total income is restricted to Rs 40,000 (which goes up to Rs 60,000 if the age of the person treated is 65 years or more) on condition that no medical reimbursement is received from any insurance company or employer for this amount. 

In order to claim this deduction, however, you will have to submit Form 10-1 from a specialist doctor working in a government hospital in India, confirming the treatment of the disease.

Interest component of home loan You can claim a deduction for the interest paid on a housing loan, even on loans taken for repair, renewal or reconstruction of an existing property. 

The interest component of home loan is allowed as a deduction under the head 'income from house property' under Section 24(b) up to a limit of Rs 1.5 lakh a year in case of self-occupied house. 

One condition being that your house must have been financed by a housing loan taken after April 1, 1999. 

It is also essential that the acquisition or the construction of the property is completed within three years from the end of the financial year in which the loan is taken.

Charity

For donations made to specified trusts or institutions, you can get a tax relief under Section 80G of the Income Tax Act. The rate of deduction, however, is either 50 or 100 per cent, depending on the choice of trust. 

There is no restriction on the amount of charity. However, donations must be made to registered institutions only. Also, only donations of up to 10 per cent of your total income qualify for such a deduction.

Gifts

Gifts received from specified relatives are exempt from income tax, and there is no upper limit also. Similarly, gifts of any amount and from anyone received during your marriage are totally tax-free. 

In case of gifts received on birthday, however, the ones received by your wife's relatives would not have any limit, but from non-relatives, the limit would stand at Rs 50,000 a year. 

Normally also, if you receive a cash gift or gifts by cheque or bank draft of more than Rs 50,000 from a non-relative, you are required to pay tax on the excess amount exceeding Rs 50,000.

Long-term capital gains

If you invest in stocks, you should sell them only after a period of 12 months to avail nil/ lower tax rate on long-term capital gains. However, you are required to mention the amount of gain in your I-T return under the head 'capital gains' and claim exemption.

Money transfer

If you invest in your wife's or child's (who is below 18) name, the income generated from such investments will be clubbed with your income and taxed accordingly. 

However, if you transfer money to a child who is over 18 years of age and invest in his name, then the income generated from such investment will not be clubbed with your income. 

Instead, that will be clubbed with the income of your child and taxed accordingly.