Education & Career Success Guide: personal finance
Showing posts with label personal finance. Show all posts
Showing posts with label personal finance. Show all posts

Separate investments plans for different financial goals

21:46
Separate investments plans for different financial goals


As you plan your journey before you start a tour, the journey of investment also starts with financial planning. You should make your financial plans as soon as you start earning, as saving is as important as spending to fulfill the life goals and to keep the spending ability intact in future.
The first step of financial planning is to determine the need of investments by identifying the financial goals. The goals may be higher study for self, own marriage, honeymoon trip, buying a car, buying a house, foreign tours, child education, marriage of son/daughter, building retirement corpus etc.
Once the goals are identified, it has to be determined how soon or later each goal to be fulfilled. Once the time gap is estimated, each goal has to be quantified in monetary terms taking into consideration the present cost and rate of inflation. The rate of inflation may vary from goal to goal as rate of inflation in education sector is very different from the rates in automobile sector or real estate sector and so.
After the goals are quantified, you may select investment avenues to reach the goals on time respectively, by taking minimum possible risks. Shorter the duration to reach a goal, lesser risk you may take and vice versa.
For example, you can’t take any risk while parking your money for emergency, while to build you retirement corpus, you will have enough time to plan your exit and withdraw money when the return is high enough.
It’s mainly due to duration and urgency; you need to select different investment avenues depending on their risk perspective.
Depending on the risk on capital invested, investment avenues may be categorized as Post Office savings, bank fixed deposits (FD), debt mutual funds, equity mutual funds and direct equity. Once the risk profiling is done, you have to see how liquid the investment options are, before finalizing the options.

Liquidity is important because you may have to withdraw emergency and short-term money in quick notice. So, while Public Provident Fund (PPF) is safest mode of investment, you can’t choose it to park your emergency fund, simply because you may fully withdraw your investment only at maturity after 15 years, with partial withdrawal option beginning only from seventh year. Hence, you have to choose either a liquid fund or a bank FD to park for your contingency fund.
You may, however, choose a low-risk short-term investment option to park your long-term money, but you will have to compromise on return, which may either need exorbitantly high investment or missing the goal.
But before you start investing, you first need to transfer your own life risks by taking insurance cover, so that your dependents don’t miss out the financial goals and maintain the standard of living in case of any unfortunate mishap.
So, you do need to choose different instruments to fulfill different financial goals, like-liquid fund or FD for emergency fund, insurance to transfer risks, debt funds for short- and medium-term goals, diversified funds for medium- to long-term goals and equity for very long-term goals. Even for two financial goals of similar duration's, better not to mix investments and choose two separate funds.
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How to know that your debit card is at risk

04:43
How to know that your debit card is at risk

If your debit card suddenly stops working or you receive alerts for transactions you haven't done, chances are your card is compromised
Your debit card is technically called a 'Deposit Access Product.'
There is essentially a deposit linked to the card, most commonly a savings or a current account. Thus, for fraudsters, a debit card is the key to ready cash!
They can use it at ATMs locally or internationally to actually bleed you of our hard-earned money, or it can be used at a Point-of-Sale machine to make purchases of goods that can usually be readily sold off at an attractive discount -- finally getting the fraudster money.
Fraudsters needed two elements before January 1 2019 : The data on the magnetic stripe of your debit card, and your PIN.
These details were easy to obtain.
Skimmers -- devices that would read the magnetic stripe of your card -- were used to get details from the magnetic strip on your card.
This is possible when you let someone else handle/swipe the card for you -- for example at a petrol pump, or a restaurant.
A criminal or an accomplice would use a skimmer just before or after making a legitimate transaction at a POS machine, before returning the card to you.
They would also 'shoulder surf' the PIN as you entered it at the POS machine. Armed with both these, they would produce cloned cards.
Another variant of the scheme involved fixing skimmers at the ATM card acceptance slot to read the magnetic stripe of the card, and a camera or a keypad overlay to capture the key-strokes as you entered your PIN.
Fraudsters’ party at the ATM will slowly come to an end after the Reserve Bank of India along with the Card Schemes (MasterCard/ NPCI/Visa) mandated that the ATMs shift to reading Chip-and-PIN (instead of the erstwhile situation when ATMs read the magstripe, even of a Chip-and-PIN card ) on and after January 1, 2019.
As debit cards are mostly used at ATMs, it has now become next to impossible for the fraudsters to effectively clone a debit card for subsequent misuse.
Mind you, the chip is impossible to break/ compromise in a commercially viable manner with today’s technology.
However, it is envisaged that your debit cards could still be used for frauds at ATMs that are not Chip-and-PIN compliant yet, or for online transactions at internet / remote payment merchants who do not support second factor authentication.
Fraudsters will still try to steal your card data through innovative techniques.

Here are some tips for you to stay alert:
1. Bonanza Schemes
At a mall, or crowded public place you may find a kiosk with some bank officers running 'Debit Card Usage Promotion' campaign.
Sometimes, they bring you an exciting offer and may ask you to swipe your debit card at a POS machine and make a one rupee transaction using your PIN.
You may be promised a coupon on the spot for Rs 500 for an ice-cream parlor in the same mall!
The POS print may look like a legitimate charge-slip. You may even receive the coupon to be redeemed at the parlour.
A few days later you may find cash withdrawal debits from ATMs abroad or from anywhere in India.
By luring you with a Rs 500 ice cream coupon, fraudsters stole your card credentials through a skimmer and PIN logger bundled together to look like a POS machine.
2. Unexpected phone calls/ E-mails/ SMSes
If someone pretending to be your bank wants to solicit your card/ account/ personal and confidential information, they will try to snare you by advising or threatening you that unless you immediately confirmed some details, your account will be blocked or debit card cancelled.
Do not fall for this trick.
You must immediately call the phone banking number published by the bank (printed on the back of your card or on your account statement) to verify such solicitations.

3. Small amount debits/ credits from merchants
If you get a small amount debits/ credits from merchants that you do not identify or were not expecting ( especially in fractions, not a rounded amount), be wary as this could be a  test transaction carried out by fraudsters to see if they get a success message on a compromised card.
If you do not alert your bank or block your card, sooner or later, they will try a high value transaction to bleed you.
If you have still not figured out why you got the message for a fractional amount, it’s because the fraudsters transacted 1 unit of their home currency, which when converted into Indian currency, got posted in your account as fractional or unusual amount.
So if you saw a transaction from a Chinese Merchant for INR 10.237, it’s because the rogue merchant in China tried your card for one Chinese Yuan, which is approximately the value you saw charged to your card, in rupees !
4. Trash-hunting/ Dumpster diving
Be careful if you find your postal mails/ bank and financial statements intercepted, pilfered or tampered with or lying about your premises before you received those or after you discarded them.
Fraudsters may have been trying to glean your financial details to masquerade as if they were you.
This is their first step toward identity/account take-over.
The potential victim could be you or your family.
Always collect your mail regularly; don’t let your postal mailbox overflow.
If you are away for long, have a neighbour or someone trustworthy clear it for you. Remember to shred the financial records and bank statements that you no longer need.
5. Your debit card does not work suddenly
This may be because fraudsters have managed to get a replacement card issued in your name, but diverted it to their address.
Be wary if your existing card gets blocked and won't work.
Be smart and safe.
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Have You Heard? 10 Companies Where Everyone Works From Home

04:53
Have You Heard? 10 Companies Where Everyone Works From Home


These companies are offering their employees more flexibility than ever


A growing number of millennials want to work remotely, and fortunately for them, 170 companies in the U.S. operate 100 percent virtually these days. That number is up from 26 in 2014 according to FlexJobs, an online platform specializing in remote and flexible employment.

FlexJobs reports that the ability to work remotely, even part time, helps employees achieve a better work-life balance, and it therefore improves their overall health and wellness. It can also help workers save up to $4,000 a year with reduced spending on gas, parking, public transportation and dry-cleaning. Perhaps that's why, according to Gallup's State of the American Workplace survey, more than one-third of the respondents said they would change jobs in order to be able to work remotely some of the time.

And telecommuting doesn't only benefit the workers; companies can reap rewards from it too. Offering remote opportunities allows companies to work with top talent, regardless of location. And because those employees are likely to be happier in their jobs, it also leads to greater productivity, better performance and higher employee-retention rates. Likewise, it of course saves companies money in office expenses like equipment, amenities and more — plus rent and utilities if they choose to forgo an office altogether.

Technology is fueling the growth of fully virtual companies — tools such as SlackZoomDropbox and Quip, a document-sharing and editing platform, make it easier than ever to communicate with employees based anywhere and track their performance and workflow more accurately. Plus, according to Forbes, millennials, who are already very used to being connected online, are projected to be the majority of the U.S. workforce by 2020.

So, what companies are already fully remote?

1. Toptal

Toptal scouts the best freelance engineers and designers from anywhere in the world and vets their qualifications using a mix of proprietary software and online interviews. The company has grown to more than 400 core employees working in 60 different countries.

2. Automattic

Automattic is the team behind WordPress.com, WooCommerce, Jetpack, Simplenote, Longreads, VaultPress, Akismet, Gravatar, Polldaddy, Cloudup and more. It's a totally distributed company with 704 automatticians in 62 countries speaking 80 different languages. It makes sense that they're so expansive, given how necessary these sites are globally.

3. AnswerConnect

AnswerConnect is a live call-answering service. Whether companies need call-handling services after hours or all the time, AnswerConnect has a plan to fit any situation because it doesn't have a call center; rather, its employees all do their work from the comfort of their own homes.

4. InVision

InVision is a digital product design platform powering the world’s best user experiences. The company works with everything from Twitter to Vice to Netflix, so its success from work-from-home employees is obvious.

5. 10up

This web design and development consulting service describes its 120-plus-person team as "one big happy family" that just so happens to be distributed worldwide and stays connected with Slack, Google Hangout, and text.
6. Buffer

Buffer is a fully distributed team of more than 80 employees working in several different countries (see this employee time zones map!). The company's social media management tools are used by over 60,000 paying customers around the world.

7. Ghost

Ghost is a blogging platform behind the publishing efforts of organizations like NASA, Square and Graze. It's open source, free and customizable — and created almost entirely by volunteers from the nonprofit Ghost Foundation, which runs and organizes Ghost. The team of developers and other staff work online from all corners of the internet.

8. Hubstaff

This time-tracking tool is used by over 8,000 remote teams to track time and help with automatic payroll processing and attendance scheduling. The company was founded in 2012 by two entrepreneurs who wanted a better way to manage remote freelancers, so it makes sense that it's built by a totally remote team too.

9. Doist

Doist is the team behind Todoist, a popular productivity app that helps millions of people manage their tasks and projects. The company has been around since 2007, and its team members are spread across 20 different countries.

10. Knack

Knack is a cloud-based database tool with over 3,000 customers (like Harvard University and Tesla) that makes it easy for anyone to manage, share and utilize their data. Most use Knack for creating things like inventory managers and customer portals. The team behind it calls the internet its headquarters, but they still get together twice a year at retreats.
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Six Latest Changes EPF Account Holders Must Know

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Six Latest Changes EPF Account Holders Must Know

EFPO or Employees' Provident Fund Organisation has around six crore subscribers and manages a corpus of Rs 10 lakh crore. The retirement fund body receives over 1 crore claims every year including those pertaining to EPF withdrawal, pension fixation and insurance. The EPFO has been taking many steps for easing the process of claims settlement. While an employee's 12 per cent contribution goes toward EPF kitty, 8.33 per cent out of the total 12 per cent of the employer's contribution is invested in EPS or pension scheme. The balance 3.67 per cent is invested in EPF.
Here are six latest developments EPFO subscribers should know

1) Now, EPF claims above Rs. 10 lakh don't have to be filed online. The EPFO has revised its rules related to provident fund claims. In a circular dated April 13, EPFO said offline claims will also be accepted in all cases. EPFO subscribers have the option of filing online as well as manual claims for provident fund withdrawals.

2) Earlier, in a April 13 circular, EPFO had said that "in case the amount of claim settlement is above Rs. 10 lacs for PF claims and Rs. 5 lacs in respect of EPS withdrawal claims, the claim form must be accepted through online mode only." EPFO in the April 13 circular said that "considering the grievances raised by members, this stipulation will be kept in abeyance so that offline claims will also be accepted in all cases."
3) EPFO subscribers may soon get an option to increase or decrease investments out of their provident fund into stocks through exchange trade funds (ETF). The EPFO has been investing in stock markets through ETFs since August 2015. Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) are funds that track indexes such as Sensex and Nifty. In 2015-16, EPFO invested 5 per cent of its investible deposits which was subsequently increased to 10 per cent 2016-17 and 15 per cent in 2017-18.

4) In a recent meeting of Employees' Provident Fund Organisation's apex decision making body Central Board of Trustees (CBT), it was decided to explore the possibility of giving an option of enhancing equity allocation beyond mandated equity investment limit (presently 15 per cent) and also the option of reducing equity allocation below the limit to the subscribers.
5) EPF or Employee Provident Fund scheme would have two separate member account heads: Fixed Income - where fixed annual interest gets credited to members account - and Equity (ETF) - where investment in equity is reflected as units and the return is marked to market.
6) This accounting policy of investment in Exchange Traded Funds was recently approved by Central Board of Trustees or CBT, the apex decision body of EPFO or Employees' Provident Fund Organisation. 
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5 Investment Schemes With Low Risk And High Gain

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5 Investment Schemes With Low Risk And High Gain

Investments, where the element of risk is almost zero, can be called as safe investments. Stocks, mutual funds, insurance, and many more private savings schemes are available in the market, but there are a few schemes which ensure safety for investors.

These are five good bets for people who would not like to take risks.

1. Sukanya Samriddhi Account

Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana was launched by the government to encourage education of girl children. Sukanya Samriddhi Account can be opened at post offices and commercial banks. The investment made under this account is eligible for tax benefits under section 80C of the Income Tax Act. Sukanya Samriddhi Account has a very long-term holding tenure.

2. Post Office Time Deposit Account

Post Office Time Deposit Account is a good option for investors looking at building a corpus for both short and long-term. The investor can deposit money for a term and he or she will receive money with interest earned at the end of the term. The account can be opened for a minimum of 1 year and the maximum tenure is 5 years. Premature closure of account can be also availed. For 1 year, the investor will get 6.60 percent interest (compounded quarterly).

3. National Savings Certificate

People who are looking for a safe investment avenue can open a National Savings Certificate (NSC) by investing Rs 100 (or multiples of 100) as an initial investment and increase the amount when feasible. The government revises this rate every quarter. Investors can purchase NSC after furnishing the know your customer (KYC) documents. NSC only has cumulative interest payout option, and investments qualify for tax rebate under section 80C.

4. Sovereign Gold Bond

Investment in the yellow metal is deemed as a safe haven during financial uncertainties. Sovereign Gold Bond (SGB) is an alternative to holding physical gold. It is backed by the government and investors will be paid interest on the amount of initial investment at the rate notified by RBI. Apart from the interest, the SGB investors will be eligible for a 2.50 percent per annum payable semi-annually on the nominal value. Minimum investment in the bonds is one gram and the maximum limit of subscription is 500 grams per person per fiscal year (April-March).

5. National Pension Scheme

National Pension Scheme (NPS) is a retirement investment scheme managed by Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA). NPS investors can avail tax benefits under section 80CCD of the Income Tax Act. There are two types of accounts under NPS — Tier I and Tier II. In Tier I, the contribution made cannot be withdrawn and in Tier II, the contribution can be withdrawn anytime.
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5 Common Mistakes Every Taxpayer Should Take Care Of NOW

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5 Common Mistakes Every Taxpayer Should Take Care Of NOW

Are you a salaried person, but one of those who usually conceal a part of their income from the Income Tax Department in a bid to save tax? Then you have more reason to worry. For, the I-T Department has just warned the salaried class against using illegal means while filing their income tax returns (ITRs). Such violators will not only be prosecuted, but their employers will also be now asked to take action against them, it has said.
According to a PTI report, the Central Processing Centre (CPC) of the I-T Dept in Bengaluru, which processes ITRs, has advised the salaried class not to fall prey to unscrupulous intermediaries, who help them in preparing false claims in a bid to get income tax benefits.
It may be noted that some taxpayers follow the practice of either under-reporting their income or inflating deductions or exemptions to evade tax. However, such offences are punishable under the various provisions of the Income Tax Act.
As per the CPC advisory, the I-T Dept is now using an extensive risk analysis system which can easily identify taxpayers who are non-compliant. And in cases of high risk, the I-T Dept may examine and verify the ITR details, after the processing of tax returns.
It is clear, thus, that now you not only need to be tax-compliant, but also need to file your I-T returns carefully if you want to avoid the wrath of the taxmen.
 
However, any mismatch in your income and ITR details may arise not only because of not being tax-compliant, but also because of your ignorance and failure to report any income. Here are, therefore, some of the common inaccuracies every taxpayer must take care of now:
1. People changing the job should insure that they consider the income derived from all the employers while filing their tax return. The Tax Department already have this information based on TDS return filed by the employer and missing to report any such income can trigger inquiry against them.
2. Avoid claiming false deduction under chapter VI-A: There are a few tax professionals who try to lure the taxpayers by promising high refund and charge them 10-25% of their refund amount. These professionals indulge in inflating or making wrong claims under various sections of Chapter VI-A like, Tax Saving Investment u/s 80C, Education loan interest - u/s 80E, Deduction form Mediclaim policies - u/s 80D, Rajiv Gandhi Equity Saving Scheme - u/s 80CCG, Donations - u/s 80G, 80GGA, 80GGC or other deductions relating to disability or medical treatment of certain illness - u/s 80DD, 80DDB, 80U.
With linkage of Aadhaar and PAN to all your bank account, loan account, demat account, and insurance policies, the I-T Department may be able to digitally verify many of your claims with the data available with them. "In case of any discrepancy it can start investigation against the tax payer.
Recently the Tax Department has notified Centralised Communication Scheme, 2018 as per which Centralised Communication Centre shall issue a notice to any person requiring him to furnish information or documents for the purpose of verification of information in his possession. Based on these inquiry conducted, the Centralised Communication Centre may forward the outcome of such inquiry to the Assessing Officer for further action and if the AO is convinced that you have made false claim, then you may have to face penalties and prosecution under the I-T Act.
3. Many salaried tax payers while filing their tax return indulge in making false claims under section 10, viz. HRA, LTA, medical reimbursement, etc. Since last year the Tax Department has started comparing the data in the tax return with the income as reported in Form 16, Form 16A, Form 26AS.
The ITR Form released for Academic Year 2018-19 also requires the employees to give a break-up of their salary. ITR-1 utility for AY 2018-19 has also been amended. It now requires the employees to report their taxable salary, allowances, perquisites, etc. separately and then they have to give the details break-up of all exempt allowances in the exempt income section. So, if the department finds any major discrepancy in the claims made in the return as compared to the details in the Form-16/Form 26AS, it can trigger a tax notice for such tax payers.
4. If you are among those who are inflating the claim of housing loan interest, be careful as the tax department may ask you to submit the proof online and if it is found insufficient, then the claim may get rejected and penal action can be taken against you.
5. In the past a few taxpayers in a bid to save tax on their capital gains made false claims u/s 54, 54F, 54EC, etc. New the ITR Form requires submitting the details of the investment made under these sections. Further with the linkage of Aadhaar and PAN with property transactions and the financial account, it would be easy for the tax department to verify your claims electronically and if those are found incorrect, it can result in a sever action against you.
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10 Incomes You Need Not to Pay Any Tax On

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10 Incomes You Need Not to Pay Any Tax On

It is believed that death and taxes can't be avoided in life. There is also a common perception that only income falling under the basic exemption limit (ie, Rs 2,50,000 for individuals of less than 60 years) is tax free. However, very few people know that apart from this basic exemption limit, taxpayers also get tax benefits on certain incomes. Yes, you heard it right! The incomes which are tax free are governed by Section 10 of the Income Tax Act -- some of which are wholly exempt, while some are partly exempt.
Take a look at 10 incomes which are tax free, wholly or partly:
1. Income from Gratuity:

As per section 10(10) of the Income Tax Act, if an employee of the Central Government, State Government or local authority, on death or retirement, receives gratuity, then it is fully exempt from tax. However, in case of a private sector employee, gratuity received from one's employer is exempt from tax up to a maximum of Rs 10 lakh, subject to conditions specified under the Income Tax Act. Good news is that the government is going to enhance the ceiling of tax-free gratuity to Rs 20 lakh from Rs 10 lakh soon, and Lok Sabha has already passed the related bill.
2. Amount received under Voluntary Retirement:

As per Section 10(10C) of the Income Tax Act, if a person receives any compensation at the time of voluntary retirement or termination of his service, then such amount shall be exempt from tax, but subject to the limit of Rs 5,00,000. The compensation amount, which is received under this scheme, is determined in accordance with guidelines prescribed under Rule 2BA of Income-Tax Rules, 1962.
Unlike gratuity, which is exempt for government employees without any limit, the voluntary retirement scheme is taxable for the government employees over and above Rs 5,00,000. One thing to be kept in mind is that this exemption can be availed only once in a lifetime i.e. once allowed for any assessment year, then no exemption shall be allowed for any other assessment year.
Further, where any relief u/s 89 has been availed of in respect of the amount received under the voluntary retirement scheme, no exemption under Section 10(10C) shall be allowed in that relation. In other words, an individual can claim either exemption under Section 10(10C) or relief u/s 89, but not both together.

3. Allowance for foreign services:

As per Section 10(7) of the Income Tax Act, if an Indian resident renders services outside the country and receives any perquisites outside the country, then it is tax free. This section specifically exempts the allowances for government servants which they might receive when working outside India.

4. Dividend income from shares & equity-oriented mutual funds:

As per section 10 (34) of the Income Tax Act, any dividend received from investing in the shares of an Indian company is not liable to tax up to Rs 10 lakh. The reason for the same is that the I-T department has already received tax from the company on that income. Likewise, dividend income from an equity-oriented mutual fund is also exempt from tax.

5. Agricultural Income:

India is primarily an agrarian economy. So, as per Section 10 (1) of Income Tax Act, agriculture income in terms of rent or from any agriculture produce is exempt from tax. The objective of this move is to encourage the agricultural sector. However, "agricultural income exceeding Rs 5,000 will have to be added to one's total income for the determination of the income-tax slab of the individual. Further, any capital gain on the sale of an agricultural land in a rural area is not chargeable to tax as per section 2(14) of the Income Tax Act. Additionally, as per section 10(37) of the Act, compulsory acquisition of agricultural land is exempt from tax. 

6. Pension received by certain awardee:

As per section 10(18) of the I-T Act, income received by an individual or any member of his family by the way of pension or family pension is exempt from tax if such individual has been in service of the Central/state government and has been awarded Param Vir Chakra or Maha Vir Chakra or Vir Chakra or any such other gallantry award.

7. Share from a partnership firm:

As per Section 10(2A), for a partner in a partnership firm the share of his income from the total income of the firm is completely exempt from income tax. In simple words, you will not have to pay any tax on your share of profits from a partnership firm.
For this purpose, the partner and the firm are separately assessed and tax is levied on the income of the firm as a whole keeping the partner out of the purview of tax in respect of his share only. However, interest income, remuneration etc are taxable for partners as per the provisions of the Income Tax Law.

8. Receipts from Hindu Undivided Family:

As per Section 10(2) of the Income Tax Act, if you are a member of a Hindu Undivided Family (HUF) and receive or inherit any money then it is exempted from income tax. The provisions state that if any amount is received out of family income or out of impartible estate by the member of such HUF, then it is exempt from tax.
 9. Interest received from government notified bonds:

The government issues some specified bonds to raise money for infrastructure projects. As per section 10(15) of the Income Tax Act, the income that you earn from such bonds is exempt from tax. Further, unlike interest that you will receive on these bonds, the gains made by selling these bonds before maturity is taxable as capital gains.
10. Life insurance receipts on maturity:

If you receive any amount under a life insurance policy specified under section 10(10D) of the Act, then it is exempt from tax. However, the premium paid should not exceed the prescribed limits in respect of actual capital sum assured. The limit is as under:
For policies issued until March 2012, the premium can't exceed 20 per cent of the actual sum assured and for policies issued on or after April 1, 2012, the premium can't exceed 10 per cent of the actual sum assured. If the amount received during the financial year is more than Rs 1 lakh and the premium exceeds the above limits, then tax deducted at source (TDS) at the rate of 1 per cent will also be applicable.
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