Income Tax Circular 2019 – Tax Deduction from Salaries with Illustrations

Income tax Circular 2018-19 (Assessment Year 2019-2020) for Salaried Employees

Method of Tax Calculation, Relief When Salary Paid in Arrear or Advance, Income from house property, Adjustment for Excess or Shortfall of Deduction and Salary Paid in Foreign Currency

Income Tax deduction at source from salaries as per Section 192 of Income Tax Act, 1961

SECTION 192 OF THE INCOME-TAX ACT, 1961: BROAD SCHEME OF TAX
DEDUCTION AT SOURCE FROM “SALARIES”:

Method of Tax Calculation

Every person who is responsible for paying any income chargeable under the head “Salaries” shall deduct income-tax on the estimated income of the assessee under the head “Salaries” for the financial year 2018-19.

The income-tax is required to be calculated on the basis of the rates given above, subject to the provisions related to requirement to furnish PAN as per sec 206AA of the Act, and shall be deducted at the time of each payment.

No tax, however, will be required to be deducted at source in a case unless the estimated salary income including the value of perquisites, for the financial year exceeds Rs. 2,50,000/- or Rs.3,00,000/- or Rs. 5,00,000/-, as the case may be, depending upon the age of the employee.(Some typical illustrations of computation of tax are given at Annexure-I).

Payment of Tax on Perquisites by Employer

An option has been given to the employer to pay the tax on non-monetary perquisites given to an employee.

The employer may, at its option, make payment of the tax on such perquisites himself without making any TDS from the salary of the employee.

However, the employer will have to pay the tax at the time when such tax was otherwise deductible i.e. at the time of payment of income chargeable under the head – salaries‖ to the employee.

Computation of Average Income Tax

For the purpose of making the payment of tax mentioned in para 3.2 above, tax is to be determined at the average of income tax computed on the basis of rate in force for the financial year, on the income chargeable under the head “salaries”, including the value of perquisites for which tax has been paid by the employer himself.

Illustration

The income chargeable under the head ―salaries‖ of an employee below sixty years of age for the year inclusive of all perquisites is Rs. 4,50,000/-, out of which, Rs. 50,000/- is on account of non-monetary perquisites and the employer opts to pay the tax on such perquisites as per the provisions discussed in para 3.2 above.

STEPS:

The tax so paid by the employer shall be deemed to be TDS made from the salary of the employee.

Salary From More Than One Employer

Section 192(2) deals with situations where an individual is working under more than one employer or has changed from one employer to another.

It provides for deduction of tax at source by such employer (as the tax payer may choose) from the aggregate salary of the employee, who is or has been in receipt of salary from more than one employer.

The employee is now required to furnish to the present/chosen employer details of the income under the head “Salaries” due or received from the former/other employer and also tax deducted at source therefrom, in writing and duly verified by him and by the former/other employer.

The present/chosen employer will be required to deduct tax at source on the aggregate amount of salary (including salary received from the former or other employer).

Relief When Salary Paid in Arrear or Advance

Under section 192(2A) where the assessee, being a Government servant or an employee in a company, co-operative society, local authority, university, institution, association or body is entitled to the relief under Section 89 he may furnish to the person responsible for making the payment referred to in Para (3.1), such particulars in Form No. 10E duly verified by him, and thereupon the person responsible, as aforesaid, shall compute the relief on the basis of such particulars and take the same into account in making the deduction under Para(3.1) above.

Here – university means a university established or incorporated by or under a Central, State or Provincial Act, and includes an institution declared under Section 3 of the University Grants Commission Act, 1956 to be a university for the purpose of that Act.

With effect from 1/04/2010 (AY 2010-11), no such relief shall be granted in respect of any amount received or receivable by an assessee on his voluntary retirement or termination of his service, in accordance with any scheme or schemes of voluntary retirement or in the case of a public sector company referred to in section 10(10C)(i) (read with Rule 2BA), a scheme of voluntary separation, if an exemption in respect of any amount received or receivable on such voluntary retirement or termination of his service or voluntary separation has been claimed by the assessee under section 10(10C) in respect of such, or any other, assessment year.

Information regarding Income under any other head

(i) Section 192(2B) enables a taxpayer to furnish particulars of income under any head other than “Salaries” ( not being a loss under any such head other than the loss under the head ― Income from house property‖) received by the taxpayer for the same financial year and of any tax deducted at source thereon.

The particulars may now be furnished in a simple statement, which is properly signed and verified by the taxpayer in the manner as prescribed under Rule 26B(2) of the Rules and shall be annexed to the simple statement.

The form of verification is reproduced as under:

I, …………………. (name of the assessee), do declare that what is stated above is true to the best of my information and belief.

It is reiterated that the DDO can take into account any loss only under the head ―Income from house property‖. Loss under any other head cannot be considered by the DDO for calculating the amount of tax to be deducted.

It may be noted that loss under the head “Income from house property” can be set off only up to Rs. 2.00 lakh with the income under any other head of income in view of the amendment to section 71 of the Act vide Finance Act, 2017. Hence, loss under the head

“Income from house property” in excess of Rs. 2.00 lakh is to be ignored for calculating the amount of tax deduction.

Computation of income under the head ‘Income from house property’

While taking into account the loss from House Property, the DDO shall ensure that the employee files the declaration referred to above and encloses therewith a computation of such loss from house property.

Following details shall be obtained and kept by the employer in respect of loss claimed under the head ― Income from house property‖ separately for each house property:

• a) Gross annual rent/value
• b) Municipal Taxes paid, if any
• c) Deduction claimed for interest paid, if any
• d) Other deductions claimed
• e) Address of the property

The DDO shall also ensure furnishing of the evidence or particulars in Form No. 12BB in respect of deduction of interest as specified in Rule 26C read with section 192 (2D).

Conditions for Claim of Deduction of Interest on Borrowed Capital for Computation of Income From House Property [Section 24(b)]

Section 24(b) of the Act allows deduction from income from houses property on interest on borrowed capital as under:-

(i) the deduction is allowed only in case of house property which is owned and is in the occupation of the employee for his own residence.

However, if it is actually not occupied by the employee in view of his place of the employment being at other place, his residence in that other place should not be in a building belonging to him.

(ii) the quantum of deduction allowed as per table below:

In case of Serial No. 3 above

(a) The acquisition or construction of the house should be completed within 5 years from the end of the FY in which the capital was borrowed.

Hence, it is necessary for the DDO to have the completion certificate of the house property against which deduction is claimed either from the builder or through self-declaration from the employee.

(b) Further any prior period interest for the FYs upto the FY in which the property was acquired or constructed (as reduced by any part of interest allowed as deduction under any other section of the Act) shall be deducted in equal installments for the FY in question and subsequent four FYs.

(c) The employee has to furnish before the DDO a certificate from the person to whom any interest is payable on the borrowed capital specifying the amount of interest payable.

In case a new loan is taken to repay the earlier loan, then the certificate should also show the details of Principal and Interest of the loan so repaid.

As discussed in para 4.6.5 section 192(2D) read with rule 26C makes it mandatory for the DDO to obtain following details/evidences in respect of Interest deductible.
(i) Interest payable or paid
(ii) Name of the lender
(iii) Address of the lender
(iv) PAN of the lender

PAN of the lender being financial institution or employer, is mandatory if it is available with the employee however in case of other lender obtaining of PAN is mandatory by the DDO.

Adjustment for Excess or Shortfall of Deduction

The provisions of Section 192(3) allow the deductor to make adjustments for any excess or shortfall in the deduction of tax already made during the financial year, in subsequent deductions for that employee within that financial year itself.

Salary Paid in Foreign Currency

For the purposes of deduction of tax on salary payable in foreign currency, the value in rupees of such salary shall be calculated at the “Telegraphic transfer buying rate” of such currency as on the date on which tax is required to be deducted at source ( see Rule 26).