There are several effective measures that can be undertaken by an individual to curb tax payments every financial year.Showing receipts for children’s school fees for instance can be a way to get exempted from tax payments as there are provisions for such exemptions under the Income Tax Act of 1961.
Education is becoming increasingly expensive in India with school fees often costing as much as 7,500 INR annually. This means that the average amount of money spent on a child’s education for 10 years runs into as much as 1 lakh, Professional courses are known to charge even more money, and parents often spend more than 1 lakh a year in order to ensure a quality education for their children.
It is worthwhile therefore to avail the tax benefits that are made available specifically on tuition fees that are paid towards the education of a child. To know more about such provisions the following points need to be borne in mind.
There are several provisions under section 80 c of the Indian Income Tax of 1961 for the deduction of tax on education or tuition fees that are paid by parents in order to educate their children. Tax payers may avail deductions of an amount as much as 1.5 lakh INR with several other investments also being eligible for such a rebate.
It is possible for parents to claim tuition fees that they end up paying for their children’s education as tax deduction making sure they are able to save tax even they do not have access to any other tax relief measure. In fact it is possible for parents to actually claim the exact amount of money that they paid as fee within a specific financial year.
Tax payers who are interested in claiming tax deductions on education or tuition fees needs to make sure that they meet the following criterion:
Educational Institution attended by the Child should be well affiliated
The university, college or school where the child has studied should be one that has necessary affiliations.
Tax claims can be made only for Full Time Course Fees
Tax deductions can be availed only on tuitions fees that are paid towards educating the child of the tax-paying individual. If the tax payer wants to educate himself further or wants to sponsor the education of his spouse then the money he spends on this may not be claimed as tax deductions.
Maximum Deduction Limit is 1.5 Lakh
Tax Benefits on Education or Tuition Fees meant only for Individual Tax Payers
It is only individual tax payers who can avail tax benefits on the payment of tuition fee. Corporate and Hindu Undivided Families are not eligible for such deductions.
Tax Exemption Provisions under Section 10 on Tuition Fees
What are the Payments that are not eligible for any Tax Deduction?
There are several financial components in the education of a child such as the cost of uniforms, books, pens and pencils and tuition fees. Many educational institutes these days are known to charge an extra amount of money for a wide range of additional services the cost of which can run into thousands and thousands of rupees.
The provisions under Section 80 c make it clear that it is only the money that is paid as tuition fee for a child’s education that can be claimed for tax deduction at the financial year end. Other related costs such as the cost of private tuition or donations made to educational institutions are never eligible for tax deductions.
Some of the other exemptions that can be made available are library costs, transportation charges and hostel fees. Tax deductions can also not be claimed on courses that are undertaken through correspondence or distance educational programmes.
How Can Tax Deductions be claimed on Children’s Tuition Fee?
The process of claiming a tax deduction on the tuition fee that is paid for a child’s education every month or in every year is not a long drawn out one at all. All that a tax payer has to do is to file for a tax return or refund once the remaining tax dues if any have been paid.
Tax returns can be filed online in a smooth and efficient manner. Those filing tax returns are given a window of as many as one or two years after the tax payment due date to get their paperwork done and submitted.
In order to determine the amount of deduction that is to be claimed, tax payers can make use of a tax refund calculator that is available online. Such calculators are easy to use and may also be accessed for free.
While the paperwork associated with filing tax returns requires care and attention it is not likely to make things complicated. A number of receipts have to be provided at the time of claiming tax returns including the receipts of children’s school fees or college fees, hostel fees etc.
Pros |
Cons |
Paperwork gets submitted in a timely fashion Returns can be filed from the comfort of the home or office Quicker implementation of tax refund |
Access to high speed internet needed when filing returns as IT website tends to slow down quite a bit Greater chances of making errors when filing returns online |
Buying Life Insurance or Medical Insurance Policies
Another excellent way of claiming tax benefits is to purchase life insurance policies or medical insurance policies. Tax deductions can be claimed on premiums that are paid for life insurance policies under section 80 D of the Income Tax Act while deductions may be claimed on premiums paid towards medical insurance policies under section 80 c.
The policies that are purchased for this purpose are those that should be in operation for a good 10 to 12 years at least.
†Policybazaar does not endorse, rate or recommend any particular insurer or insurance product offered by any insurer. This list of plans listed here comprise of insurance products offered by all the insurance partners of Policybazaar. The sorting is based on past 10 years’ fund performance (Fund Data Source: Value Research). For a complete list of insurers in India refer to the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India website, www.irdai.gov.in
*All savings are provided by the insurer as per the IRDAI approved insurance plan.
^The tax benefits under Section 80C allow a deduction of up to ₹1.5 lakhs from the taxable income per year and 10(10D) tax benefits are for investments made up to ₹2.5 Lakhs/ year for policies bought after 1 Feb 2021. Tax benefits and savings are subject to changes in tax laws.
¶Long-term capital gains (LTCG) tax (12.5%) is exempted on annual premiums up to 2.5 lacs.
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