When you file your I-T Return, the income on which you must pay tax is first established, and then the tax amount is calculated using the rates in effect for that year. Individual taxpayers' rates are determined by the income slabs into which they fall. Up to a specific level, income is not taxed, and this amount is known as the maximum exemption limit. This amount varies depending on whether the taxpayer is a regular resident or a senior citizen. Aside from the direct reduction in tax liability, older folks are also eligible for a variety of additional incentives that lower their tax liability.
Residents who are senior citizens are usually people who have retired from their jobs and have distinct income patterns than others. They earn this money either via previous service or through savings from their wages while working. The taxation and deductions available to older adults are mostly based on the earnings that they make and the demands that they have as they age. Taxation of retirement benefits, on the other hand, is a must-know topic for taxpayers who have retired after reaching the age of retirement. This article aims to familiarise seniors with the many tax benefits to which they are eligible. These tax advantages are in addition to those provided to resident taxpayers.
What does it mean to be a senior citizen?
For income tax purposes, a senior citizen is someone who has reached the age of 60 but is under the age of 80.
What does it mean to be a very senior citizen or a super senior citizen?
A senior citizen is defined as someone who has reached the age of 80 or older for income tax purposes.
Senior citizens and super-senior citizens receive tax advantages.
1. Enhanced Maximum Exemption Limit: For ordinary individual taxpayers, the tax is calculated on taxable income above INR 250,000; however, senior citizens must pay tax only when their income exceeds INR 300,000, and super-senior people must pay tax only when their income exceeds INR 500,000. This implies that if a senior citizen's gross income is less than INR 300,000, he is not required to pay any tax or file an I-T Return. The super-senior citizens have a maximum of 500,000/-.
2. No Tax Payment in Advance
Any taxpayer who owes more than INR 10,000 in taxes is obligated to pay advance tax in the fiscal year in which the income is generated. If you are a senior citizen or super-senior citizen who does not have any income from a company or profession, you will not be required to pay any advance tax, and no interest will be charged on that account while you pay self-assessment tax and file your I-T Return.
3. Interest income is subject to a higher deduction and is free from TDS.
In most cases, you can deduct interest on savings bank accounts up to INR 10,000/-, but there is no deduction for interest on fixed deposits. However, this maximum is lowered to INR 50,000/- for senior people and super-senior citizens, and unlike in other cases, this deduction applies to both savings bank account and fixed deposit interest. As a result, banks are not required to withhold TDS on interest income earned by elderly people and super-senior citizens up to this maximum. More information may be found here.
4. An overabundance of deductions for health insurance and medical expenditures
The deduction for health insurance premiums for taxpayers who are not senior citizens is 25,000/-, which includes 5000/- for preventative health check-ups. This ceiling is increased to 50,000/- for elderly and super-senior persons. This includes a sum of INR 5000/- for preventative health examinations.
5. Deduction for health insurance and medical costs that is excessive
The deduction for medical treatment of selected conditions for taxpayers who are not senior citizens is INR 40,000/-. This ceiling is increased to INR 100,000 for elderly and super-senior persons. Dementia, Parkinson's disease, Chorea, and malignant tumours, among other conditions, are included in the Income-tax laws.
Comments