Time to submit investment proofs to your employer for tax deductions? Here’s the guide

Did you just receive a mail saying “The last reminder for income tax proof submission?” Is that why you are on the internet? Trying to fathom tax laws of the land? Don’t worry! We are here to take you through some common things you should keep in mind while collating documents for tax return.

What is investment proof submission form and why are you being asked to submit it?

Do you remember submitting a declaration at the beginning of the fiscal year estimating the number of investments you plan to make during the course of the year? Well, now is the time to submit investment proofs while filing returns and prove that you actually made those promised investments. If you don’t submit the investment proofs, your employer would deduct the higher tax from your remaining salaries.

Related: Things you didn’t know about saving tax [Infographic]

What are the investments and expenses that you can you claim for tax deduction?

Here is a look at some of the instruments widely used to claim tax deductions.

Section 80C

The most common deduction is u/s 80C of the Act which has a limit of Rs. 150,000 per fiscal year. To claim this, you can invest in any of the following:

1. Notified government savings/deposit schemes or term deposits (greater than 5 years). 
2. Unit Linked Insurance Plans (ULIP), Equity Linked Insurance Plans
3. ELSS, Mutual Funds (as prescribed under the Act)
4. Life insurance premium
5. Principal repayment of housing loans
6. Payment of tuition fees of up to 2 children

For detailed information about more options, refer to the table below.

The combined value of all investments u/s 80C cannot exceed Rs. 150,000 and you need to submit proofs for Section 80C investments. In case you can’t submit the investment proof to your employer, you can claim these deductions later when you file your income tax returns.

Did you know that Employees Provident Fund is also exempt from tax under Section 80C? If you are looking at investing only from the standpoint of saving tax, then remove the EPF amount from 1.5 lakh and invest the remaining amount.

Section 80D

You can avail deduction on medical insurance premium u/s 80D of the Act with a varying limit of Rs 25,000 to Rs 1,00,000 claimable basis the dependents including spouse and parents and the age of all policyholders.

This limit includes a maximum threshold deduction of an aggregate of Rs. 5000 spent on preventive health check-ups of the individual, his/her spouse and his/her children.

HRA

HRA is a part of a person’s salary and can be fully claimed as a deduction. In order to do so, you need to submit a copy of the rent receipts to the employer. In case the rent paid exceeds Rs 100,000 then it is mandatory to provide the landlord's PAN and a rental agreement.

Even if an employer does not provide HRA, and employee can claim an exemption by filing a declaration through Form 10BA, making him/ her eligible for an exemption up to a maximum limit of Rs 24,000.

Section 24

Under this section, if you’ve availed loan for purchase or repair of your house, the interest on the home loan is allowed as a deduction. The total amount allowed towards this deduction for a self-occupied house is Rs 2,00,000. In case you’ve rented your house, the entire interest is allowed as deduction under section 24.

Related: How does insurance help you save tax?

Can you add other income apart from salary income?

The employee also has an option to submit details of his income apart from the salary thereby requesting the current employer to withhold taxes on the same. The employee can also submit a copy of his tax computation/ pay slips provided by the previous employer (in case dual employment in the same fiscal year). This saves the employee from the hassle of paying/calculating advance tax, however, the employee must submit adequate supporting documents such as interest certificates (for interest) or rent agreement (for rental income) to substantiate the income offered.

Do I need to submit any documents or proofs with my tax return?

With the complete digitisation of Income Tax filing, you don’t need to submit any proofs or supporting documents to the Income-tax Department. However you will need to furnish relevant documents to your employer to claim deductions.

Investment Proofs: Investment and expense documents needed to claim deductions