- Allowances and Their Benefits
- What is an Allowance?
- Fully Taxable Allowances
- Partly Taxable Allowances
- Wholly Exempt Allowances
Allowances and Their Benefits
Allowances are financial benefits granted by employers to employees in addition to their regular income. Some allowances are entirely taxable under the head salary, whereas others are partially taxable or non-taxable.
Individuals earning a salary and those making other sorts of income in India have various tax requirements. For them, e-filing income tax is a godsend. They must, however, report their pay income on a form, either online or offline, to file their returns, and knowledge of allowances paid by employers to cover various costs can help them file their returns.
What is an Allowance?
Allowances are financial benefits granted by employers to employees in addition to their regular income. Some allowances are entirely taxable under the head salary, whereas others are partially taxable or non-taxable.
Individuals earning a salary and those making other sorts of income in India have various tax requirements. For them, e-filing income tax is a godsend. They must, however, report their pay income on a form, either online or offline, to file their returns, and knowledge of allowances paid by employers to cover various costs can help them file their returns.
Fully Taxable Allowances
- Dearness Benefit (DA): Dearness Allowance (DA) is a cost-of-living adjustment allowance granted to employees to help them cope with inflation. Employees’ DA is fully taxable together with their salary. According to the Income Tax Act, the tax liability for DA and compensation must be reported in the filed return.
- Entertainment Allowance: Employees are entitled to the lesser of one-fifth of their primary income, the actual amount received as an allowance, or Rs. 5,000. This is a stipend given to staff to reimburse them for expenses related to client hospitality. Employees of the government, on the other hand, can seek an exemption following section 16. (ii).
- Overtime Payment: Employers may pay employees an overtime allowance if they work beyond their regular work hours. This is referred to as overtime, and any compensation received for it is entirely taxable.
- City Compensatory Allowance: City Compensatory Allowance is a stipend granted to employees in high-cost metropolitan areas to help them cope with rising living costs. This is a fully taxed benefit.
- Interim Allowance: Any Interim Allowance given by an employer in place of a final allowance is wholly taxed.
- Overtime Payment: Employers may pay employees an overtime allowance if they work beyond their regular work hours. This is referred to as overtime, and any compensation received for it is entirely taxable.
- City Compensatory Allowance: City Compensatory Allowance is a stipend granted to employees in high-cost metropolitan areas to help them cope with rising living costs. This is a fully taxed benefit.
- Interim Allowance: Any Interim Allowance given by an employer in place of a final allowance is wholly taxed.
- Project Allowance: When a company offers employees a stipend to cover project costs, it is ultimately taxed.
- Overtime Payment: Employers may pay employees an overtime allowance if they work beyond their regular work hours. This is referred to as overtime, and any compensation received for it is entirely taxable.
- City Compensatory Allowance: City Compensatory Allowance is granted to employees who work in a high-cost urban area to help them cope with rising living costs. This is a fully taxed benefit.
- Interim Allowance: Any Interim Allowance given by an employer in place of a final allowance is wholly taxed.
- Project Allowance: When a company offers employees a stipend to cover project costs, it is fully taxable.
- Tiffin/Meals Allowance: Employers may offer Tiffin/Meals Allowance to their employees on occasion. This is an entirely taxable item.
- Cash Allowance: When an employer gives a cash allowance, such as a wedding allowance, a bereavement allowance, or a vacation allowance, it is ultimately taxed.
- Non-Practising Allowance: Any non-practising allowance paid to physicians attached to Clinical Centers of various Laboratories/Institutes becomes completely taxable.
- Warden Allowance: When an employer provides a subsidy to an employee working as a Warden (also known as a Keeper) in an educational institute, the allowance is fully taxable.
- Servant Allowance: An allowance paid by an employer to an employee to engage the services of a servant is taxable.
Partly Taxable Allowances
Employees’ allowance for meeting expenses connected to the employer’s business is not taxable in the employee’s hands to the degree they are expended. Travelling Allowance, Conveyance Allowance, Helper Allowance, Uniform Allowance, and other allowances fall under this category. Specific limits are exempt.
The deduction is limited to the amount specified for the following allowances.
- Transport allowance for the transport system employees: 70% of such allowance or Rs. 10,000 per month, whichever of the two is lower.
- Underground allowance of Rs. 800 per month
- Children’s Education Allowance Rs. 100 per child per month for a maximum of two children
- Children’s Education Allowance Rs. 100 per child per month for a maximum of two children
Here are the main types of partly taxable allowances:
- HRA (House Rent Allowance): When a company pays an allowance for an employee’s housing, this is referred to as HRA (House Rent Allowance). The smaller of the three amounts can be claimed for tax exemption under section 10 (13A):
- HRA is based on the employee’s real earnings.
- Rent paid based on actuals minus 10% of basic salary
- As much as 50% of basic income in metros, such as Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, or Kolkata, or 40% of basic salary if the accommodation is in a non-metro. After claiming the deduction, any amount of House Rent Allowance received is taxable.
- Fixed Medical Allowance: This is a stipend paid by the employer when an employee or family member becomes ill and incurs medical expenses. If the amount of such reimbursement exceeds Rs.15,000 per year, it is taxable.
- Special Allowance: A special allowance granted to employees is covered under section 14(i) and is not considered a perk. It is primarily taxable for the performance of a duty.
Wholly Exempt Allowances
Some allowances, such as those paid to government officials, judges, and UNO personnel, are not taxed. These are the following:
- Allowances provided to Government of India servants serving abroad: Allowances paid to Government of India servants serving abroad are tax-free.
- Sumptuary allowances: Sumptuary allowances awarded to HC and SC justices are exempt from taxation.
- Allowance paid by UNO: Allowances received by UNO employees are entirely tax-free.
- Judges’ compensating allowance: The compensation payment received by a judge is not taxable.