How to Calculate Income Tax on Salary with Example

How to Calculate Income Tax on Salary: Income Tax calculation in India is a complex process, and even the mention of it intimidates people, especially those who have no taxation background. But the calculation of income tax does not have to be complex. Without the required information, it is apparent that one will end up either paying less tax or paying more tax. For this reason, one should have the required knowledge regarding income tax and the calculation of income tax.

The absence of knowledge is the primary reason why most people avoid doing taxes. The process of calculating and managing income tax on salary is mentioned below.

What is the income tax?
Essential terms for calculating income tax
Tax saving tools
Deductions made under section 80
Calculation of the income tax
Conclusion

What is Income Tax?

According to the Income Tax Act, each individual receiving a salary must pay an amount known as income tax on their respective salary to the country. The government has made several amendments and exceptions with subsections mentioning tax payment, computation, and deduction to the law. After withdrawing the available tax-saving provisions and speculations, the final amount is given to the government as the income tax on salary.

Essential Terms for Calculating Income Tax

One should consider some basic terms should while calculating the income tax. They are listed below:

The tax year

The prior fiscal year for which the income tax is calculated is known as the tax year. From 1st April, the fiscal year begins and ends on the 31st March of the following year. For example, if one calculates their income tax for the year 2020, they need to include their salary income from 1st April 2019 to 31st March 2020.

Assessment year

The assessment year is a broad term, but most people confuse it with the fiscal year, which is very improper since both of them are entirely different. An assessment year begins after the prior fiscal year is over. The year’s calculation when an individual’s income tax for the last fiscal year is known as the assessment year. For example, if one calculates their salary income tax for the fiscal year 2019-20, their assessment year will be 2020-21, and the last date for Income Tax efiling their I.T.R. will be July 2020.

Salary breakup

The initial step is to get hold of the individual’s salary breakup before calculating income tax on salary. From the salary slip or salary statement, one can get hold of their salary breakup. If one fails to provide the salary slips or opinions, then one should go to their H.R. and ask for them. One will have good knowledge of the basic salary structure and will understand the significant components just by taking a good and close look at the slip or the statement. Tax deductions on paycheck like House Rent Allowance or H.R.A., Dearness Allowance or DA, etc., which are available to an individual, will help them calculate income tax.

Taxable income

After getting the salary breakup, one will have to calculate their taxable income. The income on which tax needs to be paid, including all other income apart from salary, is known as taxable income.

Taxable Income = Gross Income – Deductions

Source of Income with description

Income from Salary: The income that one receives from their job, like salary, allowance, leave encashment, etc.
Income from Property: The income one receives from a house or land (rented or self-occupied).
Income from Business or Profession: The income that one earns from a part-time job or profession.
Income from Gains: The income that one earns from the sale of a capital asset
Income from other sources: Income received from any other source, like earnings from a fixed deposit, gifts, pensions, etc.

Deductions

The income tax comprises paying money to the government and includes the savings one makes due to the deduction in the income tax. Under section 80 of the Income Tax, the deductions are available. These deductions are deducted from net income to get the reduced taxable income.

Taxable Income = Gross Income – Deductions

(The summation of all income from every source is known as gross income.)

One needs to have a thorough knowledge of Section 80C to calculate the taxable income. All types of deductions, like mutual fund returns, investments made on mutual funds, life insurance policies, interest on savings, N.S.C., P.P.F., S.I.P.s, etc.

Home loans, etc. According to the latest tax regime, per year, one’s deductions can go up to 2.5 lakhs. So, therefore, one can save a lot on their annual income if they plan their investments smartly.

T.D.S.

Tax Deducted at Source or T.D.S. states that the tax one has to pay is directly reduced from their salary. A refund is available on T.D.S., so if excess T.D.S. has been deducted by mistake, then it’ll be refunded. Employees use T.D.S. to maintain a hassle-free tax design. Banks also use T.D.S. If one finds any inconsistency in the amount deducted, they can get a refund by showing the proper documents.

The payable tax calculation

After the reduction of all the applicable deductions and T.D.S., the amount calculated is the final tax amount that has to be paid to the Indian government. Payment of income tax is not required if anyone’s total income is less than 2.5 lakhs. Beyond this amount, everyone is liable to pay income tax according to their income slab.

For a salaried individual who is under the age of 60 years, the tax rate is:

If the net income is lower than 2.5 lakhs, then payment of tax is not needed.
If the income slab is between 2.5 and 5 lakhs, then 10% is paid as a tax rate.
If the income slab is between 5 and 10 lakhs, then 20% is paid as a tax rate.
If the income slab is above 10 lakhs, 30% of the amount is to be paid as a tax rate.

Tax Saving Tools

Every citizen desires to increase their income and decrease the amount of tax they pay, and specific methods help you get what you want. These methods are known as tax saving methods, and they help an individual save money for their future and save a significant amount on income tax. Some of the most popular tax savings tools are mentioned below:

ELSS

Equity Linked Savings Schemes or ELSS is a specific equity mutual fund with a lock-in period of 3 years and is offered by every mutual fund company. It falls under section 80C of the Income Tax Act of 1961 and is exempted for up to 1.5 lakhs. ELSS does not have a fixed return rate since it is based on market changes and it keeps changing frequently, but the returns are tax-free, which is why a vast number of people prefer investment in ELSS.

PPF

PPF stands for the Public Provident Fund. It is a government scheme with a lock-in period of 15 years, which can also be extended by a block of 5 years. It has been the most preferred investment method and tax savings for millions of people. The minimum limit for investing in P.P.F. is INR 500 annually, while the maximum limit is 1.5 lakhs annually. It also provides interest at a fixed rate of 7.9%. For people who dislike volatility in investments and want to invest in safe options, P.P.F. is the best choice.

ULIP

ULIP stands for The Unit Linked Insurance Plan. It is a combination of insurance and market-linked investments providing protection and savings with a lock-in period of 5 years. The authority can extend the lock-in period by up to 15 to 20 years. ULIP provides nine fund options between which an investor can switch any time they want, and the returns are also completely tax-free.

Deductions Made Under Section 80

Under section 80 of the Act, many deductions are available, which help an individual to bring their taxable income down by reducing the payable tax.

These deductions are as under:

Deduction under Section	The maximum limit	Deductions availed under
Section 80C	1,50,000	ELSS, ULIP, N.S.C., the Employee share of Provident Fund, L.I.C. Premium, Tuition fees for children, Home loan principal repayment, 5-year deposit scheme, purchase of a deferred annuity, Saving system for senior citizens, Setting up a pension fund by U.T.I. or mutual fund, annuity plan of L.I.C., Subscription to the scheme of Home Loan Account by the National Housing Bank and subscription to notified bonds of NABARD, Deposit scheme subscription of a company engaged in providing housing finance or public sector.
80CCC	N/A	On the amount deposited for a pension fund in the annual plan of L.I.C. or any other insurance plan.
80CCD (1)	1,50,000	Contribution of an employee to NPS account.
80CCD (2)	10% salary	Contribution of an employer to NPS account.
80CCDD (1B)	50,000	Any other contribution by an employee to the NPS account.
80TTA (1)	10,000	Income from interest earned on the savings account.
80TTB	50,000	From the post office, bank, etc., interest is received but applies only to senior citizens.
80GG	Monthly 5,000 or 25% of total income or rent paid – 10% of income (W.E.L)	For rent paid when an employer does not send H.R.A.
80E	Interest paid for eight years is equal to the amount	For education loans, interest is paid.
80EE	50,000	Homeowners paid the interest on home loans.
80CCG	25,000 or 50% of the amount invested in equity shares (W.E.L)	For investments in equities, Rajiv Gandhi Equity Scheme.
80D	25,000	Self, spouse, and children’s medical insurance
80D	50,000	Medical insurance for parents above 60 years or parents above 80 years.
80DD	75,000	Medical treatment for the handicapped dependent.
80DD	75,000 for 40% to 80% disability and 1,25,000for more than 80% disability	For the maintenance of handicapped dependents, a specific scheme was taken whose payment is made.
80DDB	40,000 or the amount paid (W.E.L)	The medical expense for self or dependent who are less than 60 years.
80DDB	1,05,000 or the amount paid (W.E.L)	The medical expense on self or dependent who are more than 60 years.
80U	1,25,000 (severe disability) and 75,000 (less severe disability)	From physical disability, the occurrence of self-suffering including blindness and mental instability.
80GGB	The contributed amount which is not in cash	Companies contribute to political parties.
80GGC	The contributed amount which is not in cash	Individuals’ contribution to political parties.
80RRB	Income received or 3,00,000 (W.E.L)	From royalty or patent, income is received.

Calculation of Income Tax

For a more straightforward calculation of the income tax, a formula is used. The formula is:

Basic salary + Special Allowance + Transport allowance + Any other allowance

= Gross income from salary

(Along with basic salary, if we add up H.R.A., special allowance, transport allowance, and any other allowance, we get the gross income from salary.)

Gross income from salary – Deductions = Net income (For calculation of tax, the income tax slab is used)

(After getting the gross income from salary, subtract deductions from it to get the net income)

For example,

Let us assume that Ms. Bose receives a monthly salary of Rs. 40,000 along with a monthly dearness allowance of Rs. 4,300, a monthly entertainment allowance of Rs. 3,250, and also pays Rs. 4,500 as professional tax. Now let us calculate her taxable income:

Her salary is Rs. 40,000 per month.

Therefore, the basic salary is 40,000 * 12 = 4,80,000

Dearness allowance is 4,300 * 12 = 51,600

Entertainment allowance is 3,250 * 12 = 39,000

Therefore, the gross salary is (4,80,000 + 51,600 + 39,000) = 5,70,600

Her professional tax is 4,500.

Therefore, net income is (5,70,600 – 4,500) = 5,66,100

Now, her taxable income is Rs. 5,66,100, so consequently, she falls into the income tax slab of 5 lakhs to 10 lakhs. Hence, as income tax, she needs to pay 20% of her net income.

The income tax on the above-mentioned net income is 20% of 5,66,100 = 1,13,220

Conclusion

At the beginning of the assessment year, an individual should affirm all the investments correctly to calculate the tax properly. To build a strong foundation, information regarding taxes, deductions, and returns is very important since tax evasion is considered illegal and legally offensive. Income tax fraud comprises some of the scenarios which are mentioned below:

Submission of false or fake tax returns
Erroneous financial statements
Persistently, avoiding the submission of the I.T. return
Failing to pay due to taxes intentionally
Not reporting total income
Fake claims

If someone is found guilty of evading taxes, then legal actions are taken against them where they need to pay a heavy penalty, and sometimes it may also result in imprisonment.