Before you know how to claim deduction under Section 80EE, let’s understand the calculation of tax benefits with the help of an example.
Say you plan to buy a property worth ₹40 lakh and decide to take a home loan. In this regard, a financial lender approves 80% of the property’s value as your sanctioned loan amount, and the rest needs to be paid by you as a down payment.
So, the loan amount will be ₹32 lakh.
Now, your financial lender offers you a loan at a 6.7% interest rate for a tenure of 20 years.
To calculate EMI, we use the formula-
EMI = [P x R x (1+R)^N]/[(1+R)^N-1].
Here, P = ₹32 lakh
R = 6.7%
N = 20 years
Hence, EMI = ₹24,237.. The total interest outgo in 20 years will accumulate to ₹26,16,788
Every EMI comprises a principal component and an interest component. You should go through the loan statement and compute the yearly principal amount and yearly interest amount paid by you via EMIs. Post that, you can claim deductions under respective sections of the IT Act.
Here the deduction will be allowed as the home loan amount is within the eligible home loan limit of Rs. 35 Lakhs.
You can claim benefits up to ₹2 lakh per year under Section 24 on the interest outgo. Further, the Section 80EE deduction limit is ₹50,000, which is over and above the ₹2 lakh limit.
If your taxable income is ₹7 lakh per annum after all other deductions, there will be a deduction of ₹2 lakh under Section 24 and an additional ₹50,000 under 80EE under the old tax regime.
Ideally, you should exhaust the deductible limit under Section 24 before claiming benefits under Section 80EE.
Section 80EEA has been introduced in the Budget 2019 providing an additional tax benefit with a significant vision to promote affordable housing to the first time buyers starting from FY 2019-2020. This deduction can be claimed until the assessee repays the housing loan.
To claim deductions under Section 80EE of the Income Tax Act while filing tax returns, you need to follow three steps:
- Calculate the interest paid towards your home loan for a particular financial year.
- Claim deduction up to ₹2 lakh under Section 24.
- From the remaining amount, you can claim up to ₹50,000 under Section 80EE of the Income Tax Act, 1961.
By knowing about the Income Tax deductions under 80EE, you can claim benefits on the interest paid for your home loan in a seamless manner. Thus, if you plan to purchase a property for the first time and wonder about the tax benefits, referring to this piece can be a good start.
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