Many non-resident Indians invest in
Indian real estate market every year. While some buy for their family or those
who plan to come back to the country, there are many that buy property for investment purposes.
Of those investing, the purpose is to earn consistent rental income.
If you are an NRI who has purchased property in India for
rental income, you should know about these five aspects:
Where do you need to pay the tax?
As a thumb rule, you have to pay tax in
the country from where the income is generated. Therefore, if you are getting a
rental income from the property you have bought in India, you are liable to pay the tax in India,
irrespective of which country you reside in.
How to calculate taxable rental income?
It is not that you have to pay tax on
the entire rental income. There are some deductions you can avail of. In order
to ascertain how much of your rental income is taxable
consider the following deductions in the first place:
- Standard deduction at the rate of 30 percent on the taxable value
- Taxes paid to the municipal authority with respect to the concerned
property which has been rented out
- Interest paid over a loan availed of for the purpose of construction,
repairs or renewals of the property
Are there any
deductions on home loan?
NRIs who have availed
of home loan to buy a property
for residential purpose in India are eligible for a tax deduction of up to
Rs 1.50 lakh a year under section 80C of the Income Tax Act. This amount can be
deducted from your total income from India and for that matter, rental income
is also included in your total income from all the sources.
Is it mandatory to
file income tax returns in India?
Yes, it is mandatory
for NRIs to file income tax return in India. However, if your total income from
India, including all the sources, does not exceed Rs 2.40 lakh a year, it is
not compulsory for you to file the returns.
Although, you can
voluntarily file the IT return in case you need to claim refund of any excess
tax paid by you. That includes the Tax Deduction at Source (TDS) amount.
Double taxation
Some NRIs are
expected to pay tax on their rental income from India,
in both the countries. The applicability of taxation depends on the residential
status of the NRI. In the Middle East, many countries are tax-free and the NRIs
in those countries need not worry about direct taxation.
Moreover, India and
United States have Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement under which an NRI
living in the US can claim credit as per the governing laws.
All
the income generated in India shall be deposited in the Non-Resident Ordinary
(NRO) account
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