When you invest your income in an investment scheme, the goal should not only be to save your money but also to look for a scheme that will offer you certain tax benefits. Voluntary Provident fund (VPF) is one such scheme that lets you enjoy tax exemptions.
Are you wondering why is it so important to look for tax exemptions while investing? Well, you should know that in India if your annual income is 2.5 lakh rupees or more you fall under the tax bracket and your income is taxable. However, when you invest a significant amount of your money in certain schemes you get tax breaks in the form of tax exemptions that reduce your taxable income or make it completely exempt from taxes.
Voluntary Provident Fund (VPF) is a great investment option for salaried employees, which offers high returns with significant tax exemptions. If you are wondering how VPF can help you reduce your taxes, this article is definitely for you.
Through this article, we will have a brief look at the Voluntary Provident fund and the tax exemptions offered by it.
If you are a salaried employee, you must probably be already aware of the Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) through which both the employee and the employer have to make contributions to the EPF account. The contribution made by you as an employee is a mandatory 12% of your salary.
Voluntary Provident Fund (VPF) is an extension of this EPF account. The contributions you make to the VPF account are voluntary and are beyond the 12% that you make with EPF. with a VPF account you can contribute as much percentage of your salary as you want but enjoy same returns and benefits as a EPF scheme.
However, as opposed to the Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) in which the employer’s contribution is equivalent to yours, the contribution of the employer through Voluntary Provident Fund (VPF) is restricted and the maximum contribution is of the employee. But, the benefits of this are that whatever contributions you make to the VPF account are eligible for tax deductions under Section 80C of the Income Tax Act, 1961. Through your contribution to the VPF account you can enjoy significant tax benefits as well.
Who doesn’t want to enjoy tax exemptions while also securely investing their money? We are sure you all do. Although we follow rules and pay our taxes on time, let’s just be honest and admit that we all at some point think they are a bit much for our liking. If you feel the same and are looking for a scheme that offers you significant tax exemptions, Voluntary Provident Fund (VPF) is the way to go.
You can enjoy tax deductions of up to 1.5 lakh rupees through your contributions to the Voluntary Provident Fund (VPF). In addition to this, you also save about Rs 46,800 in your taxes per year (for those in the highest tax bracket). This makes the Voluntary Provident Fund (VPF) a good tax-saving investment option for salaried employees who are eligible to open the VPF account.
Apart from the tax deductions that you enjoy on your VPF account as applicable by Section 80C of The Income Tax Act, 1961 there are a few more tax benefits that you can enjoy by investing in the Voluntary Provident Fund (VPF).
You earn an interest of 8.5 % on the VPF account and this interest is tax free. Also if you make any withdrawals after a period of five years, the withdrawals are not taxable. Only the withdrawals made within the five years are taxable.
As the Voluntary Provident Fund (VPF) scheme offers more returns while giving you significant tax exemptions than any other government managed schemes, the VPF is a great option of investment for tax saving.
Some of the benefits of Voluntary Provident Fund (VPF) in India are:
Some of the VPF eligibility conditions are:
As we all know, the government of India has changed the Tax rules that are applicable from April 2021. These changes in tax rules have also changed the taxation rules for Voluntary Provident Fund (VPF). Now the interest earned for contributions over Rs 2.5 lakhs in a year will get taxed. However, if there is no employer contribution to the VPF, interest on contribution till Rs 5lakh is tax free.
However, even with the changes in the taxation rules, experts believe that the Voluntary Provident Fund (VPF) is still a great option as far as investments and tax saving schemes go. As compared to other government backed and managed schemes like bank fixed deposits or Public Provident Fund (PPF), the Voluntary Provident Fund (VPF) offers higher returns and higher tax benefits.
So even with the change in tax rules, Voluntary Provident Fund (VPF) is still a great option for those who are eligible, if you are looking for an investment scheme through which you can enjoy significant tax exemptions.
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