Your guide to understanding income tax benefit on home loan

Just like property in India is a good investment, home loan India too are a great investment. With property rates soaring, it’s not really possible for the common man to purchase a property of his own without opting for home finance. But with so many taxes that already get deducted from your income can you really afford to pay your monthly EMIs?

Well, the Income Tax Act has made provisions for home loan borrowers, so that they can finally fulfill their dream of having a home of their own. There are three sections in the Act that give you tax benefits on home loan. You should know these because they are handy tax saving calculators. Here’s what they are.

1.  Section 80C: This section states that you can claim tax benefits of up to Rs 1.5 lakhs on repayment of the principal amount of your loan.

2.  Section 24: This section states that you can claim tax benefits of up to Rs 2 lakhs on repayment of interest on housing loan but this is only applicable for a self-occupied property. If you are renting out your property then there is no maximum limit on the tax benefit amount. So, you can claim the entire interest amount as a tax benefit. You can do this even if the amount exceeds Rs 2 lakhs.

3.  Section 80EE: This section states that if you are a first-time buyer then you can claim an extra Rs 50,000 as tax benefits on the interest repayment.

There are many tax benefits on home loan but, there are certain conditions that you need to fulfill to be able to claim them. The first and foremost condition is that you can only start claiming income tax benefit on home, once the construction of your new property is complete. These tax benefits do not apply to under construction properties, even if the borrower has already started paying EMIs. But there is an exception to this rule. You can get a benefit if the construction ends within five years of you taking the loan. Earlier this was only three years. This period has been revised because of the rising number of stalled constructions in recent times.

If you opt for a joint loan, to enjoy income tax benefit on home loan, the second party has to be a co-owner as well as a co-borrower. They can then claim tax benefits on their home loan interest rate separately. They can only do this when their individual share of the property is clearly defined. The ratio of tax benefit is the same as the ratio of the property share.

How the Union Budget has brought relief to Housing Loan Borrowers

The Union Budget for 2018 has been announced and it has brought some relief for those with home loans. This budget has brought with it a number of tax benefits on home loan. This has come as quite a relief for tax payers and has made it a little bit easier for people to become home owners. With financial year winding down, you’re probably wondering how to save income tax. You should also know whether, after paying your Income Tax for the year 2017-2018, it will still be a feasible option to buy that new flat you’ve had your eye the whole year.

Investing in property in India has always been a great way to ensure that you get heavy returns. But with the property rates always soaring, home loans are the only way one can afford property here. Now, the Income Tax Act already has some provisions and tax exemption on Home loans. Like the Section 80C where you can claim upto Rs. 1,00,000 as a deduction for repayment of home loan. But has this year’s Union Budget brought any more relief to home loan borrowers? Let’s find out.

As per this year Union Budget, those who have availed homeloans before April 2016, and are stuck in the older base rate regime, may get cheaper. The RBI has decided to "harmonise the methodology of determining benchmark rates by linking the Base Rate to the MCLR or Marginal Cost of Funds based Lending Rates with effect from April 1, 2018". 

The RBI, in a bid to reduce the burden of home loan interest rates on the borrowers, had introduced a Marginal Cost of Funds-based Lending Rate (MCLR) system with effect from April 1, 2016. This was done due to the limitations of the base rate regime. With the introduction of the MCLR system, it was expected that the existing base rate-linked credit exposures would move to the new system. This effort was taken after huge amounts of funds were deposited into banks during demonetization drive in India. 

Banks and NBFCs have cut their home loan interest rates by as much as 50 basis points. This makes a huge different in the amount of EMIs and the number of EMIs borrowers have to pay. This benefit will mainly affect those who have acquired a home loan after April 2016, but others can avail of its benefits too, by opting for a home loan balance transfer.

If you were waiting for the Union Budget to find out if it offers you any new housing loan tax benefits then you will not be disappointed.

How a Joint Home Loan increases your Savings

If you are planning to buy your own home, under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) scheme, remember that there are only a few months left for you to gather the amount for down payment, select a good builder, a desirable location, and also the home loan lender.

The recently introduced Credit Linked Subsidy Scheme (CLSS) for Middle Income Group (MIG) is applicable only for a period of one year starting 1.01.2017. Let's understand who all are eligible for the MIG category, who all can apply, how does the subsidy impact the loan amount and how much is the subsidy on home loan.

The middle-income earners

●       The MIG category further comprises of two slabs.

●       The Middle Income Group (MIG) - I include households having an annual income between Rs.6,00,001 up to Rs.12,00,000.

●       The Middle Income Group (MIG) - II includes households having an annual income between Rs.12, 00,001 up to Rs.18, 00,000.

  Cost

●       There is no processing charge for eligible housing loan amount as per the income criteria specified in the Scheme.

●       Lenders can charge the normal processing fee for additional loan amounts beyond the eligible loan amounts for interest subsidy.

The impact

●  The Prime minister awas yojana scheme for MIG buyers might not increase the demand for residential housing to a great extent.

●  The benefit of Rs 2.3 lakh/Rs 2.35 lakh probably won't be that appealing keeping in mind the cost of houses in the urban areas.

● There is a possibility that the government might consider doing away with the area restriction of 90/110 sq mt to increase the demand.

How is the subsidy adjusted?

●  The home loan interest rate subsidy will be credited directly to the loan account of the beneficiaries.

●   This would lead to decreased effective housing loan and home loan EMI.

Loans under PMAY

●  You can avail the Pradhan mantri awas yojana benefits if you wish to acquire a new house from the the builder and even for purchasing a house from the secondary market through repurchase.

●  One could also apply for a loan for the construction of the house. You can also apply home loans online.

●  If someone already owning a home wishes to avail pm awas yojana benefit, there's still a possibility.

●  The government has made it clear that the Mission (Housing for All by 2022) also offers enhancements/incremental housing to the existing 'pucca' house under the CLSS scheme component.

It is imperative to keep in mind that even if you are a first-time buyer it is wise to tread carefully and weigh all the options prior to venturing out to explore the affordable housing segment.

Advantages for woman home loan applicants

If you live in India right now or are an Indian citizen, then let us tell you that there couldn’t be a better time for you to invest in property in this country. The real estate market is rife right now and with all the cash inflow that the banks saw during the PM’s demonetisation drive, they have decided to slash interest rates significantly on home loans. But if you’re a woman seeking a home loan in this country then you’ve got an added advantage. There are a lot of schemes and subsidies exclusively available to women seeking home loans. Here are the benefits that women receive on applying for a housing loan.

1.      Lower Interest Rates: Home Loan Interest rates are a huge deciding factor when it comes to choosing a home loan provider. People usually choose their loan provider on the basis of who’s offering them the lowest interest rates. Since a housing loan is a huge amount, even a slight variation in interest rates can make a huge difference. Woman applicants usually get lower interest rates or interest subsidies on their home loans. But these are applicable only when the woman is the sole or primary applicant for the home loan.

2.      Lower Stamp Duty Rates: The stamp duty rates for new property are decide by the state government and differ from state to state. In many states the stamp duty for women is lower than that for men. Women usually receive a concession of one or two percent on stamp duty while purchasing property. This makes a huge difference to loan amount borrowed. For example, it could mean a straight price cut of Rs. 2 lacs for a house that costs Rs. 1 crore.

3.      Higher Approval Chances: Women who are primary applicants for a housing loan are more likely to get their loan sanctioned than men. This does not mean that a bank or NBFC will overlook their other criteria for women. They will still study their eligibility and credit score, but it is a common perception that women are more likely to repay their loan on time and are more reliable and hence their applications are more likely to get approved than those of men.

4.      Special Schemes: Like banks offer special account facilities for women, they also offer special schemes when a woman is the sole or primary applicant for the home loan. In addition to these some developers and builders also provide certain time bound financial schemes for women to encourage them to invest in property. 

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