Know how SIP investments taxed
For the last few years, Systematic Investment Plans
(SIPs) have become one of the popular ways to invest in the markets through
mutual funds. However, before the reintroduction of Long-Term Capital Gains (LTCG)
tax in the budget of 2018, long-term SIP returns from equity funds were
completely tax free, as equity funds were exempted from Long Term Capital Gains
(LTCG).
Now, after the change in this law, several
investors are unsure of how they should calculate their SIP returns and tax
liability. To ease out this problem, let’s see the tax angle of SIP investment.
Basically, the tax on SIP currently depends upon whether the investment was
made in a non-equity or an equity fund, as they have different tax rates.
How Does SIP Taxation Differ?
Unlike lump sum investments that are only one
investment, SIP is made multiple times over a period. While you may consider a
one-year-long SIP as one investment, when it comes to taxation, every
instalment is regarded as an additional investment.
This way, the holding period of every instalment
gets calculated.
Tax on SIP Investments on Equity Funds
For instance, suppose you started a monthly SIP in
the equity scheme on 1st January 2020. On 2nd January 2021, you decided to redeem
the investment.
In such a scenario, only the capital gains on the
purchased units from your first instalment, the one made on 1st January 2020,
will be considered as the Long TermCapital Gain (LTCG) as you have held the
same for a period of more than one year. There is no tax on longterm capital
gains below Rs.1 lakh. Capital gains above Rs. 1 lakh are taxed at 10%.
For the rest of the instalments, the holding period
will be considered less than one year. Thus, the gains will be short-term.
Short Term Capital Gains(STCG) of 15% will apply on these units.
Here, the ‘first in first out’ rule is followed.
This means the units purchased first will get redeemed first.
Tax on SIP investments on Debt Funds
However, if you had invested through SIP in a debt
or debt-oriented hybrid funds, LTCG will apply on units that were invested for
over 36 months and the profit is taxed at a rate of 20% after indexation.
For investments below 36 months, the capital gains
are added to income and taxed as per the income tax slab.
How is the Gains on SIP Investment Calculated?
Put simply, tax on the total investment of SIP is
the total sum of tax payable on every instalment. To calculate the same, an
individual calculation of tax on each instalment has to be done. Jotted down
below is the entire step-by-step procedure.
- First of all, the classification of equity and
the non-equity fund is done
- Second, the holding period is computed to
discover whether the gains are long-term or short-term capital gains
- Then, the cost of purchase is noted for every
instalment
- In case the funds are equity, it has to be
checked whether the grandfathering clause is going to be applicable (this
is for investments that have been made before 31st January 2018).
- However, if it is a debt fund, it has to be
figured out whether LTCG will be applicable. If yes, adjustment for
indexation will be made
- Next, the calculation of applicable tax for
every instalment will have to be done
- Short-term and long-term gains will be
separated
- Approximate tax rates will be applied to find
the payable tax amount
Conclusion:
Tax on SIP investments depends on the underlying
securities and is taxed as per the current taxation rules on equity and
non-equity investments. However, in case of SIP, every instalment is considered
as an additional investment.
Consult us to know more.
This blog is purely for educational purpose and not
to be treated as an personal advice. Mutual fund investments are subject to
market risks, Read all scheme related documents carefully.
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