What is Schedule AL? Guidelines to file Schedule AL in ITR

What is Schedule AL, and who is required to file it?

Schedule AL is a part of ITR, which requires disclosure of all assets and liabilities held by a taxpayer at the end of every financial year.

This schedule is to be filled mandatorily by individuals and Hindu Undivided Families (HUF) if their total income after all the deductions exceeds INR 50 lacs, and they have not engaged in any business or profession during the financial year. They must provide details of immovable assets, financial assets and movable assets held by them and all the corresponding liabilities. The individuals and HUFs having total income below INR 50 lacs are not required to file Schedule AL. Therefore, the people who are eligible to file the ITR 1 (Sahaj) or ITR 4 (Sugam) are out of the scope of this requirement.

However, for those engaged in business/profession who are required to furnish their Balance Sheet, the assets that have already been included in the balance sheet are not required to be disclosed again. Only the assets that have not been disclosed in the Balance Sheet are required to be reported in this Schedule. The above requirements are applicable for those filing ITR 2 and ITR 3.

Note that non-residents and not ordinarily resident individuals are required to provide details of their assets situated in India.

What are the assets and liabilities required to be reported under Schedule AL?

The assets to be disclosed in the income tax return will not include any personal effects other than those specifically asked. Personal effects means movable property (including furniture, wearing apparel) held for personal use by the taxpayer or any family member dependent on him. The assets to be reported will include the following:

- Immovable property
Regarding land & building, you are required to furnish the details of land and building owned by you whether singly or jointly. The details to be reported are:
- the description of the property,
- address of the property with PIN code of the area where the property is located and
- its cost.
You must disclose the details of all immovable property acquired through gifts or as inheritance as well. As for reporting the liability in respect of such immovable property, you must disclose the amount of loan taken for acquiring such property as well as any money borrowed against the security of such property.

- Financial assets
Financial assets viz. bank deposits, shares and securities, insurance policies, loans and advances given, cash in hand. Bank deposits include fixed deposits, recurring deposits and saving/current account balances. As for liability, you must disclose the details of liability incurred for acquiring such assets or any money borrowed against the security of the aforementioned assets.

- Movable property
Various assets such as jewellery, bullion, vehicles, yachts, boats, aircraft etc., are required to be disclosed under movable properties. You must also disclose the details of the vehicles, yachts, boats, aircraft etc., which are no longer in use and also have not yet been discarded or have been retained and maintained as antique collections.

Note: jewellery here includes-
(a) Ornaments made of platinum, gold, silver, or other precious metal or
an alloy comprising of such precious metals, whether containing
any precious or semi-precious stone or not, and whether it is sewn or worked into any wearing apparel or not;
(b) Precious or semi-precious stones, worked or sewn into any wearing apparel, whether or not set in any furniture, utensil or other article.

- Interest held in the assets of a firm or an association of persons (AOP)
If you are a partner of a firm or a member of an AOP, then your interest held in the assets of a firm or AOP needs to be disclosed with the PAN of the entity

At what value should the assets and liabilities be reported?

The assets must be disclosed at:
(a) the cost incurred by the taxpayer to obtain such asset and any subsequent cost of improvement can also be added; or
(b) where the asset was forming part of the wealth-tax return filed by the taxpayer, the value of such asset as per the latest wealth-tax return in which it was disclosed and any subsequent cost of improvement can also be added.

However, if the taxpayer received the asset as a gift or under a will or through any mode not considered as transfer under section 49(1), then the amount at which such asset be reported is:

(a) The cost for which the previous owner had acquired it and any subsequent cost of improvement incurred either by the previous owner or the taxpayer can also be added.
(b) Where the cost of such asset is not ascertainable, and wealth tax return was also not filed for that asset, then the value may be estimated at the circle rate or bullion rate as on the date of acquisition by the assessee, and any subsequent cost of improvement can also be added.