Section 80TTB: Tax Deduction for Senior Citizens on Interest Income

What is Section 80TTB?

This section bestows the right to senior citizens to claim a larger deduction of Rs 50,000 on the interest income earned on deposits. It is designed to help the senior citizens to maintain a decent lifestyle after the retirement phase, many of whom depend on their interest income money for these expenses. The aim is to convey strong support to the senior citizens such that they are able to maintain a decent economic status after retirement and thereby, support a cheerful existence and healthy livelihood. The senior citizens are also in the risk of mental and physical illnesses which make it more necessary to save their money for such unpredictable medical expenses. Section 80TTB has certain limits and eligibility criteria which should be followed in order to gain the benefits from the same.

When was this section introduced?

Section 80TTB was held to be effective from 1st April 2018 which entitled senior citizens to receive the benefits from the financial year 2018-2019. This Section acts like an up-grade of the Section 80TTA, as the threshold limit of the tax deduction on interest income was raised from INR 10,000 to INR 50,000.

Deduction available through Section 80TTB

The amount deducted should be the amount specified from the gross total income and it should be upto Rs 50,000. Among the specified income, any of the following sources of income are counted in their aggregate -

• Interest on bank deposits; either savings , recurring or fixed deposits.
• Interest on deposits at the post office.
• Interest on the deposits held in co-operative society mainly engaged in the business of banking. This may include a co-operative land mortgage bank or a co-operative land development bank.

One must note that the interest earned on savings accounts and fixed or recurring deposits held with the above three entities will be considered for the purpose deduction. Moreover, there are also interests earned on other types of offices. These include titles like Senior Citizen Savings Scheme accounts, post office time deposits, five-year recurring deposits and Post Office Monthly Income Schemes. Thereby, one may conclude that Section 80TTB specifically mentions only the sources of interest income which are perfectly eligible for deduction. However, interests received from any other schemes and sources like interest from a company FD won’t be eligible for the said deduction. Also, interest earned on bonds and debentures will be disqualified for the deduction under this Section.

The interest incomes are usually added to the gross total income of the individual and taxed at the rates specified for the person.

What is the eligibility for Section 80TTB deduction?

The senior citizens as per the definition prescribed in the Income Tax Act, 1961 are the eligible candidates for the applicability for Section 80TTB. The following are the legitimate eligibility criteria-

• A resident senior citizen
• Age should be 60 years or above at any time during the relevant Financial Year (FY)

What are the exceptions to Section 80TTB?

It should be noted that Section 80TTB is applicable only to senior citizens who are residents of India and not NRIs (Non-resident Indians).

The Exception to section 80TTB include:

• Non-senior citizens and HUFs.
• If the interest income is derived from the deposit held by, or on behalf of a firm, an Association of Persons (AOP) or a Body of Individuals (BOI) by a certain “senior citizen”, then the deduction under Section 80TTB won’t be applicable.

What are the key differences between Section 80TTA vs 80TTB?

As has already been made clear, there is quite an up-gradation of benefits for the senior citizens in Section 80TTB as compared to Section 80TTA.

• Section 80TTA has similar specifications as Section 80TTB except that it provides deductions of interests only on savings account held in the bank, co-operative bank or a post-office. The amount specified is INR 10,000 from the gross total income of the individual taxpayer or a Hindu Undivided Family (HUF). Therefore, it was available to everyone irrespective of their age holding a deposit. However, the benefits of Section 80TTA were blocked for senior citizens once Section 80TTB came into force from the financial year 2018-2019.

Now that Section 80TTB is exclusive to senior citizens, Section 80TTA is not available to senior citizens anymore. One may easily mark the following distinctions between the two sections.-

Conclusion

Several clauses had been introduced to amend the Section 80TTA such that it became the Section 80TTB, which has been launched exclusively for senior citizens. For full benefits, one must be sure to provide their bank documents carefully, the PAN card becoming extremely important. The bank deducts TDS (Tax deducted at Source) at the rate of 10% if the PAN is provided by the depositors. If it is not provided, the rate increases to 20% resulting in loss of the depositor. Section 80TTB with being in effect from the assessment year 2019-20 has been a big relief for senior citizens. It doesn’t become a harmful fact that Section 80TTA has been prohibited from them. In fact, the segregation of the Sections for the normal and senior citizens does make the taxation procedure more convenient. Section 80TTB becomes more considerate towards the senior citizens who need special attention by the government for their decreasing health and property. The procedure to gain the benefits is also fairly easier with the new methods of e-filing of tax return and deposits. Thereby, the amendment does become a saviour which should be respected as a decision by every citizen.