Rule 277 — Calculation of taxable interest relating to contribution in a provident fund or recognised provident fund, exceeding specified limit.
Sub-rule (1) states the charge to be computed: taxable interest under Schedule II [Table: Sl. Nos. 3 and 4. C] to the Act is the interest accrued in the taxable contribution account during the tax year.
Sub-rule (2) requires separate accounts to be maintained within the provident fund account, during the tax year 2021-2022 and all subsequent tax years, for taxable contribution and non-taxable contribution made by a person.
Sub-rule (3) defines the two accounts and the limit. The non-taxable contribution account is the aggregate of the closing balance in the account as on 31st March, 2021, any contribution made by the person during the tax year 2021-2022 and subsequent tax years which is not included in the taxable contribution account, and the interest accrued on both, as reduced by any withdrawal from that account. The taxable contribution account is the aggregate of the contribution made by the person in a tax year during the tax year 2021-2022 and subsequent tax years which is in excess of the threshold limit, and the interest accrued on it, as reduced by any withdrawal from that account. "Taxable interest" means the income by way of interest accrued during the tax year which is not exempt from inclusion in the total income of a person. The threshold limit is Rs. 5,00,000 where no contribution is made by the employer of such person, and Rs. 2,50,000 in other cases.
Schedule II makes interest on contributions above a limit taxable, but interest is credited on one undivided fund balance built up over many years. Something has to separate the interest attributable to the excess contributions from the rest, and the rule does it by splitting the fund account in two from the tax year 2021-2022 onwards and taxing only what accrues in the taxable contribution account. Fixing the opening non-taxable balance at the closing balance on 31st March, 2021 is what keeps the past out of the charge.
| What | Figure | The condition on it | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Threshold limit where no contribution is made by the employer | Rs. 5,00,000 | Applies to the contribution made by the person in a tax year; only the excess enters the taxable contribution account | Sub-rule (3)(d)(i) |
| Threshold limit in other cases | Rs. 2,50,000 | Where a contribution is made by the employer of such person | Sub-rule (3)(d)(ii) |
| Opening balance of the non-taxable contribution account | The closing balance in the account as on 31st March, 2021 | Together with later non-taxable contributions and interest on both, reduced by withdrawals | Sub-rule (3)(a)(i) |
| First tax year from which separate accounts are maintained | Tax year 2021-2022 | And all subsequent tax years | Sub-rule (2) |
What is taxed is the interest accrued in the taxable contribution account, not the excess contribution itself, and not the fund's interest as a whole. Which threshold applies turns on a single fact — whether the employer makes any contribution — and the higher figure of Rs. 5,00,000 is available only where the employer makes none; where the employer contributes at all, the limit is Rs. 2,50,000. Both accounts compound: interest accrued on the taxable contribution account is itself added to that account under sub-rule (3)(b)(ii), so the taxable base grows year on year even if no further excess contribution is made. Withdrawals reduce the account they are made from, which means the two accounts must be tracked separately for withdrawals as well as for contributions.
An employee contributes Rs. 4,00,000 in a tax year to a provident fund to which his employer also contributes. The threshold limit is Rs. 2,50,000, so Rs. 1,50,000 goes into the taxable contribution account and the balance into the non-taxable contribution account. The interest accruing on that Rs. 1,50,000 during the year is the taxable interest for the year; the interest on his opening balance as on 31st March, 2021 and on his non-taxable contributions is not. In the next year the interest accrues on Rs. 1,50,000 plus the interest already added to that account.
A reader meets it in the annual provident fund statement showing the split between taxable and non-taxable contribution accounts, and in the interest figure that is carried into the return as taxable interest.
Taxable interest under Schedule II [Table: Sl. Nos. 3 and 4. C] to the Act shall be computed as the interest accrued in the taxable contribution account during the tax year.
"taxable interest" means the income by way of interest accrued during the tax year which is not exempt from inclusion in the total income of a person