Rules 2026

Rule 313 of the Income-tax Rules, 2026

Rule 313 — Application of approval.

Where this rule sits

What this rule does

The rule prescribes the form of application for approval of a superannuation fund. Every application for approval of a Superannuation fund under paragraph 4(1) of Part B of Schedule XI to the Act shall be made in Form No. 188 and shall be verified in the manner indicated in that Form.

Why it is there

Paragraph 4(1) of Part B of Schedule XI provides for an application for approval but leaves the form to be prescribed. A prescribed form with its own verification ensures every application carries the same particulars and is affirmed by someone who takes responsibility for them.

Who it applies to

An employer or other person applying for approval of a superannuation fund under paragraph 4(1) of Part B of Schedule XI
The person verifying the application in the manner indicated in Form No. 188

The forms it prescribes

Form No. 188 — application for approval of a superannuation fund under paragraph 4(1) of Part B of Schedule XI

What this means in practice

The rule imposes two requirements, not one: the application must be in Form No. 188 and it must be verified in the manner indicated in that Form, so an unverified Form No. 188 does not answer the rule. The manner of verification is found in the Form itself and not in the rule. Everything else about approval — the conditions, the authority and the consequences — comes from Part B of Schedule XI.

Where you meet this rule

An employer setting up or seeking approval for a superannuation fund meets it at the outset, in the Form No. 188 application; members of the fund never file it.

The words themselves

Every application for approval of a Superannuation fund under paragraph 4(1) of Part B of Schedule XI to the Act shall be made in Form No. 188 and shall be verified in the manner indicated therein.

Rule 313, Income-tax Rules, 2026.

What people get wrong

Filing the application without verification. The rule requires it to be verified in the manner indicated in Form No. 188.
Looking to the rule for the conditions of approval. It prescribes the form and the verification; the conditions are in Part B of Schedule XI.
Using the form for a fund of another kind. The rule covers an application for approval of a superannuation fund under paragraph 4(1) of Part B of Schedule XI.

What this page does not tell you. It does not reproduce the rule. Everything above was written from the rule’s own text as the Income Tax Department publishes it — the text is here. A rule is subordinate legislation: it prescribes the method, the form or the period, and it cannot enlarge the charge the section imposes. Where a figure matters, read the sub-rule it comes from.