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Dear Sir,

In our organization, one of our employees is claiming HRA for the FY 13-14, and his wife is also working in another organization where she is also claiming HRA for the same value. Please kindly advise me on how to consider my employee's HRA claim in this regard. I would appreciate your valuable suggestions and any supported documents.

With regards,
Vijay Kumar Dasari

From India, Visakhapatnam
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Dear Vijay,

Is your organization a government body?

What do the Terms and Conditions of employment of your organization say about HRA?

Do your employees fulfill these criteria?

How is your organization concerned with where your employee's spouse is working and what perquisite he or she is receiving as per the terms of that organization?

Is the company where the employee's wife is working under your control? Or, is it a subsidiary or sister concern?

How can you prevent the wife working in another organization from receiving HRA?

Or, is it your intention to deprive your employee of HRA even if he fulfills all the requirements to be eligible for receiving HRA?

Such rules exist within an organization where both the employee and his spouse are working.

This is not the case here; so it would be better if you could answer the above questions and explain your authority in terms of HRA for his wife in another organization - whether that other organization has empowered you to decide or dictate the terms of HRA in their organization?

If so, are you receiving any compensation/salary from that other organization? Has your organization allowed you to do this?

Before taking any action against your employees, you should ensure your empowerment or limitations.

When you answer the above questions, you will be able to understand whether your proposed action is malafide (done with bad or doubtful intention) or bonafide!

Warm regards.

From India, Delhi
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Mr. V,

Claiming HRA by both wife and husband is correct, whether they stay or work in the same station or not, even if they work in different organizations.

Refer to the Income Tax Act rules or ready reckoner for HRA. There is no need to show it under a single head. HRA should be treated as separate heads with liabilities under income tax for each individual.

From India, Visakhapatnam
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Dear DVK,

It is happening that both husband & wife, when working in different places & with different employers, claim HRA separately. In some Govt. offices, they obtain a declaration on the actual payment of HRA supported with rent receipts. In all fairness, HRA paid should be shared and claimed. For the question of whether or not to pay HRA by your office, you should go by your HRA policy rather than investigate whether the spouse also claims/paid HRA. And it's not illegal if both are paid as it is as per the terms & conditions of appointment. However, it is not correct to pay HRA to both if both are residing in the same house which is owned by either of them for the simple reason that a spouse does not require to pay HRA to their partner. Some relevant references are provided in the attachment for general information.

From India, Bangalore
Attached Files (Download Requires Membership)
File Type: docx HRA-FAQ.docx (17.2 KB, 1230 views)

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Dear Team,

Warm greetings!

Husband and wife can both claim the HRA only if they are not staying in the same house. Rent receipts should be original. If the monthly rent exceeds Rs 1 lakh in a year, a PAN number and a copy of the PAN card are mandatory. Whether it is Government or Non-Government, the IT department can track all transactions through the PAN number only. Hence, only one person can claim the HRA for the same house.

Regards,

Pranab Chakraborty
9404384433

From India, Mumbai
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Hi members,

One more interesting point about HRA payment is that if a company provides quarters for both employees working in the same organization, HRA cannot be paid for the dependent spouse. However, if they stay outside the company-provided quarters, HRA will be paid for both.

Thank you.

From India, Visakhapatnam
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This thread is interesting, but I feel that the gist of employment is missing. The terms of employment of one org are different from the other. Each employee should be treated individually rather than based on their marital status.

If the terms of employment describe that an employee is eligible for HRA, whether their spouse is claiming, etc., should not be an issue. Under the IT tax, both individuals are considered as separate entities rather than being assessed based on marital status.

In cases like this, every organization should view the employee in line with how Income tax rules are framed.

From India, Mumbai
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Dear friends,

Opinions of learned members are welcome on all the matters discussed in the forum. It's obvious everyone could express what they think/view as right, maybe the same could be really correct or may not be correct as everybody is not an expert in all the areas discussed here. In other words, it should be treated as 'Opinions' only. At the same time, it's up to the viewers to choose and accept what they think is the correct one. I also appeal to all my friends that these opinions at best should be treated as a suggestion, and it is the responsibility of the concerned to ensure what is correct among these and how to act upon.

Re: HRA, I feel we shouldn't mix with the provisions of IT. It is a known fact that IT laws don't prescribe how much should be given as HRA or for that matter any part of one's emoluments. It's the prerogative of an employer to fix the emoluments of their employees. It's also not expected of them to determine how and how much spouses of their employees are paid, except in cases where fraudulent claims are made like LTA, medical expenses, etc. IT law only insists that earnings should be disclosed, and tax due should be remitted appropriately. I don't think or come across any employer putting a precondition for granting HRA that a spouse also shouldn't receive HRA. Therefore, I feel an investigation into this type of HRA is unwelcome.

From India, Bangalore
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Dear Members,

Regarding the Salary at Source Deduction for Rent Paid benefit, if an employee produces the Rent Receipt and Rent Agreement, an additional undertaking must be obtained if the Agreement is in joint names, i.e., Husband and Wife. This undertaking should confirm that the benefit is being claimed by the employee and not by their spouse. Both the employee and their spouse should sign this undertaking to ensure the Employer's compliance. The Rent Paid benefit can then be provided according to IT Rules.

If both Husband and Wife are claiming the benefit based on a single agreement, the responsibility lies with the Assessing ITO during Assessment; it is not the employer's concern. Only the undertaking from the employee should be kept on record.

Regards,
Ramakant

From India, Pune
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Greetings Vijay Kumar Dasari,

In my opinion, you have raised this query in respect to claims made by the employee and his spouse in the context of Income tax exemption for the Financial year 2013-14. If the question is understood from that perspective, I feel you can take the original rent receipt from your employee and consider the exemption. At this juncture, the finer aspect pointed out by Mr. Pranab needs to be taken care of. The rent receipt with the PAN number & copy of the house owner, if the rental value is above 1 Lakh, can be retained by you as your record.

If the spouse of the employee is claiming HRA from her organization over which you have no control, it may not be a matter of concern for your company. If both of them claim from the respective employer and if it comes to the notice of IT authorities, then the employee will be questioned and not your organization because as a Tax Deducting authority, you have verified the genuineness of the claims made by your employee by obtaining the original rent receipt from the claimant.

I request you to clarify whether you raised the query in respect to IT provisions.

Regards

From India, Madras
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