My company has the LTA option- but could anyone please help me out understanding about this? Our company has the option to claim LTA once in 3 years.
How this process is? I don't have any idea. I joined last July2010 with this company and i never had LTA in my past companies. Please help me. How/when can i submit bills and what kind of travel(bus, air, train) i can claim?
From India, Bangalore
How this process is? I don't have any idea. I joined last July2010 with this company and i never had LTA in my past companies. Please help me. How/when can i submit bills and what kind of travel(bus, air, train) i can claim?
From India, Bangalore
1.You can get LTA only if you have applied for leave from your company and have actually travelled(in india)
2.Only the travel costs are covered.
3.the blocks of four years are fixed by govt. the present block ic 2010-2013.
4..you can claim 2 journeys in a block of 4 years.and if you have not availed LTC exemption in Last block of four years (single or both) than you can carry forward single(one) exemption in first year of next four year block.
5.travel can be through air bus train but you should have tickets for proof of travel, as you will have to show the ticket to claim your LTA.
6. a)journey by train:Amount exempted: A.C. first class rail fare by shortest route.or amount spent which ever is less.
b)journey by air:amount exempted:Economy Air fair of National carrier by the shortest route or the amount spent whichever is less.
From India, Jaipur
102.Only the travel costs are covered.
3.the blocks of four years are fixed by govt. the present block ic 2010-2013.
4..you can claim 2 journeys in a block of 4 years.and if you have not availed LTC exemption in Last block of four years (single or both) than you can carry forward single(one) exemption in first year of next four year block.
5.travel can be through air bus train but you should have tickets for proof of travel, as you will have to show the ticket to claim your LTA.
6. a)journey by train:Amount exempted: A.C. first class rail fare by shortest route.or amount spent which ever is less.
b)journey by air:amount exempted:Economy Air fair of National carrier by the shortest route or the amount spent whichever is less.
From India, Jaipur
Leave Travel Allowance (LTA) is the most common element of compensation adopted by employers to remunerate employees due to the tax benefits attached to it.
Through this write-up, I want to shed light on the taxability and some other interesting relevant aspects which you as a salaried employee must keep in mind. Section 10(5) of the Income-Tax Act, 1961, read with Rule 2B, provides for the exemption and outlines the conditions subject to which LTA is exempt.
Who and what is covered?
LTA exemption can be claimed where the employer provides LTA to employee for leave to any place in India taken by the employee and their family. Such exemption is limited to the extent of actual travel costs incurred by the employee. Travel has to be undertaken within India and overseas destinations are not covered for exemption.
For example, where an employer provides LTA of Rs 25,000, but an employee spends only Rs 20,000 on the travel cost, then the exemption is limited to only Rs. 20,000.
Travel cost means the cost of travel and does not include any other expenses such as food, hotel stay etc. The meaning of ‘family’ for the purposes of exemption includes spouse and children and parents, brothers and sisters who are wholly or mainly dependent on you.
An individual would not be able to claim the exemption in relation to his parents, brother or sisters unless they are wholly or mainly dependent on the individual. Further, exemption is not available for more than two children of an individual born after October 01, 1998.
This restriction does not apply in respect of children born before this date, and also in cases where an individual, after having one child, begets multiple children (twins or triplets or quadruplets, etc.) on the second occasion. The term “Child” includes a step-child and an adopted child of the individual.
Is exemption available every year?
No. The tax rules provide for an exemption only in respect of two journeys performed in a block of four calendar years. The current block runs from 2010-2013. If an individual does not use their exemption during any block on any one or on both occasions, their exemption can be carried over to the next block and used in the calendar year immediately following that block.
In such cases, the journey performed to claim such exemption will not be counted for the purposes of regulating future exemptions allowable for the succeeding block. For example, Mr. X joins an organisation on April 1, 2008 and is entitled to a LTA of Rs 30,000 per annum (financial year 2008-09).
X undertook a journey in December 2008 and used his exemption. However, for his LTA entitlement for 2009-10, he did not undertake a journey during the calendar year 2009.
He can undertake the journey in 2010 to claim the exemption in relation to the LTA. He would also be able to use the LTA benefit for two other journeys which he can undertake in the current block 2010-13 in relation to his LTA entitlement for future years.
Proof of travel
The individual needs to submit proof of travel to his/her employer and also keep copies for his or her own records. Such proofs are helpful at the time of the audit of the tax return of the individual. Proof of travel could be, for example, tickets, boarding passes, invoice of travel agent, duty slip etc .
During the Fringe Benefit tax (FBT) regime, provision of paid holidays, including travel cost to any place, stay expenses etc. were subject to FBT in the hands of employers and were not taxable in the hands of individuals. Many employers extended the paid holiday benefit instead of LTA.
Now with the elimination of FBT , with effect from. April 1, 2009, paid holiday benefit is fully taxable in the hands of employees and, therefore, employers are reintroducing the LTA element by withdrawing the paid holidays benefit.
From India, Lucknow
Through this write-up, I want to shed light on the taxability and some other interesting relevant aspects which you as a salaried employee must keep in mind. Section 10(5) of the Income-Tax Act, 1961, read with Rule 2B, provides for the exemption and outlines the conditions subject to which LTA is exempt.
Who and what is covered?
LTA exemption can be claimed where the employer provides LTA to employee for leave to any place in India taken by the employee and their family. Such exemption is limited to the extent of actual travel costs incurred by the employee. Travel has to be undertaken within India and overseas destinations are not covered for exemption.
For example, where an employer provides LTA of Rs 25,000, but an employee spends only Rs 20,000 on the travel cost, then the exemption is limited to only Rs. 20,000.
Travel cost means the cost of travel and does not include any other expenses such as food, hotel stay etc. The meaning of ‘family’ for the purposes of exemption includes spouse and children and parents, brothers and sisters who are wholly or mainly dependent on you.
An individual would not be able to claim the exemption in relation to his parents, brother or sisters unless they are wholly or mainly dependent on the individual. Further, exemption is not available for more than two children of an individual born after October 01, 1998.
This restriction does not apply in respect of children born before this date, and also in cases where an individual, after having one child, begets multiple children (twins or triplets or quadruplets, etc.) on the second occasion. The term “Child” includes a step-child and an adopted child of the individual.
Is exemption available every year?
No. The tax rules provide for an exemption only in respect of two journeys performed in a block of four calendar years. The current block runs from 2010-2013. If an individual does not use their exemption during any block on any one or on both occasions, their exemption can be carried over to the next block and used in the calendar year immediately following that block.
In such cases, the journey performed to claim such exemption will not be counted for the purposes of regulating future exemptions allowable for the succeeding block. For example, Mr. X joins an organisation on April 1, 2008 and is entitled to a LTA of Rs 30,000 per annum (financial year 2008-09).
X undertook a journey in December 2008 and used his exemption. However, for his LTA entitlement for 2009-10, he did not undertake a journey during the calendar year 2009.
He can undertake the journey in 2010 to claim the exemption in relation to the LTA. He would also be able to use the LTA benefit for two other journeys which he can undertake in the current block 2010-13 in relation to his LTA entitlement for future years.
Proof of travel
The individual needs to submit proof of travel to his/her employer and also keep copies for his or her own records. Such proofs are helpful at the time of the audit of the tax return of the individual. Proof of travel could be, for example, tickets, boarding passes, invoice of travel agent, duty slip etc .
During the Fringe Benefit tax (FBT) regime, provision of paid holidays, including travel cost to any place, stay expenses etc. were subject to FBT in the hands of employers and were not taxable in the hands of individuals. Many employers extended the paid holiday benefit instead of LTA.
Now with the elimination of FBT , with effect from. April 1, 2009, paid holiday benefit is fully taxable in the hands of employees and, therefore, employers are reintroducing the LTA element by withdrawing the paid holidays benefit.
From India, Lucknow
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