Summary of this article
Disclose previous salary to avoid tax mismatch
HRA refund claim possible via ITR
ITR filing depends on income threshold
I changed my job in the middle of the financial year. My employer had asked me to submit Form 12B, giving details of salary from my previous employer for calculation of income tax to be deducted for the year. Can I ask my present employer to give me Form-16 and tax calculation only for the period that I have worked for them?
Under the provisions of Section 192(2) of the Income-tax Act, 1961 and the annual circular issued by the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) for tax deduction on salary, the employee is required to furnish the details of salary received from his/her previous employer/s during the same financial year.
Since the details of your salary are anyway furnished by your previous employer to the income tax department through filing of the tax deducted at source (TDS) return on salary on a quarterly basis, it is advisable that you furnish the details at the earliest to your present employer, otherwise you may have to pay interest on any shortfall in the tax liability determined at the time of filing of your income tax return (ITR), as both the employers would have given you the benefit of basic exemption and deductions.
I receive a house rent allowance (HRA) from my employer and have been claiming exemption for rent paid for the last few years. I do not own a house anywhere in my name. This year, due to delay on my part in submitting the documents, the accounts department has made my HRA taxable for the year and they have also refused to accept the documents now. The tax will be deducted from my salary for the month of March. What should I do now?
Since you are entitled to claim the HRA as exempt, though tax has been deducted, you can claim the refund while filing your ITR. Do note that the exempt HRA in your ITR will be shown as taxable by your employer. This will result in a tax refund becoming due to you in respect of HRA wrongly taxed.
You could also get notice from the income tax department due to differences in the taxable salary as per details filed by your employer and as per your ITR, but you can respond to the notice explaining the difference with documentary evidence of you having paid the rent to be eligible for HRA exemption.
My wife purchased a plot of land in December 2025 for which I gave her the money. It is lying vacant as of now. Does she need to file an ITR? She is a homemaker and has never filed an ITR.
Under Section 139 of Income-tax Act, 1961, an individual is required to file his/her return of income in case the income exceeds the basic exemption limit. Since your wife is a homemaker and does not earn anything, her total income even from saving would not be above the taxable limits. So, she is not required to file her ITR. Do note that any income arising from the plot in any form, including any profit on sale of such plot shall be included in your income under Section 64 of the Income-tax Act, 1961.
The author is a tax and investment expert and can be reached on jainbalwant@gmail.com
(Disclaimer: Views expressed are the author’s own, and Outlook Money does not necessarily subscribe to them. Outlook Money shall not be responsible for any damage caused to any person/organisation directly or indirectly.)
