Hi, I have just sold my 2BHK flat. I am aware about capital gains rules. I will have to pay tax on that. How does that calculation works? Tax will be paid only for capital gain and not on the entire amount ?

Ans: Hi,

I am presuming that you want to clarify if the capital gain tax be avoided if the reinvestment of old 1BHK flat sale could be mapped against purchase of 2 BHK flat.

The reinvestment conditions specify that you could off-set the capital gain arising out of sale of a residential property by purchasing or constructing a new house within the stipulated timeframes.

If you have bought a ready possession property (new flat) then the timelines are 1 year back or 2 years forward from the date of sale of the old flat.

If you have bought an under construction flat then the timelines are 3 years forward from the date of sale of the old property.

An example would be as follows:

Purchase of 2BHK flat is say June 1, 2022 and date of sale of 1BHK is say May 1, 2023 - You could map the capital gains from 1BHK against the purchase of 2BHK ready possession flat. Similarly, if the purchase of the 2BHK flat was at anytime after May 1, 2023 but within 2 years from this date, then again the exemption would be allowed.

In the case of under construction property, all payments made to the builder after May 1, 2023 would be allowed upto a period of 3 years

Ans: Hi Alok
Buying a plot is not considered as reinvestment and eligibility is on buying or constructing a residential house.

In this case if you construct a house on the plot then you could map the capital gains from the sale of the ancestral house against the cost of construction of the house on the plot.

Also, as you have sold the house in March 2023, you would need to open a Capital Gain Accounts Scheme (CGAS) account with any nationalized bank on or before the due date for filing your tax return. The deposit of the capital gain amount in the CGAS account would be treated as reinvestment for the moment.

You need to note that this CGAS account amount has to be utilized for construction within 3 years from the date of sale of the ancestral house.

In case you are not depositing the amount in CGAS account or reinvesting in any eligible assets before filing tax return (of course before due date) then you would need to pay tax on the capital gain portion

Ans: To calculate the capital gains tax on the sale of your house, we need to consider the acquisition cost, the cost of improvement, and the sale proceeds. Let's break down the calculations:

Acquisition Cost:
The acquisition cost is the amount you paid for the plot in 2006, which is Rs. 3 lakhs.

Cost of Improvement:
The cost of improvement includes the expenses incurred for constructing the house. In this case, it is the bank loan you took of Rs. 10 lakhs in 2007.

Indexed Cost of Acquisition and Improvement:
To adjust the acquisition cost and cost of improvement for inflation, we need to calculate the indexed cost. The indexed cost is calculated using the Cost Inflation Index (CII) provided by the Income Tax Department. The CII for the relevant years can be found on the Income Tax Department's website.

Let's assume the CII for the year 2006-2007 was 122, and for the year 2007-2023 (the year of sale), it was 317.

Indexed Cost of Acquisition = Acquisition Cost × (CII for the year of sale/CII for the year of acquisition)
Indexed Cost of Acquisition = Rs. 3 lakhs × (317/122) = Rs. 7,79,508=19

Indexed Cost of Improvement = Cost of Improvement × (CII for the year of sale/CII for the year of improvement)
Indexed Cost of Improvement = Rs. 10 lakhs × (317/122) = Rs. 25,98,360=65

Capital Gain:
To calculate the capital gain, deduct the indexed cost of acquisition and the indexed cost of improvement from the sale proceeds.
Capital Gain = Sale Proceeds - (Indexed Cost of Acquisition + Indexed Cost of Improvement)
Capital Gain = Rs. 80 lakhs - (Rs. 7,79,508=19+ Rs. 25,98,360=65)
Capital Gain = Rs. 46,22,131=16

Capital Gains Tax:
The capital gains tax depends on whether the property is held for the long term or the short term. In this case, since you held the property for more than 24 months, it qualifies as a long-term capital asset.
For long-term capital gains, you have the option to pay tax at a rate of 20% with indexation benefits or 10% without indexation benefits, whichever is lower. Indexation benefits adjust the acquisition and improvement costs for inflation.

Assuming you choose the 20% tax rate with indexation benefits, the capital gains tax would be:

Capital Gains Tax = Capital Gain × 20%
Capital Gains Tax = Rs. 46,22,131=16 × 20%
Capital Gains Tax = Rs. 9,24,426=23

Regarding the TDS (Tax Deducted at Source) of Rs. 75,000 paid by the buyer, you can claim credit for this amount while filing your income tax return. The TDS can be set off against your tax liability or claimed as a refund if it exceeds your tax liability. Make sure to provide the necessary details and documentation when filing your tax return to claim the TDS amount.

Ans: You need to understand the following things about taxation of your flat:-
1. You have earned a profit (called capital gains in this context) on the sale of your house. So tax is due.
2. However, tax will not simply be 31L – 8.5L. The Govt gives you an advantage of inflation over the years which increases your purchase cost through a process called ‘Indexation’, thus decreasing your tax. Please google and read up on it, or contact a good CA or a financial advisor.
3. You also get credit for registration and stamp duty charges, brokerages paid as also any improvements done in the house of a permanent nature.
4. Please read up on Income Tax Section 54 which also gives out how you can save tax on your final capital gains arrived at.
5. The entire calculations and sale/purchase details have to be shown in the ITR. Most probably you will be filling ITR-2 for this next year but please ascertain the same when you are about to file the tax since rules keep changing.