S20

Relaxation of Time Limit for Tax Compliances Under Income Tax Act

Sr No Particulars Earllier Date Revised Date 1 TDS return for Last Quarter (Jan’21…

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Sr No ParticularsEarllier DateRevised Date
1TDS return for Last Quarter (Jan’21 – Mar’21)31-05-202130-06-2021
2Form 16 Certificate furnishing Date6/15/20217/15/2021
3Due Date of Income Tax Return (AY 2021-22 i.e. FY 2020-21)7/31/20219/30/2021
4Due Date of Income Tax Return For Audit Entity (AY 2021-22 i.e. FY 2020-21)10/31/202111/30/2021
5Tax Audit Report Submission For FY 2020-219/30/202110/31/2021
6Due Date for Belated Income Tax Return12/31/20211/31/2022
7Statement of Specified Financial Transaction (SFT) for FY 20-2131-05-202130-06-2021

Knowledge Of Insurance For Tax Professionals

Varsha who works at a media office in Ahmedabad met with an accident on…

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Varsha who works at a media office in Ahmedabad met with an accident on her way to work. She was rushed to the hospital where she was treated for four days before being discharged. The hospital bill amounted to about Rs.60,000.

Fortunately, she had a health insurance cover of Rs.3,00,000. The hospitalization and treatment charges were taken care of by the insurer. Had there been no insurance coverage, she would have had to pay the entire amount out of her own pocket.

Insurance is your cushion against unexpected financial losses or damages. An insurance policy is what Varsha signed with the insurance company which was a legal statement of her agreement with the company, which agreed to cover costs in case of a damage, in exchange for a periodic premium paid by her.

Here, the company is the ‘insurer’ while Varsha is the ‘policyholder’ as well as the ‘insured’. A policyholder is not always the same as the ‘insured’. Such cases will be explained further in this read.

Insurance is not only procured by individuals but also by businesses to insure against specific types of risks. Premium, Deductible and the Policy Limit are three essential components of an insurance policy. A good understanding of what all an insurance policy entails can be gathered by enrolling in the taxation course in Ahmedabad.

Components Of An Insurance Policy

  • Premium – A premium is a regular payment – annual, semi-annual or monthly —made by the policyholder to the insurance company for purchasing a policy. The amount of the premium depends on factors like the type of coverage (business-specific, medical insurance, home insurance etc.), the amount of total coverage, an individual’s insurance history (to determine risk factors), as well as competition in the insurance industry. Higher the risk factors, more the amount of premium you have to pay.
  • Deductible – It is the amount that a policyholder has to pay on her own while the insurer pays a claim. Deductibles are meant to work as disincentives against minor or insignificant claims. The policyholder usually has the choice to decide their deductible. As a general rule, higher the deductible, lower is the premium and vice versa. 
    Policy Limit – It is the maximum amount the insurance company will pay for a covered claim. These maximum amounts can be determined per-damage, per-time-period or over a policy’s lifetime. Higher policy limits have higher premiums.

Policy limits can vary within a policy according to various aspects of the damage. To delve into understanding these, one may consider taking the tax practitioner course in Ahmedabad.

Types Of Insurance Policies

Life Insurance or Term Plan

It is particularly an essential coverage in cases where the beneficiaries are heavily dependent on the insured person. Life insurance policies promise to compensate the beneficiaries of the insured person, in case they expire during the policy term, or after a set period. The payment made for life insurance is deductible under section 80C of Income Tax Act,1961. To know details about how much you can save as tax you can learn by taxation course in Ahmedabad.

Health Insurance 

For medical emergencies, health insurance covers the costs of treatment, hospitalization and medication. Health insurance plans in India also come with tax benefits on premiums as mentioned in section 80D of Income Tax Act, 1961. Types of Health insurance plans include 

  • Individual plans
  • Family plans
  • Senior Citizen plans
  • Critical Illness plans
  • Maternity plans
  • Group plans
  • Unit Linked health plans
  • Coronavirus plans

Employees these days are mostly covered under Group insurance plans by employers, who pay the premium instead of the employees.The same is allowable expense for the company. Though the amount is usually not great, yet it is advisable to be covered under such plans since some benefits still count against zero-premium paid.

Vehicle Insurance 

It ensures monetary compensation in case of any accidents that may have led to the damage of the motor vehicle. A four-wheeler insurance policy is mandatory in India as per the Motor Vehicle Act 1988.

Vehicle insurance includes all expenses in case of death and damage suffered due to collisions or natural calamities, hospitalization expenses in the event of an accident, legal/financial damages due to third party liability, as well as rider benefits like roadside assistance. Major types of car insurance plans available in India are –

  • Comprehensive car insurance: Insures car damages and third-party liability cover 
  • Third-Party car insurance: Only third-party legal liability cover
  • Pay as you drive insurance: Insurance premiums are decided by the kilometres driven (suitable for people who own more than one car, and each of the vehicles is not used very frequently)

The taxation training in Ahmedabad is a good option to consider if one wants to learn about new policy developments like the ‘Pay as you drive insurance’, that are created as a response to changing lifestyles and newer needs.

Education Insurance 

Securing their child’s future is the biggest concern of a parent. Education insurance policies aid in the same by providing an amount of education cost when the child is ready to indulge in higher education; 18 years of age and above. This is the kind of policy where the ‘policyholder’ is not the same as the ‘insured’. Here, the parent/guardian is the policyholder while the child is the insured. 

Home Insurance 

It covers all expenses in case of damages incurred to a house due to any sort of physical damage caused either due to human-caused accidents or natural calamities. Home insurance covers not only the building or structure but also the contents of the house and any other detached structures that may be a part of it. Home insurances are aimed at providing indemnities for a variety of damages and include- 

  • Fire and Special perils
  • Public Liability cover
  • Building structure insurance
  • Burglary or Theft
  • Personal accident
  • Contents insurance
  • Landlord insurance
  • Tenant insurance

Professional Liability Insurance 

It ensures professionals like lawyers, trainers, tax preparers, accountants, doctors, beauticians and so on, against claims of damage made by clients. It indemnifies professional liability for the policy period only. The cover is provided mainly on a claims-made basis.

The aspect of a retroactive date is also available in the case of Professional Liability Insurance, which means that damages caused before the beginning of the policy period, which is being claimed during the policy period, are also covered.

Knowledge about insurance and its acute parts and mechanisms can be expanded by enrolling in the best tax course provider in Ahmedabad. A deeper understanding will help one to better analyze and choose the perfect insurance needed for a specific case and time. Knowledge so gathered will assist in making wiser decisions when choosing financial safety nets for oneself or clients.  

Professional Etiquettes For Tax Professionals

How you conduct yourself speaks volumes about you. The way you act and communicate…

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How you conduct yourself speaks volumes about you. The way you act and communicate with people around you becomes your hallmark, especially in professional settings. 

In a professional setting, you would come across a lot of people, including your seniors, your subordinates and your clientele. To leave a positive impression on them and to earn their trust and respect, you must abide by some unwritten codes of conduct. Simply put, professional etiquettes are what define you in a professional setting. 

Tax professionals to need to abide by a set of professional etiquettes, to succeed. You can consider taking the course on taxation training in Ahmedabad if you want expert advice on this matter.

Why Tax Professionals Must Act According To Professional Etiquettes
If you are an aspiring tax professional, you must understand a simple fact. While dealing with your clientele, you must win them over with your manners. Your courteous demeanour will help you forge good relationships with your clients.

Even your chances of being recommended to other potential clients would improve to a great extent. If you opt for a tax practitioner course in Ahmedabad, you will surely receive proper guidance about professional etiquettes that you must observe.

Etiquettes Which All Tax Professionals Must be Mindful of
Now that you know why tax professionals must be mindful of professional etiquettes, you must know what codes of conduct you must abide by. Let’s take a look at how you must conduct yourself while dealing with your clients, under different circumstances:

1. When You Are Having A Face-to-Face Interaction In Real Life

While having a face-to-face interaction with your clients in real life, you must act according to the following etiquettes:

  • Be polite and amiable when greeting them. 
  • Stand up when you are welcoming them. When you are introducing yourself to them or are being introduced, you must stand up.
  • Try not to avoid eye contact with your client when talking to them or negotiating with them. Staring at them for several minutes might indeed make them feel uncomfortable. But a complete avoidance of eye contact is not acceptable either. 
  • A little small talk can help your clients feel at ease with you. However, avoid asking them overly personal questions. For instance, you may enquire after their health but you must refrain from asking them about their relationship status.
  • Listen to your clients attentively. 
  • Your dress code forms a part of your professional etiquette. So, dress formally and professionally.
  • Be confident when discussing matters with your clients or filing tax returns. If you speak with an air of confidence, it will leave a lasting impression on the minds of your clients.

2. When You Are Having A Virtual Face-to-Face Interaction

Owing to the COVID-19 pandemic raging all over the world, face-to-face communication with clients had to be shifted to the digital and virtual platforms. 

So, when you are interacting with your clientele on Google Meet or Zoom, you must be mindful of a few more points in addition to the professional etiquettes as discussed above. The additional etiquettes or rather, netiquettes have been discussed in the following section:

  • It’s important to minimize distractions and noises in the background when you are having an online meeting with your clients. Choose a relatively noise-free area when you are attending the meeting. 
  • Make sure that you have a stable internet connection. You must make sure to ask your clients politely, about their internet connection as well. In case any problem arises in connection to this issue, you must apologize to your client and talk to them about making an alternative arrangement.
  • While listening to your client, you must mute yourself.
  • Even if you are having an online meeting, it’s important to abide by a formal dress code. If you appear presentable and professional, it will leave a good impression on the minds of your clients.

3. When You Are Talking To Clients Over Phone

Sometimes, you might have to connect with your clients over the phone. You must uphold your professionalism in this regard as well. Following are the professional etiquettes which you must keep in mind in this regard:

  • Refrain from calling your clients at ungodly hours, unless there is an exigency. Calling them after normal working hours, on weekends or national holidays may be perceived as unprofessional.
  • Once they receive your call, politely ask them if they can talk to you at that particular point of time. If they are unable to talk to you at that juncture, you may call them later as per their convenience.
  • Be direct and straightforward while discussing matters over a phone call. It’s always advisable to keep it short and sweet.
  • Try minimizing distractions and background noises too.

4. When You Need To Send E-mails To Your Clients

You must remember to act professionally while sending e-mails to your clients and responding to their queries. So, without further ado, let’s look at the professional etiquettes that you should observe when it comes to e-mail:

  • Always use salutations and proper greetings.
  • Avoid making grammatical errors, syntactical errors and other minor mistakes. It’s important to thoroughly proofread the emails which you would send to your clients.
  • Write concisely and crisply. 

All the points discussed in this section must be remembered by every budding tax professional and they might reap a lot of benefits if they take up a taxation course. A tax practitioner course in Ahmedabad might help them immensely.

Takeaways

All tax professionals in the making must be mindful of the fact that if somebody wants to be respected, they must respect others first. If you act by the codes of conduct, a lot of opportunities might come along your way. 

As Clarence Thomas puts it: “Good manners will open doors that the best education cannot.” That is why prospective tax professionals need to follow certain professional etiquettes. Do you want to discover more about it and gain some valuable first-hand experience concerning professionalism? In that case, you may consider taking up the best tax course in Ahmedabad without further delay.