Your regular premium is divided into two parts: a component that goes towards paying for your insurance coverage and a portion that goes towards funding various investment vehicles. The policyholder has the option of investing in high-, low-, or medium-risk instruments. Equity, debt, or a combination of both investments are available to policyholders. Policyholders can also move funds across different instruments in accordance with changing financial objectives.
Significant tax advantages are also included with ULIP plans. The funds received at plan maturity, the periodic partial withdrawals that may be made, and the regular premiums paid to finance ULIPs are all exempt from taxes.
Because of these three tax exemptions, ULIP plans are considered EEE (exempt exempt exempt). The estimated value of your ULIP investment can be calculated using a ULIP plan calculator based on the premiums, tenures, and other information you enter.
The following ways a ULIP plan can help you save on taxes are listed below:
- Tax deductions for ULIP premiums: Section 80C of the Income Tax Act allows for a tax deduction of up to 1.5 lacs for premiums paid to support ULIP plans. That is, you can reduce your taxable income by subtracting the total premiums you have paid for ULIP plans from your yearly income. Your tax burden will decrease as a result, and you might be able to move to a lower tax bracket altogether.
- Partial withdrawals from ULIPs: The ability to make partial withdrawals from ULIPs further enables policyholders to handle a variety of emergencies and pay for expensive family vacations or necessary home renovations. A 5-year lock-in term applies to ULIPs, after which the policyholder may withdraw funds based on needs or objectives. A ULIP corpus’s partial withdrawals are entirely tax-free. This frees up the policyholder to take care of their basic needs and even indulge sometimes without increasing their tax burden.
- ULIP Maturity Fund: The corpus accumulated over the course of a ULIP plan is exempt from taxes under Section 10(10D) of the Income-tax Act. When a fund matures, the amount that the policyholder receives is free of tax obligations. This prevents further taxation from eroding the enviable ULIP gains from your long-term, wise investing choices.
- Tax-free switching between funds: ULIP plans offer the flexibility to switch between different investment funds, such as equity, debt, or balanced funds, based on market conditions or the policyholder’s risk appetite. Unlike mutual funds, there is no tax liability when you switch between funds within a ULIP plan. This means that you can realign your investment portfolio without incurring any tax liabilities, allowing you to optimise your investment plan over the long term while minimising the tax burden. This feature can be particularly useful in volatile markets or changing financial circumstances, providing a tax-efficient way to rebalance your portfolio.
Currently, there are 2 tax regimes in India – new and old. To get the tax benefit you desire, choose the correct one after consulting an expert. You can opt for a regime change during the next financial year.
This is how ULIPs may provide you with the best of both worlds: excellent yields and a plethora of ULIP tax benefits. Let’s examine three ULIPs that can assist you in achieving particular objectives while increasing your long-term wealth.
- The Unit Linked Child Plan protects your child’s education from shocks to future inflation, rising tuition costs, or unlucky events. Moreover, ULIP Child Plans to enable you to triple-tax benefit from ULIPs under Sections 80C, 80CCC, and 80CCD of the Income Tax Act.
- A rise in nuclear families, an increase in life longevity, and a lack of adequate funds have all contributed to the urgent need for retirement plans, according to ULIP. Your independence will be guaranteed by this retirement plan. The force of compounding allows you to build up a sizeable corpus of money that will last you a lifetime.
- Investment Plans are designed to provide policyholders with the highest possible returns on their investments. With an investment in top-rated funds, you can earn returns of up to 25% over a five-year period.
With reasonable premiums, ULIPs can be used to accomplish a variety of short- and long-term objectives. Additionally, ULIPs let you enjoy the benefits of wise financial planning without worrying about the tax implications of your gains. You can use a ULIP plan calculator to estimate future returns and the value of a ULIP investment.
Unit Linked Insurance Plans (ULIPs) are indeed EEE (Exempt Exempt Exempt) in India, which means that they offer ULIP tax benefits at all three stages – investment, accumulation, and withdrawal.