One of the tools provided by mutual funds to help clients make disciplined investments is the Systematic Investment Plan (SIP), sometimes known as SIP. That is the most effective technique to amass wealth securely and responsibly. Here, investors are permitted to make fixed investments at predetermined intervals in the mutual fund plan of their choice.
With a SIP, your investment is spread out over a lengthy period, unlike a single-sum investment. 500 rupees is the minimum fixed amount of money. Additionally, the predetermined intervals may be weekly, monthly, or yearly. As a result, you only need a little money to start investing in mutual funds through SIPs.
How does SIP work?
When you make a SIP investment into a mutual fund scheme, you purchase a predetermined number of fund units equal to your investment amount. You do not need to time the markets as you earn from bearish and bullish market patterns when investing through a SIP.
You buy fewer fund units when the markets are soaring and more fund units when the markets are falling. The purchase price may change from one instalment to the next since every mutual fund’s Net Asset Value (NAV) is revised daily. Over time, the price of purchases averages out and becomes more affordable. This practice is known as rupee cost averaging.
How are equity mutual fund returns taxed?
With the aid of an example, it may be simpler to comprehend tax on SIP returns.
Let’s say your goal was to reduce your income taxes by investing in an Equity Linked Savings Scheme (ELSS). You contributed to the plan in the form of twelve SIP payments. Your SIP investments may mature based on the three-year maturity period. SIPs in mutual funds develop according to the FIFO technique (First In, First Out).
Let’s say you want to redeem these SIPs when they reach maturity. After redemption, the SIP amount will be paid to your designated bank account. Their profits will be included in your income as “other sources of income.” If your SIP returns less than one lakh rupees for the financial year, you will not be subject to income tax.
Both short and long capital gains from capital mutual funds are subject to this rule. What taxes would be levied on short-term capital gains made through these funds, then? What about the taxation of other mutual funds?
How much tax is on SIP returns for STCG and LTCG?
Mutual fund taxes are based on how long you have owned them. Long-term capital gains (LTCG) or short-term capital gains (STCG) would apply depending on the investment horizon.
Various types of mutual funds may see different capital gains. Let’s use an example to grasp this better.
Let’s say you made an 11-month investment in an equities mutual fund. Given that the duration of your investment was less than a year, your gains will now be categorised as short-term capital gains.
Profits from equities mutual funds for short-term capital gains up to Rs. 1 lakh are tax-free. A 10% tax rate would be applied to payments over that amount.
If your long tenure for the same fund had been 13 months or longer, you would be subject to taxation on long-term capital gains. This would have been nil for profits up to one lakh rupees and 10% for amounts above that.
Final Thoughts
Taxes may be challenging. Several regulations, tax rates, tenures, gains, deductions, and exemptions apply to various investment kinds, particularly when it comes to investing. You can reduce your tax obligation and get the most out of your investments by grasping the subtleties of these taxes.
