3. WHY STUDY RESIDENTIAL STATUS?
Tax incidence on an assesse depends on his residential
status.
For instance, whether an income, accrued to an individual
outside India, is taxable in India depends upon the
residential status of the individual in India. Similarly,
whether an income earned by a foreign national in India or
outside India is taxable in India depends on the residential
status of the individual, rather than on his citizenship.
Therefore, the determination of the residential status of a
person is very significant in order to find out his tax
liability.
4. RESIDENTIAL STATUS AS PER INCOME TAX ACT
According to the Income Tax Act, 1961, taxation
depends on the resident status of an
individual/company. Although you have read about
the different categories classified under the income
tax rules, there is a possibility that you are unsure of
how they vary. It is recommended to understand it
with the following examples:
Resident
Resident Not Ordinarily Resident
Non-Resident
6. 1. Resident
A resident taxpayer is an individual who satisfies one of the following conditions:
• He is India in the previous year for a period of 182 days or more, or
• He is in India for a period of 60 days or more during the previous year and 365
days or more during 4 immediately preceding the previous year.
Consider the case of Mr. D, Business Head for Asia Pacific regions for a private firm.
Mr. D was born and brought up in India. He has to travel to various locations of the
continent for business purposes. He has spent 200 days travelling in the current
financial year. Also, he has been travelling abroad from the past two years and has
stayed out of India for about 400 days in this period. When you consider this
information to figure out the resident status of Mr. D, you will understand that he has
only spent 165 days in India during the current financial year. That proves the first
condition wrong. It is given that Mr. D has been travelling only from the past two
years. Also, it is said that he has travelled for 400 days in the past two years. That
means, in the past four years, Mr. D has stayed in India for more than 365 days (1061
days). You must remember that he has stayed for 165 days in the current year.
Therefore, the second condition holds good. Mr. D is a resident taxpayer.
7. 2. Resident Not Ordinarily Resident
There is a further classification under the resident status – Resident Ordinarily
Resident (ROR) and Resident Not Ordinarily Resident (RNOR).
If both the conditions below are met, he will be a ROR:
He has resided in India for at least 2 out of 10 immediate previous years.
He has resided in India for at least 730 days in seven immediately previous years.
Considering the example of Mr. D, both the conditions are satisfied. Therefore, he
can be considered as Resident Ordinarily Resident. Alternatively, consider that he
had to work from the headquarters of his firm, located in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia
for the past six years. He has only visited his parents for a week, twice a year during
this time. That means, he has resided in India for 449 days in the past six years and
the same applies for the current financial year too. In this case, one condition is not
met. Therefore, Mr. D is RNOR.
8. 3. Non-Resident
An individual who does not fall under either of the above categories can be
considered as a non-resident.
For example, Ms. G went to London to join a reputed university for a
graduation course (three years). While studying there, her professor
suggested her to join a post-graduate course at the same university (two
years).
She had to get an internship certificate to complete the course.
Upon completion, the firm offered her a permanent position.
She has been an employee there for the past four years.
That is, Ms. G has stayed out of India for nine years now.
She receives rental income from the property that she inherited from her
parents.
Both the conditions applicable for ROR are not satisfied. That makes Ms. G
a nonresident.
9.
10. The Residential Status Of An Individual As per section 6(1)
The residential status of individual for the purpose of taxation is determined
on the basis of his physical presence in India during the previous year (April 1
to March 31) and preceding previous years. An individual is said to be a
resident of India if he is:
1) Physically present in India for a period of 182 days or more in the previous
year, or
2) Physically present in India for a period of 60 days or more during the
relevant previous year and 365 days or more in aggregate in four preceding
previous years. If a person doesn’t meet any of the above two conditions
then he is said to be a non-resident in India for the purpose of taxation in
India. A resident individual is further classified into ‘Resident but not
Ordinarily Resident’ if:
1) His stay in India is of 729 days or less in previous 7 years;
2) He was considered as ‘non-resident’ in 9 out of previous 10 years.
11. The Residential Status Of HUFAs per section 6(2)
An HUF is said to be resident in India if the control and
management of HUF is in India. A resident HUF is further
classified into ‘Resident but not Ordinarily Resident’ if:
a) Stay of Karta in India is 729 days or less in previous 7 years;
and
b) Karta was considered as ‘non-resident’ in 9 out of previous
10 years.
If control and management of HUF is situated wholly outside
India then HUF shall be treated as non-resident.
12. The Residential Status Of Firm/Association of person
RESIDENTIAL STATUS OF FIRM/ASSOCIATION OF PERSONSAs per
section 6(2), a partnership firm and an association of persons are
said to be resident in India if control and management of their
affairs are wholly or partly situated within India during the
relevant previous year. They are, however, treated as non-
resident in India if control and management of their affairs are
situated wholly outside India.
13. RESIDENTIAL STATUS OF COMPANYAs per section 6(3),
RESIDENTIAL STATUS OF COMPANYAs per section 6(3), an Indian
company is always resident in India. A foreign company is
resident in India only if, during the previous year, control and
management of its affairs is situated wholly in India.
However, a foreign company is treated as non resident if, during
the previous year, control and management of its affairs is
either wholly or partly situated out of India.
14. RESIDENTIAL STATUS OF ANY OTHER PERSON As per
section 6(4)
RESIDENTIAL STATUS OF ANY OTHER PERSONAs per section 6(4),
every other person is resident in India if control and management of
his affairs is, wholly or partly, situated within India during the
relevant previous year. On the other hand, every other person is
non-resident in India if control and management of its affairs is
wholly situated outside India.
For other persons: For Indian Income, it shall be taxable, whether
the person is resident or not resident doesn't matter. Foreign income
is taxable in India, only if it is earned by a resident in India but not
taxable in India if it is earned by a non-resident.