Tax Planning on WebNotes

Parag Parikh ELSS vs Axis, Mirae and Quant ELSS

Sat, 16 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The Parag Parikh ELSS Tax Saver Fund is the Equity Linked Savings Scheme (ELSS) of PPFAS Mutual Fund , launched on 4 July 2019 by the AMC’s then ELSS proposition team. ELSS schemes are open-ended diversified equity mutual funds with a statutory three-year lock-in period from the date of each investment and qualify for Section 80C deduction under the Income-tax Act, 1961 up to Rs 1.50 lakh per financial year (under the Old Tax Regime). The Parag Parikh ELSS Tax Saver Fund competes in the broader ELSS category with peer schemes including the Axis Mutual Fund Axis ELSS Tax Saver Fund (the long-standing category leader by AUM until 2024), the Mirae Asset Mutual Fund Mirae Asset ELSS Tax Saver Fund, and the Quant Mutual Fund Quant ELSS Tax Saver Fund.

Debt mutual fund vs bank fixed deposit (post-2023 tax regime)

Tue, 12 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The Finance Act 2023 introduced a fundamental change to the taxation of debt mutual funds in India, effective from 1 April 2023. Prior to this amendment, gains on debt mutual fund units held for more than 36 months were classified as long-term capital gains (LTCG) and taxed at 20% with indexation benefit. From 1 April 2023, gains on specified mutual funds (those with domestic equity exposure of 35% or less) are taxed at the investor’s applicable income tax slab rate irrespective of holding period, under the new Section 50AA of the Income Tax Act, 1961.

ELSS vs NPS

Tue, 12 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Equity Linked Savings Scheme (ELSS) and the National Pension System (NPS) are both used to claim income tax deductions in India, but they operate under different regulatory frameworks, serve different investor objectives, and carry different conditions on withdrawal. ELSS is a mutual fund category regulated by the Securities and Exchange Board of India . NPS is a defined-contribution pension scheme regulated by the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) and governed by the PFRDA Act, 2013.

ELSS vs PPF

Tue, 12 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Equity Linked Savings Scheme (ELSS) and Public Provident Fund (PPF) are among the most widely used instruments for claiming the Section 80C deduction under the Income Tax Act, 1961. Both allow an investor to claim a deduction of up to Rs 1,50,000 per financial year. They differ fundamentally in their nature, risk profile, return mechanism, liquidity, and regulatory framework.

ELSS is a category of equity-oriented mutual fund regulated by the Securities and Exchange Board of India , while PPF is a government-backed small savings scheme administered by the Ministry of Finance under the Public Provident Fund Act, 1968 (since subsumed into the Government Savings Banks Act, 1873, as amended).

ELSS vs ULIP

Tue, 12 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Equity Linked Savings Scheme (ELSS) is a category of equity-oriented mutual fund regulated by the Securities and Exchange Board of India . A Unit Linked Insurance Plan (ULIP) is an insurance product combining investment and life cover, regulated by the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI). Both qualify for tax deduction under Section 80C of the Income Tax Act, 1961, up to Rs 1,50,000 per financial year, but they differ materially in cost structure, purpose, and regulation.

How to invest in ELSS via Coin

Tue, 12 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

An Equity Linked Savings Scheme (ELSS) is a category of open-ended equity mutual fund that qualifies for income tax deduction under Section 80C of the Income Tax Act, 1961. Investments in ELSS of up to Rs 1.5 lakh per financial year reduce your taxable income by the same amount, subject to the Rs 1.5 lakh aggregate limit under Section 80C. ELSS schemes have a mandatory 3-year lock-in period per investment tranche, the shortest lock-in among all Section 80C instruments.

How to invest in NPS via Coin

Tue, 12 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The National Pension System (NPS) is a government-sponsored, PFRDA-regulated defined-contribution pension scheme for Indian citizens aged 18 to 70 years. It provides long-term retirement savings with market-linked returns, portability across employers and locations, and significant tax benefits.

Zerodha Coin offers NPS account opening and contribution management through a partnership with the Central Recordkeeping Agencies (CRAs). Coin acts as a Point of Presence (PoP) under the PFRDA framework.

Prerequisites

Indian citizen aged 18 to 70 years with valid KYC documents.
Active Zerodha trading and demat account (for existing Zerodha users).
PAN card and Aadhaar card (for eKYC).
Bank account details for contribution and payout.
TOTP authenticator for Zerodha two-factor login.

NPS regulatory framework: PFRDA

NPS is governed by the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority Act, 2013 (PFRDA Act) and associated PFRDA Regulations. Key regulatory features:

Mutual fund vs ULIP

Tue, 12 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

A mutual fund is a pooled investment vehicle regulated by SEBI under the SEBI (Mutual Funds) Regulations, 1996. A Unit Linked Insurance Plan (ULIP) is a hybrid product combining life insurance and investment, regulated by IRDAI under the IRDAI (Unit Linked Insurance Products) Regulations, 2019. Both allow equity or debt market participation, but they differ fundamentally in purpose, cost architecture, and regulatory treatment.

Purpose and product design

A mutual fund has a singular investment purpose: to pool capital from multiple investors and deploy it in a specified category of securities (equity, debt, hybrid, etc.) under a defined investment mandate. A mutual fund does not provide insurance cover.