Tax Implications on a Second Home Loan: A Must Read

With India’s economic growth and so many affordable housing options, you can buy more than one property. Gone are the days when one would save all their money to buy one house and stay there forever. Real estate companies are acquiring land and building apartments that are accessible to all.

You also do not have to invest all your savings to buy another house. With easy home loans and affordable home loan interest rates, even you can buy a second home. Plus, tax benefits on second home loan make this even more attractive. The tax benefits work in India but not in all countries, there is information on the Australian system here.

Tax Benefits on Second Home Loan

The tax applicable to the owner of a second home is variable. The three variations are:

1. One house is on rent.
2. Both houses are on rent.
3. None are on rent.

According to the tax laws, when you are the owner of many properties only one house is considered to be self-occupied. Self-occupied means:

1. The owner stays in the property.
2. The property is not given on rent.
3. You get no income from the property. This is also called ‘deemed rented out’.

You can choose to show any of the properties as self-occupied. It does not have to be the first property you had bought. The others will be considered for rent out options.

If the house is on joint ownership, the rent should be split as per the percentage share of the owners. The income from the rented-out property is considered for the actual income tax calculation. This could be either from one house or both.

Tax on Self-occupied House

Say, you have bought a property that has been fully constructed within five years of your taking the loan. What is the home loan tax benefit available to you? In such a case, up to Rs.2 lakh will be exempted from the actual interest paid. 

But, if you are a senior citizen, then the limit is extended to Rs.3 lakh. If the house was not completed in five years, then the exemption limit is Rs.30,000. You can even avail of an exemption of Rs.50,000 for properties whose loans were below Rs.35 lakh. Companies offer home loans up to Rs.5 crore and top-up loans up to Rs.1.75 crore.



Suppose your first home is not occupied by you or you have rented it out and you are still paying the home loan. Then, the actual principal repaid will be applicable for tax exemption with a cap of Rs.1.5 lakh. You can avail of this exemption even on repayment of the loan amount.

Tax on Second Home

The interest paid on the other properties has an exemption limit of up to Rs.2 lakh. There will be no tax exemption on the principal amount repaid if you have taken a second home loan.

Also, the second home is considered wealth. Thus, an extra 1% tax will be applicable if the price is above Rs.30 lakh.

The income from the rent earned on the second home will be taxable. You can deduct the municipal taxes or the maintenance charges on the house to calculate the final income. A standard 30% deduction on rented income is also allowed. 

So, the final taxable income on the rented property will be the actual amount received minus the taxes, 30% deduction, and interest paid on it.

If the property is not let out and remains vacant you can consider market rate prevalent for calculating the income.

Summing Up

Sometimes, the second home may actually impact your return on investment. This happens if the interest rates are high and the property prices have increased. Thus, you need to be smart to know when to invest money. So, keep an eye on property prices and avail of the best home loan interest rate.