Today pension plans are available with all life insurance companies. They typically come without any life cover (zero death benefit).

Pension funds are exempted under Section 80CCC, this section stipulates that an investment in pension funds is eligible for deduction from the income.

Section 80CCC investment limit is clubbed with the limit of Section 80C which means that the total deduction available for 80CCC and 80C is Rs 100,000. This also means that your investment in pension funds up to Rs 100,000 can be claimed as deduction under section 80CCC.

Of the maturity amount only one-third can be commuted in cash as tax free maturity. The rest of the amount (or the full amount as the case may be) has to be used to by a pension plan (annuity). Pension receipts from the same will be treated as income in the hands of the assessee and taxed accordingly. Recently, the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA) has come out with a clear rule that maturity amount should not be withdrawn as cash this is coming to effect from July 1, 2010. Currently, the maturity amount can be withdrawn as cash but the amount will be added to income and will be taxed accordingly.

 

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Best Performing Mutual Funds

1. Largecap Funds:
1. DSP BlackRock Top 100 Fund
2. ICICI Prudential Focused Blue Chip Fund
3. Birla Sun Life Front Line Equity Fund
2. Large and Midcap Funds
1. ICICI Prudential Dynamic Plan
2. HDFC Top 200 Fund
3. UTI Dividend Yield Fund
3. Mid and SmallCap Funds
1. Reliance Equity Opportunities Fund
2. DSP BlackRock Small & Midcap Fund
3. Sundaram Select Midcap
4. IDFC Premier Equity Fund
4. Small and MicroCap Funds
1. DSP BlackRock MicroCap Fund
5. Sector Funds
1. Reliance Banking Fund
2. Reliance Banking Fund
6. Gold Mutual Funds
1. Relaince Gold Savings Fund
2. ICICI Prudential Regular Gold Savings Fund
3. HDFC Gold Fund