Everything You Need to Know About Education Loan for Studying Abroad

According to The Times of India, the number of active education loan accounts in India stands at around 28 lakhs. Additionally, the average amount of loan availed has considerably increased from Rs. 5 Lakh to Rs. 9 Lakh during the financial year 2018-19.

Such substantial increase is directly attributed to the growing demand for higher education. A significant number of students opt to enrol in foreign universities to complete their studies every year.

Consequently, the demand for education loans for abroad studies has also witnessed a remarkable surge in demand. It is mainly because of the huge expenses incurred while studying abroad; many opt to pay for the necessary expenses with the help of an affordable credit.

Alternatively, you can also avail a loan against property to fulfil your financial needs towards higher studies overseas.

Eligibility criteria for education loan

Irrespective of whichever course you plan to pursue abroad, you can always avail an education loan for that purpose. These credits provide adequate financial backing as well as allow you to manage your finances better while studying abroad.

The education loan eligibility criteria are listed as hereunder:

●     The applicant should be a minimum of 18 years of age and must be an Indian citizen.

●     He/she should have secured his seat in a recognized university or college abroad.

●     The student should possess a decent academic background and opt for a technical or professional course for higher studies in a foreign university.

Holding a good academic record is likely to land you with a better career prospect after you complete the course. It lowers the risk associated with lending as you are more likely to repay the debt of an education loan for abroad studies.

Benefits of availing education loan

There are several benefits of applying for a loan against property for education.

●     No end-use restrictions

Unlike education loan, where the loan amount is strictly used for funding your curriculum fee at the college/university, the loan against property education loan for abroad studies has no restrictions on its usage. You can easily fund your living and other related expenses abroad along with your education.

●     Flexible tenor

The ease in repayment of such loans is another added benefit. You can choose to repay it through an extended tenor of 20 years. A longer tenor helps you to repay the amount in a convenient manner without burdening your regular expenses. In addition, you can also choose part pre-payment or even one-time payment of the loan if you desire.

●     Hassle-free disbursal

The loan against property is a secured loan and hence requires minimum documentation and eligibility criteria to avail it. Most financial institutions disburse the loan in just 4 working days after approval. As a result, you get easier and faster access to the education loan for abroad studies, which in turn helps to cover up the initial admission charges as well.

Bajaj Finserv is a financial institution that offers loan against property at affordable rates of interest and at minimum eligibility criteria. It also offers pre-approved offers for the loan to make the process of application easier and faster.

These pre-approved offers are also available on various other financial products such as home loans, personal loans, business loans, etc. you can take a look at your pre-approved offer by providing a few details including your name and contact number.

Education loans are essential for those who would otherwise choose to back out from pursuing their dream education.  Considering this fact, many lenders are offering education loans for study abroad studies to help students overcome their financial hurdle.

Simultaneously, a loan against property can be an apt way to fund your education where you can avail a larger amount easily. Make sure that you apply for the same beforehand considering your current financial status so as to avoid falling into a debt trap later.

Read More

An Easy Guide to Check the Status of Your Income Tax Return

●       ITR filing is mandatory as per specifications

●       Check your ITR status using your login credentials

●       If not, check ITR status using PAN and ITR acknowledgment

●       Filing ITR helps in getting financing via a Home Loan

Filing your Income Tax Return (ITR) is a process of declaring your total taxable income for the given financial year, which includes all sources of earnings such as via investments, salary or revenue from a business. Taxes vary based on, and you should know the slab you fall under to compute the tax you need to pay. While filing of income tax return is mandatory if your annual gross taxable income exceeds Rs.2.5 lakh, you need to file an ITR even under other conditions such as when you need to claim a tax refund, if you have a financial interest in an entity outside India, when you pay an electricity bill of over Rs.1 lakh and more.

Whether you prepare your ITR offline and upload it online or are e-filing income tax returns online in entirety, remember that timely ITR filing can come in handy when you are applying for a loan. For instance, if you are planning to take a home loan to finance your dreams of being a homeowner, having your income tax returns in place can help you get the loan quicker as it attests to your income and reliability as a borrower.

You can file IT returns by downloading the forms available on the Income Tax Department’s official website. Once you have filed your income tax return, you can check the status online in two ways. Read on to know more.

How to check ITR status using your login credentials

Once you have completed the filing of Income Tax Returns online, you can use your login credentials to check the status of your IT returns.

●       Log in to the official Income Tax Department website

●       Click on ‘Dashboard’ from the menu

●       From the drop-down options, click on ‘View Returns/Forms’

●       Then select ‘Income Tax Returns’ and the assessment year from the and click on the ‘Submit’ button

●       View the status of your IT returns displayed on the screen

●       The status will either have ‘successfully e-verified’ or ‘ITR processed’

‘Successfully e-verified’ means that your ITR has been successfully verified. Once the processing is complete, in which case the refund, if due, is sent to you, you will see the words ‘ITR processed’.

How to check ITR status without using your login credentials

If you have misplaced the details of your login credentials, you can still check the status of your Income Tax Returns through the following steps.

●       Visit the official Income Tax Department website.

●       Click on the ‘ITR Status’ mentioned under the ‘Services’ tab.

●       You will then be redirected to a page wherein you will need to fill in your PAN card number and ITR acknowledgment number.

●       You then need to click on the ‘Submit’ button upon entering the captcha code.

●       View the status of your IT returns displayed on the screen.

Now that you know how to check the status after filing income tax returns, here is all you need to know about when you need to file ITRs and the documents you need to do so.

Who needs to file Income Tax Returns?

Here is the list of Indian citizens who need to file ITRs.

●       Individuals under the age of 60 and having an annual income exceeding Rs.2.5 lakh, excluding deductions

●       Senior citizens having an annual income exceeding Rs.3 lakh, excluding deductions

●       Super senior citizens having an annual income exceeding Rs.5 lakh, excluding deductions

●       Individuals who want to carry forward a loss or claim a tax refund

●       A resident who has a financial or beneficial interest in any asset or entity outside India

●       A resident who has signing authority in a bank outside India

The Budget 2019 mandates that the following are required to file ITRs in 2020-21 irrespective of income:

●       Individuals who withdraw from their current account more than Rs.1 crore annually

●       Individuals who pay Rs.1 lakh or more as their electricity bill

●       Individuals who pay more than Rs.2 lakh for international travel

Documents required to file IT Returns

While you may not need to submit all of the following documents for e-filing Income Tax Returns, you will need to refer to them to correctly file your income tax return. Experts further recommend that you store the receipts and certificates for future reference.

●       Copy of your PAN card and Aadhaar card

●       Proof of tax-saving investments and expenses, if applicable

●       Duly filled Form 16 (A/B/C, as applicable)

●       Your salary slips for each month

●       Your bank account statement

●       TDS certificate

●       Interest certificates (for a housing loan, FDs, etc)

●       Duly filled form 26AS

●       Proof of capital gains

●       Home loan statement from your financier

●       Proof of deductions under section 80D to 80U

In order to avoid a penalty, ensure that you file your income tax return every financial year. As explained above, filing ITR in a timely fashion also helps you get a loan easily.

Read More

How To Download PAN Card (e-pan card) Online?

PAN card is a 10-digit alphanumeric document issued by the Income Tax department. It is a KYC document that is also used for making specific transactions.  

Earlier, there were only physical cards that were dispatched to the registered address of communication. However, after Union Budget 2019, the Central Board of Direct Taxes introduced the facilitation of e-PAN cards that can be downloaded easily.

This service is more beneficial to users as the physical card can be lost or damaged. However, individuals who have insurance plan like wallet care policy can avail the needed financial assistance for re-application of PAN card.

Subsequently, the re-application procedure is now easier with the introduction of e-PAN card. Besides, such cards downloaded are considered on par with the physical cards issued by Income Tax Department of India.

Individuals looking to download their lost PAN card can follow the below-mentioned procedure –

With acknowledgement number

Step 1. Browse to the official website of NSDL and tap on ‘Download e-PAN card’ button.

Step 2. Submit the acknowledgement number of PAN application that you have received.

Step 3.   Click on the ‘Generate OTP’ button.

Step 4.  Input the OTP received on your registered mobile number and click ‘Validate’.

Step 5.  Click the ‘Download PDF’ button to download e PAN card lost.

With PAN and date of birth

Step 1. Browse to the official NSDL portal for e-PAN to apply for duplicate PAN card.

Step 2.  Input details such as permanent account number, date of birth, and captcha code.

Step 3. Click the ‘Submit’ button.

A token number is generated after this step, which is needed to be saved for reference purpose in future.

Step 4.  After this, click on ‘Continue With PAN Application Form’.

Step 5.  Choose one of the following options –

●       Submit with e-sign and e-KYC.

●       Submit scanned images through e-sign.

●       Physically forwarding documents to NSDL office.

Step 6. Check the box in accordance to apply for duplicate PAN card.

Step 7. Tap ‘Next’ after entering details, such as –

●       Aadhaar number.

●       Name as mentioned in Aadhaar.

●       EID number.

●       Father’s and mother’s name.

Step 8.   Contact details are to be submitted that includes next.

Step 9. Aadhaar card needs to be uploaded under the documents section to add a proof address and identity before clicking on the ‘Submit’ button.

Lastly, users are redirected to the payment page which they need to make to receive a 15-digit PAN application number.

After the payment is made, applicants will receive e-PAN in their registered address of communication. This can cause individuals a re-application fee which they have to pay in case of loss, theft or damage of PAN card.

Subsequently, individuals who have already availed Pocket Insurance & Subscriptions such as the card protection plan by Bajaj Finserv can avail the benefit of the policy and avail reimbursement for the imposed charge of re-application of PAN card. Individuals can buy wallet care to insure themselves from the suddenly accustomed financial loss. 

Such a purse care policy helps individuals acquire financial security even if their valuables such as credit card and debit card, along with PAN cards, meet unforeseen situations of loss or theft.

Now, the procedure of downloading e-PAN card is easy and quick but requires individuals to make payments of re-issue fee. Also, losing an identity card is associated with several risks as it can be used for fraudulent transactions made by the burglar. Therefore, having an identity theft insurance cover is preferable by cardholders as it takes care of the lost card while assisting the insured financially.

Individuals can make use of the above-mentioned procedure and download their e-PAN card, which is equivalent to physical cards. They can also acquire a physical PAN card, if lost, using the same procedure.

Read More

Why You Should Work With Micro Influencers In 2020

If you are working in any way within the marketing scenario, then you definitely will have come across the term influencer by now. If you are toying with the idea of using influencer marketing for your brand or still doubtful about it, you should read this article. Before forming a strategy for an influencer program, it is necessary to understand how it works. If you have employed the services of a digital marketing company then they will be able to explain this to you.

What Are Micro Influencers

Influencers are the people who have a large following on any social media channel. Above all their followers trust and respect their opinion about things that they say. Their opinions may be about lifestyle, way of thinking or niche topics. They share their opinions through blogs, articles, YouTube videos or other social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram etc. The channels that they choose fit their audience and style. How this will work in favor for your brand. The influencers normally talk about specific products and services which have been highly useful for them and have enhanced their life by bringing happiness, success, fitness etc. They can do this for your brand also by recommending it to their followers.

These individuals are popular bloggers and social media gurus who have a strong online presence. The micro influencers have a small but very interactive following. The number of followers for micro influencers ranges from 1000 to 100,000. However, you should not go simply by the number of followers. Instead you should check the level interaction and this should be high. The good micro influencers have followers who read, view and engage with the content that they write. Their followers are truly interested in the topics that they write and if there is an influencer review then they will accept it for what the influencer says in the review about the different products and services.

Reasons Why You Should Work With Micro Influencers

•         Brand Awareness: When any stranger in your target audience group sees your brand name it may not mean anything to him or her in the first glance. They may not recognize your logo, brand name tagline etc. However, when the product or service becomes associated with a message, a meaning and a recommendation with the help of influencer marketing then you will become more trustworthy and memorable. Moreover, when the target audience sees the blogs videos or other forms of communication endorsing your brand then they will understand what your brand is all about. They will associate you with something positive. In other words they will become aware of your brand. The larger the number of people who hear your business being discussed by their favorite influencer the more they will identify with your brand.
• Trust: The micro influencers have a strong connection with their followers who trust their opinion. This is why if you associate your brand with the influencers then what they say about your brand will be trusted by the target audience. Influencer advertising is more natural looking compared to other methods. Some influencers are adept at integrating information about your brand with any story they may be sharing with their followers and they do this in a very organic manner. Of course banner ads and other types of advertising are no doubt still necessary for success of your brand, but a combination will attract a wider range of audience to make them interested in your product or service.
• Exposure: Of course you should not choose just anyone as your micro influencer, but the more individuals who join the conversation about your product or service the better results you will get. This way more eyes will be exposed to your brand and there will be greater chances of creating a voice that is heard even in some very saturated markets.
• Keywords: You will be able to position your brand with the phrases and words which you will include in the influencer program. The prospects that you have in mind and the target customers are usually searching for these keywords on search engine pages. Influencers will be able to help you become associated with the keywords and hence this will improve your SERP. This way you will be shooting two birds with one stone. On one hand the influencers spread their word endorsing your brand and on the other hand your search engine ranking goes higher.
• No Ad Blockers: According to a study from as early as 2017, 615 million devices use an ad blocker of some kind. However, what your influencer does for you is not a regular advertisement. Instead people want to hear and read him or her. They look forward to the posts, videos and other messages that an influencer places on the social media channel. This way you will be saved from the ad blockers and the micro influencers will make sure that your message is heard and read by the large number of people associated with them as followers.
• Long Term Success: Most of the content that comes from influencer collaboration will remain live for a long period of time or even indefinitely. This is why if a campaign goes live now, it can have an impact even 2 years down the line. Of course this doesn’t mean that you have to wait for two years to get your message being heard. It is just that once you have started an influencer review campaign then it will keep on coming in the notice of their followers. 
• Measurability: Nowadays all aspects of marketing are measurable. This is because of the availability of Google Analytics and custom URLs, coupon codes and the marketing firms own tracking abilities. You don’t have to make unsure guesses about the efficacy of your marketing campaign because everything is measurable. Reporting makes sure that you get the correct information about how many target customers have come in contact with your advertisement.

These are the main reasons why you should work with influencers especially in the year 2020. It is because, by now the influencer marketing trend has picked up momentum and will last a long time to come.

Read More