To claim House Rent Allowance (HRA) exemption, rent receipts are generally required, as per CBDT Circular 4/2020. However, if obtaining receipts is difficult, such as when the landlord is an NRI, alternative proofs like a rent agreement, bank statements showing rent payments, or a declaration can be accepted. This is especially relevant when annual rent exceeds one lakh rupees, requiring evidence to be submitted.
27 May 2020
What If the landlord is NRI we cannot take rent receipts from them due to their non availability and we have taken rent payment proof such as bank statement from the employees
27 May 2020
Any evidence can be shown as proof like Rent Payment Receipt, Agreement, Bank Statements or any certification or declaration on the same.
To bring certainty and uniformity, section 192(2D) provides that person responsible for paying (DDOs) shall obtain from the assessee evidence or proof or particular of claims such as House rent Allowance (where aggregate annual rent exceeds one lakh rupees);