Scope of total income
Section 5(1) of Income Tax Act 2025
(1) Subject to the provisions of this Act, the total income of any tax year of a person, who is a resident, includes all income from whatever source derived, which—
(a) is received or deemed to be received in India in that year by or on behalf of the person; or
(b) accrues or arises, or is deemed to accrue or arise, to the person in India in that year; or
(c) accrues or arises to the person outside India in that year, but when such person is “not ordinarily resident” in India under section 6(13), it shall be included only when it is derived from a business controlled in or a profession set up in India.
Section 5(2) of Income Tax Act 2025
(2) Subject to the provisions of this Act, the total income of a tax year of a person, who is a non-resident, includes all income from whatever source derived, which––
(a) is received or deemed to be received in India in that year by or on behalf of the person; or
(b) accrues or arises, or is deemed to accrue or arise, to the person in India in that year.
Section 5(3) of Income Tax Act 2025
(3) Income accruing or arising outside India shall not be deemed to be received in India under this section by reason only of the fact that it is taken into account in a balance sheet prepared in India.
Section 5(4) of Income Tax Act 2025
(4) If an income has been included in a person’s total income on the basis that it––
(a) has accrued or arisen; or
(b) is deemed to have accrued or arisen,
to the person, it shall not again be included on the basis that it is received or deemed to be received by the person in India.