Section 37 - General - Income-tax Act, 1961

General. 37. (1) Any expenditure(not being expenditure of the nature described in sections 30 to 36 1 [ *** ] and not being in the nature of capital expenditure or personal expenses of the assessee), laid out or expended wholly and exclusively for the purposes of the business or profession shall be allowed in computing the income chargeable under the head Profits and gains of business or profession . 2 [ Explanation 12 [1].- For the removal of doubts, it is hereby declared that any expenditure incurred by an assessee for any purpose which is an offence or which is prohibited by law shall not be deemed to have been incurred for the purpose of business or profession and no deduction or allowance shall be made in respect of such expenditure. ] 13 [Explanation 2. -For the removal of doubts, it is hereby declared that for the purposes of sub-section (1), any expenditure incurred by an assessee on the activities relating to corporate social responsibility referred to in section 135 of the Companies Act, 2013 (18 of 2013) shall not be deemed to be an expenditure incurred by the assessee for the purposes of the business or profession. ] 14 [Explanation 3.- For the removal of doubts, it is hereby clarified that the expression expenditure incurred by an assessee for any purpose which is an offence or which is prohibited by law under Explanation 1, shall include and shall be deemed to have always included the expenditure incurred by an assessee,- (i) for any purpose which is an offence under, or which is prohibited by, any law for the time being in force, in India or outside India; or (ii) to provide any benefit or perquisite, in whatever form, to a person, whether or not carrying on a business or exercising a profession, and acceptance of such benefit or perquisite by such person is in violation of any law or rule or regulation or guideline, as the case may be, for the time being in force, governing the conduct of such person; or (iii) to compound an offence under any law for the time being in force, in India or 15 [ outside India; or (iv) to settle proceedings initiated in relation to contravention under such law as may be notified by the Central Government in the Official Gazette in this behalf. ]] (2) 3 [ * * * ] 4 [ (2B) Notwithstanding anything contained in sub-section (1), no allowance shall be made in respect of expenditure incurred by an assessee on advertisement in any souvenir, brochure, tract, pamphlet or the like published by a political party. ] (3) 5 [ * * * ] (3A) 6 [ * * * ] (3B) 7 [ * * * ] (3C) 8 [ * * * ] (3D) 9 [ * * * ] (4) 10 [ * * * ] (5) 11 [ * * * ] ------------------------------------ Notes :- 1. and section 80VV , which was inserted by the Taxation Laws (Amendment) Act, 1975, w.e.f. 1-4-1976, omitted by the Finance Act, 1985, w.e.f. 1-4-1986. 2. Inserted by the Finance (No. 2) Act, 1998, w.r.e.f. 1-4-1962. 3. Omitted by the Finance Act, 1997, w.e.f. 1-4-1998. Omitted sub-section (2) was substituted for sub-sections (2) and (2A) by the Finance Act, 1992, w.e.f. 1-4-1993. Erstwhile sub-sections (2) and (2A) were amended by the Finance (No. 2) Act, 1962, w.e.f. 1-4-1962, the Finance Act, 1965, w.e.f. 1-4-1965, the Taxation Laws (Amendment) Act, 1967, w.e.f. 1-10-1967, the Finance Act, 1968, w.e.f. 1-4-1968, the Finance Act, 1970, w.e.f. 1-4-1970, the Finance Act, 1976, w.e.f. 1-4-1977 and the Finance Act, 1983, w.r.e.f. 1-4-1976/w.e.f. 1-4-1984. Prior to its omission, sub-section (2), as substituted by the Finance Act, 1992, w.e.f. 1-4-1993, and later on amended by the Finance Act, 1994, w.r.e.f. 1-4-1993, read as under : '(2) Notwithstanding anything contained in sub-section (1), any expenditure in the nature of entertainment expenditure incurred by any assessee during any previous year commencing on or after the 1st day of April, 1992 shall be allowed as follows : (a) where the amount of such expenditure does not exceed ten thousand rupees, the whole of such amount; (b) in any other case, ten thousand rupees as increased by a sum equal to fifty per cent of such expenditure in excess of ten thousand rupees. Explanation.- For the purposes of this sub-section, entertainment expenditure includes- (i) the amount of any allowance in the nature of entertainment allowance paid by the assessee to any employee or other person; (ii) the amount of any expenditure in the nature of entertainment expenditure [not being expenditure incurred out of an allowance of the nature referred to in clause (i)] incurred for the purposes of the business or profession of the assessee by any employee or other person; (iii) expenditure on provision of hospitality of every kind by the assessee to any person, whether by way of provision of food or beverages or in any other manner whatsoever and whether or not such provision is made by reason of any express or implied contract or custom or usage of trade, but does not include expenditure on food or beverages provided by the assessee to his employees in office, factory or other place of their work.' 4. Inserted by the Taxation Laws (Amendment) Act, 1978, w.e.f. 1-4-1979. Originally, the sub-section was inserted by the Finance Act, 1970, w.e.f. 1-4-1970 which was later on omitted by the Finance Act, 1976, w.e.f. 1-4-1977. 5. Omitted by the Finance Act, 1997, w.e.f. 1-4-1998. Prior to its omission, sub-section (3), as inserted by the Finance Act, 1964, w.e.f. 1-4-1964, read as under : (3) Notwithstanding anything contained in sub-section (1), any expenditure incurred by an assessee after the 31st day of March, 1964, on advertisement or on maintenance of any residential accommodation including any accommodation in the nature of a guest-house or in connection with travelling by an employee or any other person (including hotel expenses or allowances paid in connection with such travelling) shall be allowed only to the extent, and subject to such conditions, if any, as may be prescribed. 6. Omitted by the Finance Act, 1985, w.e.f. 1-4-1986. Omitted sub-section (3A) was inserted by the Finance Act, 1983, w.e.f. 1-4-1984. Original sub-section was inserted by the Finance Act, 1978, w.e.f. 1-4-1979 and was later omitted by the Finance (No. 2) Act, 1980, w.e.f. 1-4-1981. 7. Omitted by the Finance Act, 1985, w.e.f. 1-4-1986. Omitted sub-section (3B) was inserted by the Finance Act, 1983, w.e.f. 1-4-1984. Original sub-section was inserted by the Finance Act, 1978, w.e.f. 1-4-1979, and was later omitted by the Finance (No. 2) Act, 1980, w.e.f. 1-4-1981. 8. Omitted by the Finance Act, 1985, w.e.f. 1-4-1986. Omitted sub-section (3C) was inserted by the Finance Act, 1983, w.e.f. 1-4-1984. Original sub-section was inserted by the Finance Act, 1978, w.e.f. 1-4-1979, and was later omitted by the Finance (No. 2) Act, 1980, w.e.f. 1-4-1981. 9. Omitted by the Finance Act, 1985, w.e.f. 1-4-1986. Omitted sub-section (3D) was inserted by the Finance Act, 1983, w.e.f. 1-4-1984. Original sub-section was inserted by the Finance Act, 1978, w.e.f. 1-4-1979, and was later omitted by the Finance (No. 2) Act, 1980, w.e.f. 1-4-1981. 10. Omitted by the Finance Act, 1997, w.e.f. 1-4-1998. Prior to its omission, sub-section (4), as inserted by the Finance Act, 1970, w.e.f. 1-4-1970, read as under : '(4) Notwithstanding anything contained in sub-section (1) or sub-section (3),- (i) no allowance shall be made in respect of any expenditure incurred by the assessee after the 28th day of February, 1970, on the maintenance of any residential accommodation in the nature of a guest-house (such residential accommodation being hereafter in this sub-section referred to as guest-house ); (ii) in relation to the assessment year commencing on the 1st day of April, 1971, or any subsequent assessment year, no allowance shall be made in respect of depreciation of any building used as a guest-house or depreciation of any assets in a guest-house: Provided that the aggregate of the expenditure referred to in clause (i) and the amount of any depreciation referred to in clause (ii) shall, for the purposes of this sub-section, be reduced by the amount, if any, received from persons using the guest-house : Provided further that nothing in this sub-section shall apply in relation to any guest-house maintained as a holiday home if such guest-house- (a) is maintained by an assessee who has throughout the previous year employed not less than one hundred whole-time employees in a business or profession carried on by him; and (b) is intended for the exclusive use of such employees while on leave. Explanation .-For the purposes of this sub-section,- (i) residential accommodation in the nature of a guest-house shall include accommodation hired or reserved by the assessee in a hotel for a period exceeding one hundred and eighty-two days during the previous year; and (ii) the expenditure incurred on the maintenance of a guest-house shall, in a case where the residential accommodation has been hired by the assessee, include also the rent paid in respect of such accommodation.' 11. Omitted by the Finance Act, 1997, w.e.f. 1-4-1998. Prior to its omission, sub-section (5), as inserted by the Finance Act, 1983, w.r.e.f. 1-4-1979, read as under : (5) For the removal of doubts, it is hereby declared that any accommodation, by whatever name called, maintained, hired, reserved or otherwise arranged by the assessee for the purpose of providing lodging or boarding and lodging to any person (including any employee or, where the assessee is a company, also any director of, or the holder of any other office in, the company), on tour or visit to the place at which such accommodation is situated, is accommodation in the nature of a guest-house within the meaning of sub-section (4). 12. Renumbered vide THE FINANCE (No. 2) ACT, 2014, w.e.f. 1st day of April, 2015 13. Inserted vide THE FINANCE (No. 2) ACT, 2014, w.e.f. 1st day of April, 2015 14. Inserted vide Finance Act, 2022 w.e.f. 01-04-2022 15. Substituted vide Section 13 of the Finance (No. 2) Act, 2024 dated 16-08-2024 w.e.f. 01-04-2025 before it was read as, outside India.