ICICI Prudential Nifty PSU Bond Plus SDL Sep 2027 40:60 Index Fund

Suitability:

This is a fund that comes with a fixed maturity and invests in bonds whose maturity is in line with that of the fund. Upon the completion of the stated tenure, the fund is wound up and investors' money is returned to them along with accumulated gains. They provide predictability (though not a guarantee) of returns because by staying invested till the end of its term, you can expect to get returns close to its ‘indicative yield’ at the time of making the investment.

They can be a viable option for fixed-income investors whose investment horizon matches the tenure of the fund. Such funds are more attractive when the interest rates are high, so as to 'lock-in' a high rate of return and benefit from it by staying invested for the entire fund tenure.

If you do decide to invest in them, remember that they are meant to deliver steady, but low to moderate returns and are not suitable to build wealth in the long run.

Taxability of earnings:

Capital gains

• If the mutual fund units are sold after 3 years from the date of investment, gains are taxed at the rate of 20% after providing the benefit of inflation indexation.
• If the mutual fund units are sold within 3 years from the date of investment, entire amount of gain is added to the investors' income and taxed according to the applicable slab rate.
• No tax is to be paid as long as you continue to hold the units.

Dividends

• Dividends are added to the income of the investors and taxed according to their respective tax slabs. Further, if an investor's dividend income exceeds Rs. 5,000 in a financial year, the fund house also deducts a TDS of 10% before distributing the dividend.