Form 80: Application for exercising or renewing the tonnage-tax option under section 231
Source checked 21 October 2026 · Original author: Finin2min Editorial Desk
Purpose, person and period
Application for exercising or renewing the tonnage-tax option under section 231.
The qualifying company applies to the jurisdictional Joint Commissioner in Form 80 for the initial or renewal option; Part B is required only on renewal, while Part A applies to both.
Period gate: This numbered form belongs to the Income-tax Rules, 2026, effective 1 April 2026. The predecessor 65 is a concordance, not permission to change an earlier-year filing into a new-law form. For earlier periods, use the applicable 1961 Act form and saved procedure.
Controlling rule and source pages
Rule 146; Section 231(1), Section 231(10), Section 227(4), Section 228(7), Section 232(21), Section 231. Physical PDF pp 542-545; printed Gazette pp 2074-2077.
Rule 146 — connected rule text
146. Rules related to application for exercising the option for tonnage tax scheme and other matters related to it.– For the purposes of Tonnage Tax Scheme under Chapter XIII-G of the Act:–– (a) an application under section 231(1) to opt for the Tonnage Tax Scheme, or under section 231(10) for renewing the option for the Tonnage Tax Scheme, as the case may be, shall be made in Form No. 80 and shall be verified as specified therein; (b) deemed tonnage under section 227(4)(b) in respect of an arrangement mentioned in column B of the following Table shall be computed on the basis as specified in column C thereof: Table Sl. No. Arrangement Basis of computation A B C 1 Purchase of slots and slot charter 2.5 TEU = 1 Net Tonnage (1 NT), where TEU is Twenty foot Equivalent Unit (Container of this size). 2 Sharing of break-bulk vessel (i) Where cargo is restricted by volume, 19 cubic meter (cbm) = 1 net tonnage (1 NT); and (ii)where cargo is restricted by weight, 14 metric tons = 1 net tonnage (1 NT); (c) the incidental activities referred to in section 228 (7) shall be the following,: — (i)maritime consultancy charges; (ii)income from loading or unloading of cargo; (iii)ship management fees or remuneration received for managed vessels; and (iv)maritime education or recruitment fees; [PDF PAGE 111] [भाग II—खण् ड 3(i)] भारतकाराजपत्र:असाधारण 1643 (d) the limit for charter-in of tonnage of the qualifying ships referred to in section 232(15) to (20) during any tax year, shall be computed by dividing the total number of chartered -in ton days by the total number of ton days operated by the company; and (e) the audit report of a qualified company, required to be furnished under section 232(21)(b) shall be in Form No. 81.
Completed field illustration
Fictional data, not for filing. An assumed qualifying IFSC shipping company illustrates the initial tonnage-tax option after its section 147 deduction ends.
| Form field / block | Completed fictional entry |
|---|---|
| Part A: company / PAN / registered office / residence | Example IFSC Shipping Ltd / synthetic ZZZCE0000Z / Model IFSC Road, GIFT City / resident Indian company, effective management in India, assumed |
| Incorporation / directors / qualifying date | 1 April 2015 / model director Priya Arun Sharma at Pune / became qualifying 1 April 2026, assumed evidence |
| Row 10: section 147 deduction / cessation | Yes / last available 31 March 2026, assumed |
| Row 11(A): owned qualifying ship | Model Vessel A / net tonnage 10,000 / Indian flag / cargo ship / qualifying status assumed supported by statutory certificates |
| Row 11(B/C): charter-in and charter-out | None |
| Part B: renewal questions | Not applicable: initial option, not renewal |
| A-1/A-2: ship/inland-vessel certificates | Model ship registration and tonnage certificate references; no inland vessel and no real registration document issued |
| Declaration / application date | Assumed IFSC and Indian-management conditions / 1 June 2026 / managing-director model NOT SIGNED |
This illustrates the named fields, not every possible schedule. Use the complete official extract for additional applicable fields, annexures and verification. “Not signed” means no professional certification or authority action has occurred.
Reconcile the example
- 1 June 2026 is within three months after assumed deduction cessation on 31 March 2026.
- No chartered vessels are double-counted as owned ships.
The model assumes all qualifying-company and qualifying-ship conditions. The certificate references are synthetic, and the option is not approved by completing this illustration.
Prepare, furnish and retain
- Use the form identity and period above, then determine the person who prepares, issues or verifies it from Rule 146. An authority-issued order is not an applicant filing.
- Collect the records that support the actual fields in the example; keep any mandatory schedules and annexures specified in the complete source form.
- Reconcile dates, amounts, units and identifiers to the underlying records. Preserve the applicable rule version and any later correcting notification.
- Where the rule prescribes electronic furnishing, use the current official utility/schema and authorised verification. A local PDF does not produce a portal acknowledgement.
- Retain the submitted version, supporting schedules and actual acknowledgement or issued certificate/order, as applicable. This fictional model supplies none of those evidential outcomes.
Download the correct documents
Official Form 80 source extract Filled sample — fictional field illustration
The official extract preserves source pages; later amendments are supplied with affected forms. Read the April corrigendum where its printed-page corrections apply. The filled field illustration is an educational model and cannot be filed.
Primary sources
Questions readers ask
Does this sample prove approval, filing or a professional conclusion?
No. It completes the named fields using synthetic facts. It has no real signature, DSC, approval or acknowledgement.
Can I use the legacy form number for a current tax-year obligation?
Establish the governing period first. A predecessor number is a cross-reference; earlier-year procedures and current-year forms must be kept distinct.