Income Tax Calculator
Last updated on May 17, 2026 • Editorial policy
Compare old and new regime tax from the full resident-individual income mix instead of guessing from salary alone. The result changes with the selected year, income buckets, house-property treatment, and the deduction stack that actually belongs to the case.
Calculate Tax
Start with the live income mix and see which regime actually saves more.
Old vs new regime
Keep both annual tax totals visible instead of testing only one regime in isolation.
Salary + other income
Combine salary, interest, house property, capital gains, and digital assets in one comparison.
Rebate and cess
Read the actual final tax after rebate, surcharge, marginal relief, and cess.
HRA and NPS effect
Test how exempt allowances and NPS deductions change the old-versus-new answer.
FY 2025-26 / 2026-27
Switch the year first because the slab and rebate framework changes with it.
This is a resident-individual tax-comparison workspace for salary, interest, one-house-property style adjustments, capital gains, digital-asset income, and other slab-taxed income. It is not a substitute for full ITR preparation, business books, foreign-asset reporting, capital-loss set-off strategy, or a mixed special-rate return review.
How to read the tax result
The quality of the comparison depends less on how many fields are filled and more on whether the income buckets and deductions match the real tax position.
01
Set the financial year first
The new-regime slabs and rebate line differ by year, so the year choice is not decorative. It changes the tax framework itself.
02
Compare both regimes from the same facts
Read both regimes from one clean income mix instead of deciding the winner first and then forcing the numbers to fit it.
03
Split the income into the right buckets
Salary, interest, house-property entries, capital gains, digital assets, and other income do not all behave the same way. The answer improves when the income is classified before it is totalled.
04
Audit the old-regime deduction stack carefully
80C, 80D, deposit-interest relief, NPS, education-loan interest, and housing deductions should only be added when they belong to the case and can be supported.
05
Read the lower-tax regime, then audit the detail table
The headline winner matters, but the detail lines show whether exempt allowances, house-property treatment, rebate, and special-rate tax are behaving the way you expected.
Current tax slabs used here
These are the slab structures that shape the tax answer before surcharge, marginal relief, digital-asset tax, and cess are layered in.
| Taxable income band | Rate |
|---|---|
| Up to ₹4,00,000 | Nil |
| ₹4,00,001 to ₹8,00,000 | 5% |
| ₹8,00,001 to ₹12,00,000 | 10% |
| ₹12,00,001 to ₹16,00,000 | 15% |
| ₹16,00,001 to ₹20,00,000 | 20% |
| ₹20,00,001 to ₹24,00,000 | 25% |
| Above ₹24,00,000 | 30% |
| Taxable income band | Rate |
|---|---|
| Up to ₹3,00,000 | Nil |
| ₹3,00,001 to ₹7,00,000 | 5% |
| ₹7,00,001 to ₹10,00,000 | 10% |
| ₹10,00,001 to ₹12,00,000 | 15% |
| ₹12,00,001 to ₹15,00,000 | 20% |
| Above ₹15,00,000 | 30% |
| Taxable income band | Rate |
|---|---|
| Up to ₹2,50,000 | Nil |
| ₹2,50,001 to ₹5,00,000 | 5% |
| ₹5,00,001 to ₹10,00,000 | 20% |
| Above ₹10,00,000 | 30% |
Resident senior and super-senior old-regime nil bands differ, which is why the age selector sits near the top of the calculator.
How the rebate changes the answer
In practical tax planning, the rebate line can matter as much as the slab line. Once taxable income sits near the rebate threshold, a small change in deductions can move the final tax sharply.
| Regime | Current rebate position | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| New regime in FY 2026-27 | Resident individuals can use a rebate of up to ₹60,000 when taxable income does not exceed ₹12 lakh. | This is why many standard salaried cases still land at zero tax even though slab tax exists before the rebate is applied. |
| New regime in FY 2025-26 | Resident individuals can use a rebate of up to ₹20,000 when taxable income does not exceed ₹7 lakh. | This is the earlier rebate structure, which is why the FY selector materially changes the comparison outcome. |
| Old regime | Resident individuals can use a rebate of up to ₹12,500 when taxable income does not exceed ₹5 lakh. | The old regime still has its own rebate shelter, but it operates at a much lower income level than the current new-regime line. |
Why ₹12.75 lakh gross still matters
For many ordinary salaried cases under the new regime, ₹12.75 lakh gross remains an important planning marker because the ₹75,000 standard deduction can reduce taxable income to ₹12 lakh, which is where the current rebate can still eliminate the tax.
Why ₹7.75 lakh gross mattered in the earlier year
In FY 2025-26, the same ₹75,000 standard deduction could pull a ₹7.75 lakh salary down to ₹7 lakh taxable income, which is where the earlier new-regime rebate could still eliminate the tax.
Why small deduction changes can feel large
Near the rebate threshold, a modest HRA adjustment, NPS contribution, or deduction correction can change the final tax disproportionately because it is not just reducing slab tax. It can decide whether the rebate survives at all.
What changes your tax result the most
These are the variables that usually change the answer most sharply once the comparison goes beyond salary alone.
| Factor | What it changes | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Tax regime | The slab system, deduction perimeter, and rebate structure | This is the primary branch in the analysis. Everything else sits underneath it. |
| Exempt allowances | Old-regime taxable salary | For many salary cases, this is the line that separates a disciplined old-regime estimate from a cosmetic one. |
| House-property treatment | Whether housing interest reduces income meaningfully or not at all | Self-occupied and let-out property do not behave the same way, and the new regime does not treat them the same way as the old regime. |
| 80C, 80D, deposit-interest relief, NPS, and housing deductions | Old-regime taxable income | A strong, supportable deduction stack is usually the only reason the old regime recovers ground against the default route. |
| Digital-asset income | Tax that sits outside the normal slab comparison | Once digital-asset income enters the case, the final answer is no longer just about slab tax and deductions. |
| Capital gains at special rates | Tax that sits partly outside the normal slab comparison | Special-rate gains can change the winner even when ordinary taxable income looks similar under both regimes. |
| Rebate | Whether the final tax survives at all | At the relevant income bands, the rebate can matter more than the slab percentage itself. |
| Surcharge and marginal relief | High-income cases beyond the ordinary salary-planning range | Once these thresholds are crossed, the tax answer stops being a simple slab conversation. |
| Cess | Final tax payable | Many rough comparisons stop at slab tax and miss the final 4% layer entirely. |
Quick tax checkpoints
These markers are useful as orientation points, but they should not replace the full computation once multiple income buckets or a serious deduction story are involved.
| Checkpoint | Why it matters | What to do next |
|---|---|---|
| ₹12 lakh taxable income in FY 2026-27 | This remains the critical new-regime rebate line in the current year. | Check whether the case falls back to this level after standard deduction and the adjustments that still survive. |
| ₹7 lakh taxable income in FY 2025-26 | This was the earlier new-regime rebate line. | Use it when the comparison is being run on the prior-year framework. |
| ₹12.75 lakh gross salary | For many ordinary salaried cases under the new regime, this remains a practical zero-tax planning marker. | Use it as an orientation point, not as a substitute for the actual calculation. |
| Strong allowance and deduction stack | This is where the old regime starts becoming commercially relevant again. | Confirm the exempt-allowance line, house-property treatment, and deduction stack properly before assuming the old regime really wins. |
How the tax estimate is worked out
The estimate follows a resident-individual calculation sequence rather than a generic after-tax shortcut.
Taxable income = Annual income - standard deduction - employer NPS deduction where allowed - old-regime deductions and exemptions where applicable
Income tax before cess = slab tax - rebate, where the regime conditions permit it
Total tax = Normal-slab tax after rebate + special-rate tax on capital gains and digital assets + surcharge - marginal relief + 4% health and education cess
Average monthly tax = Total annual tax ÷ 12
This framework is strongest for resident salary, interest, one-house-property, common special-rate capital gains, digital-asset, and other slab-taxed cases. Capital-loss set-off strategy, more exotic gain buckets, and business-income positions still need a wider review.
Worked tax cases
These cases show where the regime answer usually becomes clear once the deduction profile is translated into taxable income.
| Case | Inputs doing the work | Old regime | New regime | Lower-tax regime | What changed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ₹12 lakh salary, no meaningful old-regime deductions | Annual income ₹12,00,000, no HRA exemption, no 80C, no 80D, no extra NPS, no home-loan relief, and ₹2,400 professional tax. | ₹1,63,051.20 | ₹0 | New regime | The new regime keeps taxable income at ₹11.25 lakh after the ₹75,000 standard deduction, so the rebate eliminates the tax. The old regime still leaves a much larger taxable base. |
| ₹12 lakh salary, strong old-regime deduction stack | Annual income ₹12,00,000, HRA exemption ₹1,50,000, 80C ₹1,50,000, 80D ₹25,000, NPS 80CCD(1B) ₹50,000, and ₹2,400 professional tax. | ₹69,700.80 | ₹0 | New regime | The old regime becomes far more competitive once taxable income falls to about ₹7.73 lakh, but it still does not beat a valid new-regime zero-tax result in this band. |
| ₹18 lakh salary, serious old-regime planning case | Annual income ₹18,00,000, HRA exemption ₹2,40,000, 80C ₹1,50,000, 80D ₹25,000, NPS 80CCD(1B) ₹50,000, employer NPS ₹1,20,000, home-loan interest ₹2,00,000, and ₹2,400 professional tax. | ₹1,09,220.80 | ₹1,25,840.00 | Old regime | This is the type of salary case where a real HRA claim plus housing-interest relief and a full deduction stack can finally push the old regime ahead. |
| ₹60 lakh salary, surcharge zone | Annual income ₹60,00,000, no HRA exemption, 80C ₹1,50,000, 80D ₹25,000, NPS 80CCD(1B) ₹50,000, employer NPS ₹3,00,000, and ₹2,400 professional tax. | ₹16,46,536.32 | ₹14,50,020.00 | New regime | Once income reaches the surcharge range, the comparison stops being a simple slab-rate conversation. The new regime can still stay ahead even after a reasonable old-regime deduction stack is used. |
| Salary plus taxable long-term capital gains | Salary ₹15,00,000, LTCG at 12.5% ₹4,00,000, 80C ₹1,50,000, 80D ₹25,000, NPS 80CCD(1B) ₹50,000, and ₹2,400 professional tax. | Live result depends on the deduction stack | Live result depends on the deduction stack | Case-dependent | Once special-rate gains sit alongside salary, the winning regime can turn on how much the old-regime deductions compress the normal-slab income before the gain tax is layered in. |
Before you rely on the tax result
Small input errors can distort the comparison quickly, especially when the old regime is only narrowly competitive.
| Check | What to confirm | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Annual income base | The salary or other slab-taxable income actually being compared | If the starting income is loose, the regime answer becomes unreliable immediately. |
| Exempt allowances | Whether HRA, LTA, and other exempt allowance claims have been translated properly into the old-regime input | An overstated allowance line can make the old regime look cheaper than it really is. |
| Deduction quality | Whether 80C, 80D, NPS, housing interest, and other deductions are genuinely supportable | The old regime only wins credibly when the deduction stack survives scrutiny. |
| Scope of the case | Whether the income still fits this resident-individual comparison flow | Business income, capital-loss set-off strategy, foreign-asset reporting, and more unusual special-rate positions still need more than this resident-individual comparison is built to settle. |
When the old regime can beat the new one
This is usually the central planning question, but the answer depends less on ideology and more on the strength of the available deductions.
| Situation | What usually happens | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Limited deductions and weak HRA profile | The new regime usually remains ahead | The lower-friction slab and rebate structure often outweigh the modest relief available under the old regime. |
| Strong HRA plus 80C, 80D, extra NPS, and housing-interest relief | The old regime can become competitive or cheaper | A full deduction stack can compress taxable income enough to change the outcome decisively. |
| High income with surcharge exposure | Both regimes need closer reading | Surcharge and marginal relief become part of the economics, not just the background mechanics. |
| Capital-loss set-off or broader special-rate positions | A wider review becomes necessary | This comparison is not built to settle every mixed-income return position. |
Tax rules and official sources
The comparison is anchored to current resident-individual slab guidance for the selected year and is strongest for practical regime reading rather than every possible ITR edge case.
- The slab, rebate, cess, surcharge, and marginal-relief logic follow the selected resident-individual framework for FY 2025-26 or FY 2026-27.
- Employer NPS under section 80CCD(2) is capped by employer type and can also be tested on the basic-plus-DA salary base when that is the right payroll reference.
- The old-regime branch is only as strong as the allowances, house-property treatment, and deductions that can genuinely be supported in payroll or return-filing context.
- Salary, interest, one-house-property style entries, common special-rate capital gains, digital-asset income, and other slab-taxed income fit this comparison well, but capital-loss set-off strategy, broader gain buckets, or business-income cases still require a deeper review.
- Income Tax Department: income-tax calculator overview
- Income Tax Department: salaried individuals guidance for AY 2026-27
- Income Tax Department: salaried individuals guidance for AY 2025-26
- Income Tax Department: new tax regime vs old tax regime FAQs
- Income Tax Department: house-property deductions and regime treatment reference
- Income Tax Department: ITR-2 guidance covering capital gains and VDA reporting
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FAQ
Does this tax calculator compare the old and new regime?
Yes. Both the old and new regime are worked out from the same income mix, the lower-tax outcome is surfaced first, and both annual totals stay visible for comparison.
Does the new regime still use standard deduction for salaried people?
Yes. The salaried standard deduction is included in the new-regime estimate, and the old-regime standard deduction is kept separate where it belongs.
Can I add interest income, rent, capital gains, and digital-asset income here too?
Yes. Salary, interest income, one-house-property style entries, common special-rate capital gains, digital-asset income, and other slab-taxed income can all be read in the same comparison.
Does this cover surcharge and every edge case?
Surcharge and marginal relief are included in the normal resident-individual comparison flow, but business income, capital-loss set-off strategy, foreign-asset reporting, and unusual return issues still need a fuller tax review.