Income tax calculator for India: old vs new regime, line by line
This income tax calculator works out what a salaried person in India owes under both regimes at once for tax year 2026-27 — the first year under the Income-tax Act, 2025 — or for FY 2025-26 if you are still filing for that year. It highlights the lower tax and tells you how much in deductions the old regime would need to break even.
Every step is shown: taxable income, slab-by-slab tax, the rebate (now section 156, formerly 87A) with marginal relief, surcharge with marginal relief, 4% cess and monthly TDS. The HRA exemption is worked out inline with the least-of-three rule and the new list of 50% cities. It runs in your browser; results are estimates, not tax advice.
How to use the Income Tax Calculator
- Choose the Tax year and your age during it.
- Enter gross salary, basic + DA, any employer NPS contribution, and interest or other income.
- Add HRA received, monthly rent and the city you rent in.
- Enter old-regime deductions: 80C, own NPS, health insurance, home-loan interest and professional tax.
- Compare the two totals, then read the line-by-line and slab tables. Copy summary keeps the result.
Income Tax Calculator features
Both regimes side by side
Two full computations from one set of inputs, the lower tax highlighted.
Break-even deductions
The deductions and exemptions the old regime needs to match the new one, and how far you are from it.
Marginal relief done right
The ₹12 lakh rebate cliff, surcharge thresholds from ₹50 lakh to ₹5 crore and the 25% new-regime cap.
Built-in HRA calculator
Least-of-three HRA rule with the 50% city list for the year you pick.
Age-aware old regime
Slabs for under 60, 60 to 79 and 80+, with the senior 80D and 80TTB limits.
Tax slabs for tax year 2026-27
Budget 2026 left the rates unchanged, so 2026-27 uses the FY 2025-26 slabs. The default new regime allows a ₹75,000 standard deduction and employer NPS, but not HRA, 80C, 80D or own-home loan interest.
| Taxable income | New regime | Old regime (below 60) |
|---|---|---|
| Up to ₹2.5 lakh | Nil | Nil |
| ₹2.5 lakh – ₹4 lakh | Nil | 5% |
| ₹4 lakh – ₹5 lakh | 5% | 5% |
| ₹5 lakh – ₹8 lakh | 5% | 20% |
| ₹8 lakh – ₹10 lakh | 10% | 20% |
| ₹10 lakh – ₹12 lakh | 10% | 30% |
| ₹12 lakh – ₹16 lakh | 15% | 30% |
| ₹16 lakh – ₹20 lakh | 20% | 30% |
| ₹20 lakh – ₹24 lakh | 25% | 30% |
| Above ₹24 lakh | 30% | 30% |
Worked example: ₹15 lakh salary in Bengaluru
The opening figures: salary ₹15,00,000, basic + DA ₹6,00,000, HRA ₹3,00,000, rent ₹28,000 a month in Bengaluru, ₹8,000 savings interest, 80C ₹1,50,000, 80D ₹25,000, professional tax ₹2,500.
New regime: ₹15,00,000 − ₹75,000 + ₹8,000 = ₹14,33,000. Tax is ₹20,000 + ₹40,000 + ₹34,950 = ₹94,950, plus cess = ₹98,750 (₹8,229 a month).
Old regime: HRA exemption is the least of ₹3,00,000, ₹3,36,000 − ₹60,000 = ₹2,76,000 and 50% of ₹6,00,000, so ₹2,76,000. Taxable income is ₹15,08,000 − ₹2,76,000 − ₹50,000 − ₹2,500 − ₹1,83,000 = ₹9,96,500, and the tax is ₹1,11,800 + cess = ₹1,16,270.
The new regime is ₹17,520 cheaper; the old one would need about ₹5,45,750 of reliefs against the ₹4,61,500 claimed. For FY 2025-26, when Bengaluru was a 40% city, the old-regime figure is ₹1,27,140.
How much in deductions makes the old regime worth it?
Reliefs (besides the ₹50,000 standard deduction) the old regime needs to match the new one, for someone under 60 whose only income is salary:
| Gross salary | New-regime tax | Old regime needs |
|---|---|---|
| ₹12,75,000 | ₹0 | ₹7,25,000 (to tie at ₹0) |
| ₹15,00,000 | ₹97,500 | ₹5,43,750 |
| ₹18,00,000 | ₹1,50,800 | ₹6,41,667 |
| ₹20,00,000 | ₹1,92,400 | ₹7,08,333 |
| ₹25,00,000 | ₹3,19,800 | ₹8,00,000 |
| ₹30,00,000 | ₹4,75,800 | ₹8,00,000 |
Rebate, surcharge and cess
- Rebate: new-regime tax is nil up to ₹12 lakh of taxable income (rebate up to ₹60,000). Just above it, marginal relief caps the tax at the income over ₹12 lakh: ₹12,10,000 pays ₹10,000 + cess = ₹10,400. The old-regime rebate is up to ₹12,500 for income up to ₹5 lakh.
- Surcharge: 10% above ₹50 lakh, 15% above ₹1 crore, 25% above ₹2 crore and 37% above ₹5 crore (old regime only). At ₹50,10,000 in the new regime, marginal relief cuts the ₹1,08,300 surcharge to ₹7,000.
- Cess and rounding: 4% on tax plus surcharge; income and tax are rounded to the nearest ₹10.
Rules used (as of October 2026)
Income-tax Act, 2025, in force 1 April 2026: new regime s.202 (115BAC), rebate s.156 (87A), standard deduction and professional tax s.19 (16), HRA s.11 with Schedule III and Rule 279 of the Income-tax Rules, 2026 (eight 50% cities), 80C s.123, NPS s.124, 80D s.126, 80TTA/TTB s.153, home-loan interest s.22(2), rounding s.516. Rates: Finance Act, 2025, unchanged by Budget 2026. Model NPS with the NPS calculator. The section numbers come from secondary summaries because incometaxindia.gov.in was unreachable — confirm them there.
Out of scope: capital gains at special rates, business or professional income, AMT, carried-forward losses and non-residents (the rebate is for residents only).
Income Tax Calculator FAQ
Which is better for me, the old or new tax regime?
It depends on your deductions, and the income tax calculator shows both totals plus the break-even. Up to a ₹12.75 lakh salary the new regime is nil, so the old one can only tie. Above that, the old regime needs roughly ₹5.4 lakh to ₹8 lakh of reliefs to win — usually only with a large HRA claim plus home-loan interest.
Is income up to ₹12 lakh tax-free in 2026-27?
Yes, in the new regime for residents: taxable income up to ₹12,00,000 gets a rebate of up to ₹60,000, which means a salary of up to ₹12,75,000 after the standard deduction. Capital gains taxed at special rates do not get it.
What is marginal relief?
Just above ₹12 lakh, your tax cannot exceed the income above ₹12 lakh. A similar relief applies at each surcharge threshold, so earning a little more never leaves you with less after tax.
What changed with the Income-tax Act, 2025?
From 1 April 2026 it replaced the 1961 Act. “Previous year” and “assessment year” became one “tax year”, and sections were renumbered — 87A is now 156, 115BAC is 202, 80C is 123. Rates and limits stayed the same.
Which cities get the 50% HRA limit now?
From tax year 2026-27, Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Pune and Ahmedabad (Rule 279); elsewhere 40%. For FY 2025-26 only the first four qualified.
How is monthly TDS worked out?
Employers spread the estimated annual tax over the year; this page shows annual tax ÷ 12. See what reaches your bank with the in-hand salary calculator, or design a pay structure with the CTC calculator.