How to use it
- 1Enter your gross salary for the year and any other income such as bank interest or rent received.
- 2Pick your age band. It only changes the old regime, where people over 60 get a higher exemption.
- 3Enter the deductions you actually claim: HRA exemption, 80C, health insurance, NPS and home loan interest. Do not enter what you could claim in theory.
- 4Read the verdict. Both columns show the whole calculation, so you can see exactly where the difference comes from.
The trade-off in one line
The new regime gives you lower rates and almost no deductions. The old regime gives you higher rates and a long list of deductions. Everything depends on how much you genuinely claim.
For a salary of ₹15,00,000 with nothing but the standard deduction, the new regime is far cheaper. Load the old regime up with HRA of ₹3,00,000, a full ₹1,50,000 of 80C, ₹25,000 of health insurance, ₹50,000 of NPS and ₹2,00,000 of home loan interest, and the old regime wins instead. The switch happens somewhere in between, and where exactly depends on your salary: the calculator prints that break-even figure for you.
A rule of thumb, and why you should not trust it
People say “the old regime wins if your deductions cross about ₹3.75 lakh”. That is a reasonable average and a poor guide to your own case, because the answer moves with your salary, your age and whether surcharge applies. Use the number the calculator gives for your figures.
Claim what is real
Every deduction in the old regime has to be something you actually did: rent genuinely paid, premiums genuinely paid, an NPS account genuinely funded. Deductions get checked against what your employer reported and what the insurer and bank filed. If you are claiming HRA, keep rent receipts and, above ₹1,00,000 a year, your landlord’s PAN.
What this page is not
This is a calculator, not tax advice. It works out tax on salary and ordinary other income at the rates in force for tax year 2026-27. It does not cover capital gains, business income, relief for arrears, foreign income or anything else unusual. For those, or for anything that matters a great deal, ask a chartered accountant.
Questions people ask
What are the tax slabs for 2026-27?
Under the new regime: nil up to ₹4 lakh, 5% from ₹4-8 lakh, 10% from ₹8-12 lakh, 15% from ₹12-16 lakh, 20% from ₹16-20 lakh, 25% from ₹20-24 lakh and 30% above ₹24 lakh. Under the old regime: nil up to ₹2.5 lakh, 5% from ₹2.5-5 lakh, 20% from ₹5-10 lakh and 30% above ₹10 lakh. The Budget presented in 2026 left both untouched, so these are the same rates as FY 2025-26.
Is income up to ₹12 lakh really tax free?
In the new regime, yes, for a resident individual. The rebate wipes out tax on a total income up to ₹12 lakh. A salaried person also gets the ₹75,000 standard deduction on top, so a salary up to ₹12.75 lakh can come to nil tax. The old regime's rebate only reaches ₹5 lakh.
What happens if I earn just over ₹12 lakh?
Marginal relief protects you. On a taxable income of ₹12,10,000 the slab tax would be ₹61,500, but relief holds the tax down to the ₹10,000 by which you crossed the line, so you pay ₹10,400 with cess. Without that rule you would lose more in tax than you gained in salary. This calculator applies it.
Which regime is better?
It depends on one thing: how much you can actually deduct. The new regime has lower rates but almost no deductions; the old has higher rates and lets you subtract HRA, 80C, health insurance, NPS and home loan interest. At most salaries the new regime wins unless your deductions are large. Rather than guess, put your real numbers in above: the tool shows the break-even figure for your own salary.
Can I switch between the regimes?
A salaried person with no business income can choose afresh every year when filing. Someone with business or professional income can move to the old regime only once, and switching back to the new one closes the door again. The new regime applies automatically if you say nothing.
Does HRA work in the new regime?
No. The HRA exemption is old-regime only, and so are 80C, 80D, NPS 80CCD(1B) and home loan interest on a let-out or self-occupied property. The new regime gives you the ₹75,000 standard deduction and the employer's NPS contribution, and very little else. Work out your HRA exemption with our HRA calculator and bring the figure back here.
What is surcharge and will it apply to me?
It is an extra charge on the tax itself once total income crosses ₹50 lakh: 10% above ₹50 lakh, 15% above ₹1 crore and 25% above ₹2 crore. The old regime adds a 37% step above ₹5 crore; the new regime stops at 25%, which is why the new regime is usually better for very high salaries. Marginal relief applies at each step and this calculator includes it.
Does this cover capital gains or business income?
No. Capital gains and lottery winnings are taxed at their own fixed rates rather than the slabs, and business income brings its own rules. This tool is for salary and ordinary other income such as interest and rent.
Is what I enter sent anywhere?
No. The whole calculation runs in your browser. Only your age band is remembered on your device; your salary and deductions are not.
Last reviewed: 19 September 2026