Old regime or new — which one saves you more?

It depends on your deductions. The new regime usually wins for salaried people without major deductions because slabs are lower and the ₹12 lakh rebate is generous. The old regime wins when you can claim significant 80C, 80D, home-loan interest, NPS, and HRA — typically when these together exceed about ₹3.5–4 lakh.

It zeros out tax for people below a taxable-income threshold. In FY 2025-26: ₹12,00,000 under the new regime (rebate up to ₹60,000), ₹5,00,000 under the old regime (rebate up to ₹12,500).

Just above the ₹12 lakh rebate threshold in the new regime, tax cannot exceed the income earned above that line. Without it, someone at ₹12,10,000 taxable would owe about ₹64,000 instead of the correct ₹10,400. This calculator applies marginal relief automatically.

Yes, if you're salaried or pensioned — but the amount differs. New regime: ₹75,000. Old regime: ₹50,000. Self-employed and other categories don't get it under either regime.

Salaried individuals (no business income) can switch every year at filing time. If you have business income, the switch is more restrictive — generally a one-time choice for old regime, with limited switching.

Above ₹50 lakh, surcharge (10% / 15% / 25% / 37% depending on slab) and its own marginal-relief math apply. Those rules are intricate and a common source of error in third-party calculators. To stay 'correct or absent', we hard-stop above ₹50 lakh and point to the IT Department's official calculator instead.