Tax-free income: How much you can earn without coming under taxmen’s radar

  • April 30, 2023
  • CA Chandan Agarwal's Office

Tax-free income: Under both Old and New Tax regimes, a certain amount of annual income above the respective basic exemption limits are free from any taxes.

Under both Old and New Tax regimes, a certain amount of annual income above the respective basic exemption limits are free from any taxes. Here’s a look at how much amount a person can earn without paying taxes per year under both tax regimes.

Old Tax Regime

Under the Old Tax Regime, there is a basic exemption of Rs 2.5 lakh for General Citizens and Rs 3 lakh for Senior Citizens. However, due to tax rebates allowed under Section 87A, income up to Rs 5 lakh becomes tax-free.

Salaried employees are also eligible for a standard deduction of Rs 50,000, which makes income up to Rs 5.5 lakh tax-free for salaried persons. Additionally, a salaried person can decrease his tax liability by making tax-saving investments and claiming deductions. For instance, an employee can claim

  • Rs 1.5 lakh deduction for investments in schemes that qualify for Section 80C deduction
  • Rs 50,000 deduction for the contribution towards NPS account
  • Rs 2 lakh deduction for payment towards home loan interest
  • Rs 25,000 (or even more) towards health insurance premium payment.

The above deductions will make an income up to Rs 9,25,000 tax-free for salaried persons. For this, however, the employee must be making such tax-saving investments. Employees are also eligible for various allowances (such as HRA), which can take the tax-free income limit even higher.

New Tax Regime

Under the New Tax Regime, there is a basic exemption of Rs 3 lakh for both general and Senior Citizens. However, due to the tax rebate allowed under Section 87A, income up to Rs 7 lakh becomes tax-free.

Salaried employees are also eligible for a standard deduction of Rs 50,000, which makes income up to Rs 7.5 lakh tax-free for salaried persons under the new regime. Some deduction is allowed for family pensioners under this regime.

Source: https://www.financialexpress.com/money/income-tax/tax-free-income-how-much-you-can-earn-without-coming-under-taxmens-radar/3066863/

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