This is the archive of all our articles related to income tax and filing of tax returns
“You will have to quit your corporate job and become an entrepreneur to understand the tax benefits, – my friend said a while ago. He was spot on. Before we begin, I would like to point out that I am a layman. I strongly believe in paying taxes for the good of the country. This…
Continue reading →Taxpayers often assume the tax slab their income falls in is the amount of tax that they pay. A discussion on the difference between the marginal tax rate vs. the effective tax rate. Consider a salaried taxpayer who made Rs. 25 Lakhs in FY 2025-2026. In the new tax regime, after the standard deduction of…
Continue reading →What connects Narayan Murthy, Sudha Murthy and Nandan Nilekani? Well apart from all other things not participating in Infosys recent share buyback as a promoter is the common thread between them. They probably did that because the taxation landscape for share buybacks in India underwent quite a change from October 1, 2024, which fundamentally changed…
Continue reading →Many international funds/ETFs, such as Motilal Oswal S&P 500 Index Fund or Nippon India Taiwan Equity Fund, are domestic mutual funds that invest solely in foreign equity shares. Some other funds, like Parag Parikh Flexi Cap Fund, invest a certain portion of their AUM in foreign equity shares. The question now is whether an Indian…
Continue reading →In response to our article, NPS Multiple Scheme Framework – What you need to know, wherein we have written, “we still do not have any clarity on how Tier 2 funds are taxed! Readers point me to various articles discussing tier 2 taxation, but there is no official statement from the finance ministry on this, as…
Continue reading →Section 54F gives an exemption from long-term capital gains arising from the transfer of a long-term capital asset that is not a residential house if the proceeds are used to purchase or construct a residential house in India. The key is that the gain must be a long-term capital gain for Section 54F to be…
Continue reading →A reader asks, “I will be earning around ₹10 lakh as business income in FY 2025–26. Additionally, if I earn ₹2 lakh as gains from debt mutual funds. I’m confused about how these debt fund gains will be taxed this financial year.” “Here are two versions of what I’ve come across online: Some sources claim…
Continue reading →We all know that if we sell a residential property and purchase another one, no capital gain tax is required to be paid, provided certain conditions are fulfilled (Section 54 of the Income Tax Act, 1961). We are also aware that such an exemption is also available on profit from long-term assets other than residential…
Continue reading →A reader has pointed out an error in the Capital Gains Ready Reckoner regarding the indexation of listed and unlisted bonds/debentures. According to the 4th Proviso under Section 48, indexation is not available for debentures/bonds. Abdul says, “In your Freefincal capital gains tax ready reckoner, there is an error regarding the Indexation on the Listed…
Continue reading →Do you remember the interesting rule while setting off losses from previous years? While setting off long-term capital loss brought forward from previous years against capital gains from equity under Section 112A, the loss is first set off against the gains, and only then is the exemption of ₹1 lakh (₹1.25 lakhs from FY 2024–25…
Continue reading →A reader says, “This is about your article ‘Is 87 A Rebate Applicable for Capital Gains after Budget 2025‘ dated 3 February 2025 on your site. Can I avail of the Rs 12,500 rebate for FY 2024-25 on equity LTCG if my taxable income is within Rs 5 Lakhs?” Tax expert Manmohan Sethumadhavan responds. …
Continue reading →Budget 2024 has further reduced the tax burden in the new tax regime. Use this free calculator to compare the old and new tax regimes (calculations for past new tax regime slabs are also available). This comparison table was originally prepared by Vinay Vittal, modified by Balasubrahmanyan and then by me post budget 2024. This…
Continue reading →If you have capital gains and dividends to report to the taxman, correct this auto-fill while filing ITR! About the author: Manmohan Sethumadhavan is a freelancer, investor, and personal finance enthusiast “in search of the absolute truth.” You can follow Manu on Twitter @ManuTsr. Also, read his article: How to calculate LTCG with Grandfathering for equity shares…
Continue reading →In this article, we discuss How to calculate LTCG with a Grandfathering clause for equity shares that underwent split and how to fill Schedule 112A. About the author: Manmohan Sethumadhavan is a freelancer, investor, and personal finance enthusiast “in search of the absolute truth.” You can follow Manu on Twitter @ManuTsr. I purchased 1000 Nos….
Continue reading →Readers often ask, “How much capital gains tax should I pay if I have no other income source?” The answer is quite simple. Up to the tax-free limit (using the then prevailing tax slabs), the capital gains are tax-free if there are no other sources of income (this is quite rare, if not impossible). We…
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