46 articles
Income TaxA salary-only taxpayer picks the old regime with one click inside the ITR. If you have business or professional income, that click alone doesn't count: Form 10-IEA has to be filed first, and filed on time.
Income TaxYour customer isn't paying and you want to write it off. Here's the requirement that actually decides it, and why a provision for doubtful debts isn't the same as a deduction.
Income TaxFreelance tax isn't one task, it's four running at once: how your income is taxed, advance tax due dates, TDS credits, and GST registration. Here's how they fit together.
Income TaxProceeding on your best guess and hoping assessment goes your way is one option. Getting a binding answer before you sign anything is the other. Here's what that trade actually costs, and when it's worth making.
Income TaxFaceless assessment means you likely won't ever meet, or learn the identity of, the officer handling your case. Here's how the system actually works, and why your response needs to be right the first time.
Income TaxProsecution for a tax offence is not automatically the end of the road. Compounding is the mechanism that can keep certain defaults out of a criminal courtroom, if you understand it and act in time.
Income TaxA delayed refund isn't just sitting in limbo. It's earning you interest under Section 244A, at a rate the department publishes but rarely explains. Here's how the mechanism works, and why the interest itself needs to show up on next year's return.
Income TaxA loss doesn't offset income however you'd like. Set-off runs in a fixed order, several losses can't leave the head they arose in, and missing one deadline can cost you the entire carry-forward.
Personal FinanceA Hindu Undivided Family isn't just a Hindu family, it's a separate taxpayer with its own PAN and its own slab rates. Here's how families actually put that to use, and where the department pushes back.
Income Tax"No deductions under the new regime" isn't quite true. A short list survives, and knowing exactly what's on it is worth real money if your employer or your own filing checklist is missing one.
Income TaxThe HRA on your payslip isn't automatically tax-free. It's the lowest of three calculated figures. Here's the formula, the paperwork, and a worked example.
Income TaxRental income isn't taxed on the rent you collected. It runs through Net Annual Value, a 30% deduction, and loan interest first. Here's the full computation.
Income TaxA gift from your father is tax-free with no limit. A gift from a close friend is taxable past ₹50,000. Here's exactly where Section 56(2)(x) draws the line.
Income TaxFY 2025-26 income gets assessed in AY 2026-27, not FY 2026-27. Here's exactly how financial year, assessment year, and the new tax year label fit together.
Income TaxSurcharge is a tax on your tax, not your income, and it only bites above ₹50 lakh. Here's exactly how the slabs, marginal relief, and 4% cess actually work.
Income TaxDeclare profit at a fixed percentage of turnover, skip full books and a tax audit. Here's exactly who qualifies for Section 44AD and 44ADA, and what it costs you.
Payroll, PF & ESIWithdraw EPF after 5 years and it's tax-free. Withdraw earlier and TDS can apply. Here's exactly how the rules, thresholds, and exceptions work.
Payroll, PF & ESIA company car or an interest-free loan from your employer isn't cash, but most of it is taxed like salary anyway. Here's how each perquisite is valued.
Income TaxAn updated return can never give you a refund. When the money is owed to you and the deadlines have gone, this is the one door still open.
Income TaxA defective return is not a rejected one. It is a fixable paperwork problem with a short clock attached, and ignoring it is what turns it serious.
Income TaxAn unverified return is not a late return. It is treated as never filed at all. Here is every way to verify, and which one to pick.
Income TaxThe refund you were expecting can be swallowed by a demand from a year you had forgotten about. You get one chance to object, and it expires quietly.
Income TaxArrears land in one year but were earned across several, pushing you into a higher slab for money you should have received earlier. Section 89 fixes that.
Income TaxA 143(1) intimation isn't a scrutiny notice, it's a receipt for arithmetic. Here's how to read the two columns and what to do when they disagree.
Income TaxA refund that hasn't landed is almost never the department losing your money. It's usually one of five specific, fixable blockages. Here's how to find yours.
Income TaxThree different repairs, three different price tags, and only one of them is free. Here's how to work out which one your situation actually needs.
Personal FinanceCrypto is taxed under rules written to be deliberately unforgiving: a flat 30%, no expense deductions, and losses that vanish. Here's how the maths actually works.
Income TaxMiss an advance tax instalment and interest starts quietly adding up. Here's who must pay, the due dates and percentages, and how Section 234B and 234C actually work.
Income TaxReinvest in a house after selling a capital asset, and Section 54 or 54F can wipe out the tax on your gain, provided you meet the conditions. Here's how each works.
Income TaxSell property, shares, or gold, and the tax rules genuinely differ. A clear walkthrough of holding periods, LTCG and STCG rates, and exemptions for each.
Income TaxTransfer income or assets to a spouse or minor child, and the tax often stays with you anyway. Here's how clubbing under Sections 60 to 64 actually works.
Income TaxForm 16 isn't the final word on your taxes, it's your employer's first draft of them. Here's how to read Part A and Part B and catch errors before filing.
Income TaxSame tax rates, same deduction limits, new numbers and a new 'tax year' concept. A practical look at what the Income Tax Act 2025 really changes for you.
Income TaxSection 80C isn't the end of tax-saving. Health insurance, education loan interest, HRA, NPS, and home loan interest can add up to far more. Here's how.
Income TaxNot every income tax notice is bad news. Here's what 143(1), 139(9), 143(2), 148, and 245 notices actually mean, and the specific next step each one needs.
Income TaxPicking a tax regime isn't about which one sounds better, it's arithmetic. Here's the real break-even point by income level, so you choose correctly for tax year 2026-27.
Income TaxPicking the wrong ITR form is a common, avoidable mistake. Here's a practical way to work out which of ITR-1 through ITR-4 actually fits your situation.
Payroll, PF & ESIFull and final settlement is not one number. Here is what actually has to be paid, how fast, and where employers most often get gratuity, leave encashment, and deductions wrong.
Payroll, PF & ESIA clear, practical breakdown of gratuity eligibility, the calculation formula, and how much of a retiring or resigning employee's payout is actually tax-free.
Personal FinanceA clear look at Section 80D limits for health and term insurance, how the death benefit is taxed, and why employer group cover alone rarely protects enough.
Personal FinanceEquity vs debt fund taxation, current STCG and LTCG rates and holding periods, and why every SIP instalment carries its own tax clock, explained simply.
Personal FinanceTurning 60 unlocks a meaningfully better tax deal in India, a higher exemption, a bigger 80D limit, 80TTB, and relief from advance tax, but only if you claim it.
Startup & MSMESection 56(2)(viib) no longer applies to new funding rounds, but understanding what it taxed, and why it caused a decade of startup funding friction, still matters.
Startup & MSMEExercising an ESOP can trigger tax before you have sold a single share or seen a rupee in cash. Here is how that tax works, and when deferral actually helps.
Startup & MSMEUnpaid dues to small suppliers get added back to taxable income under Section 43B(h). Here is how the 45-day rule actually works for buyers and sellers.
Startup & MSMEDPIIT recognition alone does not exempt any tax. Here is what Section 80-IAC actually requires, and the eligibility mistakes that quietly disqualify startups.