The Biggest Rewrite of Indian Tax Law in 60 Years
What changed on 1 April 2026, and what deliberately did not.
Tax Year Replaces Assessment Year
The single biggest vocabulary change, explained with a clear transition table.
Your Slab Rates for FY 2026-27
New-regime and old-regime slabs, surcharge and cess, exactly as they stand.
Old Regime vs New Regime
The decision that saves or costs you the most, with a worked Rs 10 lakh example.
Tax at Every Income Level
A full comparison table from Rs 8 lakh to Rs 30 lakh under both regimes.
Four Taxpayers, Fully Computed
A salaried professional, a freelancer, a senior citizen and an investor — every rupee shown.
The New Regime: What You Can Claim
The few concessions that survive, and the ones you trade away.
The Old Regime Deductions & Their New Numbers
80C to 80TTB, and the complete section-to-section mapping.
The Deduction Playbook: 80C to 80TTB
Every deduction in detail, with limits, so you never over- or under-claim.
Your Salary Structure Decoded
How CTC becomes taxable income, and where tax is saved along the way.
House Property: Rent and Interest
Self-occupied, let-out and two-home rules under both regimes.
The Rs 12 Lakh Rebate and the Cliff
Marginal relief explained, with the capital-gains carve-out trap.
The Five Heads of Income
Salary to other sources, mapped to the new Act.
Capital Gains in Tax Year 2026-27
STCG at 20%, LTCG at 12.5%, the Rs 1.25 lakh exemption, buyback and SGB changes.
Crypto and Virtual Digital Assets
The flat 30% rate and the widened definition of digital assets.
Gifts, Clubbing and Other Income
The Rs 50,000 gift rule and how clubbing works.
How Each Investment Is Taxed
Equity, debt, gold, PPF, NPS and real estate — the whole portfolio in one table.
Tax on Interest, Dividends and Winnings
TDS thresholds, 80TTA and 80TTB, and the 30% flat rate on winnings.
TDS and TCS Under the New Law
Sections 392 and 393, the rationalised TCS rates and the manpower-supply change.
Your New Form Numbers
The complete cheat sheet from Form 16 to Form 168.
Which ITR Form Is Yours?
ITR-1 to ITR-4 in plain language, including the two-house-property widening.
ITR Deadlines and the Revised-Return Window
31 July, 31 August, and the new 31 March window.
Salary, HRA and Perquisite Changes
Meal cards, gift vouchers, children's allowances and company cars.
Senior Citizens and Pensioners
The concessions that remain, and whether the new regime suits you.
PAN Rules and High-Value Thresholds
Where PAN is now mandatory, and where it was dropped.
Advance Tax: Who Pays, and When
The four instalments and the interest if you miss them.
The Salaried Taxpayer's Action Plan
A seven-step to-do list for the year.
Freelancers and Small Businesses
Presumptive taxation, new TDS citations and the 31 August deadline.
NRIs, Residency and Section 6
The residency tests and the RNOR window, in the new language.
Notices, Assessments and Appeals
The new 30-day minimum notice and what else softened.
Penalties and Decriminalisation
What is now cheaper, and what is still costly.
The E-Filing Portal: A Walk-Through
Filing in the new Act, step by step.
Filling Your ITR Step by Step
Login to verification, in plain order.
Documents to Keep and a Year-Round Calendar
What to save, and what to do each month.
Understanding Form 130 Line by Line
Your renamed Form 16, part by part.
Planning as a Couple or a Family
The legal levers, and the line you should not cross.
Presumptive or Regular for Business
Choosing your computation method under section 58.
What Late Filing Actually Costs You
Late fees and interest, in rupees.
Other Changes Worth a Minute
Motor-accident interest, refund set-off, MAT and the disclosure window.
Common Mistakes to Avoid This Year
The short list of errors that cause most avoidable pain.
Your 30-Day Plan
A month to get fully on top of the new Act.
Frequently Asked Questions
Sixteen straight answers to the questions everyone is asking.
Glossary: Old Term to New Term
Translate anything you read about the new Act.
Quick Reference Card
The whole book in one page — the numbers, dates and forms.
