Most employers in India provide salary allowances to give financial benefits to their employees. These allowances often cover essentials like rent, travel, and medical expenses.
One common allowance is HRA, or House Rent Allowance, which is a standard component of many employees’ salaries. Its purpose is to assist employees in covering the costs of renting a house.
If you’re living in a rented place, you can claim your HRA and a part of it will be exempt from taxes.
How much HRA will be tax-exempt?
The calculation of tax-exempt HRA takes into account three conditions:
- The actual House Rent Allowance received
- The actual rent paid, less 10% of your *salary
- 50% of your salary if you’re in a metro city or 40% in a non-metro city
*Salary here includes Basic Salary + Dearness Allowance.
The least of these amounts will be exempt from your taxable salary.
Don’t worry, you don’t have to grab a paper and pen to calculate it. We have a tool that will do the math for you!
How to Claim HRA Deduction?
To claim an HRA deduction, furnish your employer with necessary documents, such as rent receipts and a rental agreement with your landlord. If your annual rent exceeds Rs. 1 lakh, you’ll also need to provide your landlord’s PAN.
Can you claim HRA under the new regime?
No, along with other deductions, the new tax regime does not allow you to claim HRA as an exemption. Hence, if you opt for the new tax regime, HRA will be completely taxable.
What about business owners/freelancers who don’t receive HRA?
If you are a freelancer, business owner or follow any other profession where you don’t receive a salary, or if HRA is not a component of your salary structure, you can still claim a deduction u/s 80GG.
Read more about it, here!
Reply to this thread if you have any questions and we’ll be happy to answer them.