Income Tax Terms, Explained Simply
Tax jargon made simple — every income tax term you meet while filing ITR or planning taxes, with plain definitions and worked Indian examples.
On this page (11):
Income Tax
Income Tax is a direct tax levied by the Government of India on individual and corporate income. India has two tax regimes — Old Regime (with deductions under 80C, 80D, HRA etc.) and New Regime (lower rates, fewer deductions). The tax year runs from April 1 to March 31.
Under the New Tax Regime 2026, income up to ₹12 lakh is effectively tax-free (with standard deduction), while income above ₹24 lakh is taxed at 30%.
Mutual Fund Taxation (2026)
Equity funds: STCG (held <1 year) taxed at 20%, LTCG (held >1 year) taxed at 12.5% above ₹1.25 lakh exemption. Debt funds (purchased after April 2023): always taxed at slab rate regardless of holding period. Hybrid funds: equity/debt taxation based on equity holding (>65% = equity taxation).
₹3 lakh LTCG from equity fund: first ₹1.25 lakh exempt, remaining ₹1.75 lakh taxed at 12.5% = ₹21,875 tax.
Old Tax Regime
The Old Tax Regime has higher base tax rates but allows extensive deductions — Section 80C (₹1.5L), 80D (health insurance), HRA, home loan interest (₹2L under Sec 24b), LTA, NPS (₹50K extra), etc. Better for those with significant investments and deductions.
At ₹15 lakh income with ₹1.5L 80C + ₹50K 80D + ₹2L HRA + ₹2L home loan interest, Old Regime saves ₹75,000 more than New Regime.
Section 87A Rebate
Section 87A provides a rebate (direct tax reduction) for taxpayers with total income up to a specified limit. Under New Regime (FY 2025-26): rebate up to ₹60,000 for income up to ₹12 lakh. Under Old Regime: rebate up to ₹12,500 for income up to ₹5 lakh. This effectively makes income up to ₹12 lakh tax-free under New Regime.
Income of ₹12 lakh under New Regime: calculated tax is ₹60,000 minus ₹60,000 rebate = zero tax payable.
Section 24(b) — Home Loan Interest
Section 24(b) allows deduction of up to ₹2 lakh per year on interest paid on home loan for a self-occupied property. For let-out property, there is no upper limit on interest deduction. The property must be purchased/constructed within 5 years of taking the loan.
Home loan EMI of ₹43,000/month: annual interest ₹4.2 lakh, claim ₹2 lakh under Sec 24(b) + principal under 80C = total ₹3.5 lakh tax deduction.
Section 80EEA — First-Time Home Buyer
Section 80EEA (expired March 2022 but relevant for existing claims) allowed additional deduction of ₹1.5 lakh on home loan interest for first-time buyers if property stamp duty value was ₹45 lakh or less. This was over and above the ₹2 lakh deduction under Section 24(b).
A first-time buyer with ₹40 lakh flat could claim ₹2L (Sec 24b) + ₹1.5L (Sec 80EEA) + ₹1.5L (Sec 80C principal) = ₹5 lakh total home loan deductions.
SGB Taxation
SGBs have unique tax benefits: 2.5% annual interest is taxable at slab rate. LTCG on redemption at maturity is completely tax-exempt. If sold before maturity on exchange, LTCG at 12.5% after indexation. If sold within 3 years, STCG at slab rate.
SGB bought at ₹5,000/gram maturing at ₹8,000/gram: ₹3,000/gram profit is 100% tax-free if held to maturity. Only the 2.5% annual interest is taxable.
Standard Deduction
Standard deduction is a flat deduction from salary/pension income, replacing transport allowance and medical reimbursement. Under New Regime (FY 2025-26 onwards): ₹75,000. Under Old Regime: ₹50,000. No bills or proof required — automatically available to all salaried employees and pensioners.
With ₹75,000 standard deduction under New Regime, a person earning ₹12.75 lakh has taxable income of ₹12 lakh — which is tax-free after rebate.
STT (Securities Transaction Tax)
STT is a tax levied on every purchase and sale of securities listed on Indian stock exchanges. STT rates: equity delivery (0.1% both sides), intraday (0.025% sell side), futures (0.0125% sell side), options (0.0625% on premium sell side). STT is not refundable.
Buying and selling shares worth ₹10 lakh in delivery: STT = 0.1% × ₹10L (buy) + 0.1% × ₹10L (sell) = ₹2,000 total.
Surcharge (Income Tax)
Surcharge is an additional tax on income tax for high-income earners. Rates: 10% surcharge on income ₹50L-1Cr, 15% on ₹1-2Cr, 25% on ₹2-5Cr, 37% on above ₹5Cr (reduced to 25% under New Regime for all above ₹2Cr). Plus 4% health and education cess on total tax.
On ₹1.5 crore income, tax is ₹39.36L, plus 15% surcharge (₹5.9L) + 4% cess (₹1.81L) = total ₹47.07 lakh effective tax rate of 31.4%.
Tax Loss Harvesting
Tax loss harvesting is a strategy of selling investments at a loss to offset capital gains tax liability. In India, STCG losses can offset STCG and LTCG, while LTCG losses can only offset LTCG. Unabsorbed losses can be carried forward for 8 years.
If you have ₹2 lakh LTCG profit and ₹1.5 lakh LTCG loss, your taxable LTCG is only ₹50,000 — saving ₹18,750 in tax (after exemption).