Key facts at a glance
New Regime nil-tax ceiling
Rs 12L
taxable income, via Section 87A
Old Regime nil-tax ceiling
Rs 5L
taxable income, via Section 87A
New Regime standard deduction
Rs 75,000
vs Rs 50,000 Old Regime
Here's the number before the mechanics: on a ₹15,00,000 salary with zero Old Regime deductions claimed, the New Regime nets ₹1,59,900 more take-home a year. That gap doesn't close until your real Section 80C, 80D, and HRA claims are genuinely large, and at higher incomes it takes even more deduction-stacking to catch up, because the New Regime's rate advantage compounds across its wider low-rate bands.
With a realistic Rs 2,00,000 combined deduction claim (a full Section 80C investment plus some health insurance and HRA), the same ₹15,00,000 salary sees the gap shrink to ₹97,500, still favoring the New Regime at this income level. Whether the Old Regime ever wins for you depends entirely on how much you can genuinely deduct, not on a fixed salary threshold.
See your own New Regime vs Old Regime numbers, with your real deductions.
Open the India calculatorHow the two regimes actually differ, slab by slab
The New Regime spreads seven slabs from nil to 30% across a much wider income range: nil up to Rs 4,00,000, then 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, and 25% in Rs 4,00,000 steps, reaching 30% only above Rs 24,00,000. The Old Regime compresses the same climb into four slabs, jumping straight from 5% (Rs 2,50,000-5,00,000) to 20% (Rs 5,00,000-10,00,000) and hitting 30% above just Rs 10,00,000, less than half the New Regime's threshold for the same top rate.
Layered on top, the Section 87A rebate does the real heavy lifting at lower incomes. It's a rebate against computed tax, not a tax-free income band, but its cap happens to exactly cancel the tax the slabs would charge at Rs 12,00,000 (New Regime) or Rs 5,00,000 (Old Regime), producing the "tax-free up to Rs 12L" headline. Below those thresholds, the regime choice barely matters since both land at nil tax; above them, the New Regime's wider bands start compounding an advantage that Old Regime deductions have to work hard to overcome.
The standard deduction gap (Rs 75,000 versus Rs 50,000 for salaried employees) adds a further Rs 25,000 of taxable-income reduction in the New Regime's favor before any Chapter VI-A deduction is even considered, small on its own, but it's part of why the Old Regime needs more than just "some" deductions to catch up, it needs enough to clear that head start too.
New Regime vs Old Regime, three salary levels
The "Rs 0 deductions" Old Regime column is the honest baseline, most people overestimate their real 80C/HRA claims. The "Rs 2,00,000 deductions" column shows a genuinely well-optimized Old Regime filer for comparison.
| Gross salary | New Regime net | Old Regime net (Rs 0 ded.) | Old Regime net (Rs 2L ded.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| ₹8,00,000 | ₹8,00,000 | ₹7,35,000 | ₹7,76,600 |
| ₹15,00,000 | ₹14,02,500 | ₹12,42,600 | ₹13,05,000 |
| ₹25,00,000 | ₹21,80,200 | ₹19,30,600 | ₹19,93,000 |
Figures use FY 2026-27 slabs, standard deduction, Section 87A rebate, surcharge, and 4% cess. Run your own exact salary and deduction total through the India Salary Calculator.
The honest deduction check before you pick a regime
Most people overestimate their real Chapter VI-A deductions. Section 80C caps at Rs 1,50,000 (PF, ELSS, life insurance premiums, and similar combined, not stacked), Section 80D health insurance premiums are usually a few thousand rupees a year for a young single filer, and HRA exemption only helps if you actually pay meaningful rent and don't own the home you live in. Add those up honestly before assuming the Old Regime wins.
The clearest Old Regime candidates are people paying substantial rent in an expensive metro (Bengaluru, Mumbai, the NCR) with a large HRA component in their salary structure, or those with a home loan generating meaningful Section 24(b) interest deduction on top of a full 80C claim. Everyone else, especially early-career salaried employees without a home loan, is very likely better off on the New Regime by default.
Why Section 87A alone decides the comparison below Rs 12L
Below Rs 12,00,000 of New Regime taxable income, the comparison is almost academic: the New Regime lands at nil tax via the Section 87A rebate, something the Old Regime can only match up to Rs 5,00,000, less than half the threshold. No amount of Old Regime deduction-stacking below the 80C cap fully closes a gap that large for salaries in the Rs 8,00,000 to Rs 12,00,000 range.
The comparison only gets genuinely close once your salary clears the New Regime's Rs 12,00,000 rebate ceiling by enough that real tax starts accruing under both regimes, and even then, the New Regime's wider low-rate bands mean the Old Regime needs a meaningfully larger deduction claim to catch up as income rises. See our dedicated Section 87A rebate deep-dive for the marginal relief mechanics just above the threshold.
Model your own New Regime vs Old Regime numbers
Enter your salary and toggle regimes, plus your real 80C/HRA deduction total, to see the exact rupee difference.
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Frequently asked questions
What actually changed between the Old Regime and New Regime?
The New Regime, made the default from FY 2023-24 and carried forward unchanged in structure for FY 2026-27, trades away most deductions for meaningfully lower slab rates and a Section 87A rebate that zeroes out tax entirely up to Rs 12,00,000 of taxable income. The Old Regime keeps the pre-2023 slabs (which top out at 30% above just Rs 10,00,000, versus the New Regime's Rs 24,00,000 threshold for the same top rate) but lets you claim Chapter VI-A deductions: Section 80C (up to Rs 1,50,000 for PF, ELSS, life insurance, and similar), Section 80D (health insurance premiums), and HRA exemption if you pay rent and receive a house rent allowance.
Is the New Regime automatically the default now?
Yes. Since FY 2023-24, the New Regime is the default regime for all taxpayers unless you actively opt for the Old Regime when filing your return (salaried employees without business income can switch between the two every year; those with business income face more restrictive switching rules). If you don't make an active choice, your employer will typically deduct TDS assuming the New Regime, so an unintentional Old Regime preference is now the exception, not the norm, a reversal from the pre-2023 default.
How much do I need in deductions before the Old Regime wins?
It depends on income, but as a rule of thumb, the more you earn, the more Old Regime deductions you need to catch up, because the New Regime's rate advantage compounds at higher slabs. At Rs 8,00,000 gross, a modest deduction total can tip the balance since both regimes sit in similar low bands. At Rs 25,00,000 gross, you'd need a much larger combined 80C, 80D, and HRA claim to offset the New Regime's structurally lower rates across the 15-25% bands the Old Regime doesn't have. Run your own gross salary and real deduction total through the calculator rather than assuming a fixed crossover number, since it moves with income.
Can I claim HRA under the New Regime?
No. HRA exemption is one of the deductions the New Regime disallows entirely, along with Section 80C investments, Section 80D health insurance premiums, and home loan interest under Section 24(b) for a self-occupied property. If a large chunk of your take-home planning depends on HRA exemption from paying rent in an expensive metro like Bengaluru, Mumbai, or the NCR, that's specifically the kind of case where running the Old Regime numbers is worth the extra filing complexity.
Does the standard deduction differ between regimes?
Yes, and it's a small but real part of the gap. Salaried employees get a Rs 75,000 standard deduction under the New Regime versus Rs 50,000 under the Old Regime, a Rs 25,000 difference in taxable income that favors the New Regime before any other deduction is even considered.
What is the Section 87A rebate crossover, and why does it matter here?
It's the reason the New Regime looks dramatically better at lower incomes specifically: taxable income up to Rs 12,00,000 pays zero tax under the New Regime thanks to the Section 87A rebate, versus only up to Rs 5,00,000 under the Old Regime. That means a Rs 8,00,000 or Rs 10,00,000 salary that would owe real tax under the Old Regime (even after standard deductions) can land at zero tax under the New Regime, a gap no amount of Old Regime deduction-stacking below Rs 1,50,000 (the 80C cap) can fully close.
Can I switch regimes every year?
If your only income is salary (no business or professional income), yes, you can choose New or Old Regime freely each year when filing your return, and your employer's TDS assumption during the year doesn't lock you in. If you have business or professional income, switching back to the New Regime after opting for the Old Regime is restricted, so check your specific situation before assuming annual flexibility.