Income Tax Calculation FY 2020-21 | Old Vs New Income Tax Slabs

The new income tax calculations were announced with the new budget on 1^st February by FM Sitharaman. According to the new budget, individual taxpayers can switch back and forth between the new tax regime and the old structure. The Central Board of Direct Taxes Chairman, PC Mody says that the new tax regime offers lower slabs without exemptions. Therefore, as an individual tax payer, if you opt for the new structure, you have to forego all tax breaks under this scheme to avail the reduced tax rates. Salaried individuals can switch between the old and the new structure.

This has no doubt created confusion amongst tax payers. Some people believe that the new tax structure is only beneficial to certain tax payers whereas other say that this is creating more confusion in the computation of taxes. In this article, we will highlight and discuss in detail the new income tax guidelines for the FY 2020-21 and also do a mock calculation of taxes with both the old and the new structure to show which one is finally beneficial for you.

Not for Businessmen

The new tax structure is not optional for persons with a business. According to Chairman PC Mody, the tax breaks and exemptions will be gradually phased out to make the computation easier and more transparent. The government is also planning to introduce pre-filled income tax return forms to make it more efficient and compliant.

New Income Tax Slabs for FY2020-21

In the new income tax structure, some income tax slabs have been lowered if one foregoes exemptions and breaks. This is optional and to help you make an informed decision we are going to take a look at what income tax rates will continue and which ones are lowered if you forego exemptions.

As a taxpayer, you have two options available:

1. New Income Tax Structure – Forego all exemptions and breaks and avail lower tax rates
2. Old Income Tax Structure – At the existing income tax rates, benefit from the exemptions and tax breaks.

Tax Deductions and Exemptions not allowed in the new tax structure

1. Section 80C – The most popular tax deduction under Section 80C of up to ₹1.5 Lakh is not applicable in the new tax structure. This means that any profits made from investments such as Life Insurance, PPF, School tuition fees, ELSS, PF etc. is not applicable. However, one can still claim deduction under Section 80CCD for employer contribution to the employee NPS.
2. Section 80D – Tax exemption under section 80D which allows for deduction for medical insurance premium and preventive health checkup is also not allowed.
3. LTA – Leave Travel Allowance exemption which is given to salaried individuals twice a year in a period of four years is also not allowed.
4. HRA – HRA or House Rent Allowance is a house rent limit provided by the employer to the employee for renting a house. In the old tax structure, one could claim a deduction up to a certain limit, but in the new tax structure it is not allowed.
5. Standard Deduction – A standard deduction of ₹50,000 was initially available to salaried individuals. This is not permitted in the new tax structure.
6. Section 80TTA – Section 80TTA provides an exemption of up to ₹10,000 on income generated from interest earned. This is not allowed in the new tax regime.
7. Section 80DDB – Section 80DDB provides benefits for disability up to ₹40,000. This is also not allowed in the new tax structure in case you were planning to switch over.
8. Section 80E – Section 80E allows for a tax break on the interest paid for education loans. This is also not permitted in the new structure.
9. Section 80G – Section 80G which concerns donations, says that one can claim a deduction of the equivalent amount made towards a donation. This also cannot be claimed in the new tax structure.
10. Section 24 – Section 24 for a Home Loan Interest allowed an individual to claim a tax deduction on the interest paid on a home loan up to an amount of ₹200,000. This benefit is also not available to you if you go for the new tax slabs.

Income Tax Calculation FY2020-21 (AY2021-22)

Let us take a look at the actual numbers by calculating taxes and comparing both tax structures. Please note that these are based on assumptions as several items in the new tax structure requires further clarification. In this case, we are assuming that all tax deductions, exemptions and breaks will be removed from the new tax structure.

Case 1

Salaried Individual Filing for Income Tax of up to ₹7.5 Lakh Income

Case 2

Salaried Individual Filling for Income Tax for ₹20 Lakh Income

From the above examples, one can clearly see that the old tax structure offers higher tax benefits even though the tax slabs are higher. The new reduced tax rates are only beneficial if one does not need to claim any deductions or exemptions which is a rare case.

Benefits According to the Government

According to the government, introducing the new tax rates will help them gain more taxpayers and widen the tax base by luring unorganized sectors to start paying taxes at lower base rates. According to Mody, a huge portion of the unorganized sector is out of the tax frame network. Bringing them into the picture may help them further reduce income tax rates in the future. According to Sitharaman, potential tax payers will not be harassed as CBDT will introduce a taxpayer charter.

Income Tax Calculation FY 2020-21 FAQs: