Decoding Your House Rent Allowance (HRA) Exemption under the Income Tax Act

As a salary-earning individual in India, understanding your House Rent Allowance (HRA) is crucial for tax planning. This blog post, brought to you by Commerce Tutors, will guide you through calculating the HRA exemption you can claim under the Income Tax Act.

What is HRA?

HRA is a component of your salary that helps offset the expenses incurred on renting a house. Many employers provide HRA to their employees.

HRA Exemption under the Income Tax Act

The Income Tax Act allows you to claim exemption on a portion of your HRA. This reduces your taxable income, leading to potential tax savings.

Calculating Your HRA Exemption

The HRA exemption is the lowest amount among the following three:

1.Actual HRA Received: This is the amount your employer mentions as HRA in your salary slip.

2.Rent Paid Minus 10% of Basic Salary: 

• Here, "Basic Salary" refers to your base pay before any allowances are added.
• You'll need to deduct 10% of your basic salary from the actual rent you pay for your accommodation.

3.HRA Limit: This limit depends on your city of residence:

• Metro Cities (Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata): 50% of your (Basic Salary + Dearness Allowance)
• Non-Metro Cities: 40% of your (Basic Salary + Dearness Allowance)
• Dearness Allowance (DA) is an allowance provided to compensate for inflation.

Example: Let's Calculate!

Say you live in a non-metro city and receive the following:

• Basic Salary: ₹25,000 per month
• Dearness Allowance: ₹2,000 per month
• HRA: ₹12,000 per month
• Actual Rent Paid: ₹15,000 per month.

Calculating the HRA Exemption:

• Actual HRA Received: ₹12,000
• Rent Paid Minus 10% of Basic Salary:(Basic Salary + DA) per month = ₹27,000 10% of (Basic Salary + DA) = ₹2,700 Rent Paid - 10% of (Basic Salary + DA) = ₹15,000 - ₹2,700 = ₹12,300
• HRA Limit (Non-Metro City): 40% of ₹27,000 = ₹10,800.

HRA Exemption:  In this case, the lowest amount is ₹10,800 (HRA Limit). So, you can claim an HRA exemption of ₹10,800 per month, reducing your taxable income.

Important Note:

• You'll need rent receipts and a rent agreement as proof while filing your Income Tax Return (ITR) to claim the HRA exemption.

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Understanding your HRA exemption is just one step towards effective tax planning. Commerce Tutors offer a range of resources to empower you with financial knowledge. Stay tuned for more informative articles!