Section 87A Rebate
Tax rebate that makes total income tax zero for taxable income up to ₹12 lakh in the new regime or ₹5 lakh in the old regime, for resident individuals.
Definition
Section 87A provides a tax rebate of up to ₹60,000 (new regime) or ₹12,500 (old regime), effectively making total income tax zero for taxable income up to ₹12 lakh (new) or ₹5 lakh (old). Just above the new-regime limit, marginal relief caps the tax at the amount by which income exceeds ₹12 lakh, so there is no cliff. Available only to resident individuals; not HUFs or NRIs.
In the old regime the rebate is a genuine cliff: taxable income of ₹5,00,001 loses it entirely. The new regime is not a cliff, because marginal relief limits the tax to the income above ₹12 lakh until the normal slab tax becomes the smaller figure.
Example
₹11.95L taxable in the new regime → tax before rebate ₹59,500 → rebate ₹59,500 → final tax ₹0. ₹12.05L taxable → slab tax ₹60,750, but marginal relief caps it at the ₹5,000 of income above ₹12L → ₹5,000 + 4% cess = ₹5,200.
Calculators that use this
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