Tax on ₹15 Lakh Salary FY 2026-27: ₹97,500 vs Old Regime

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Rates checked on 6 October 2026 against the CBDT Tax Reference Tables for the Income-tax Act, 2025 on incometaxindia.gov.in (Tax Rates page, last reviewed 28 September 2026): new-regime slabs under section 202, old-regime slabs, and 4% health and education cess. The ₹75,000 and ₹50,000 standard deductions and the employer-NPS limits (14% of basic plus DA in the new regime, 10% in the old) were checked on the same tables on 30 September 2026.

Short answer

Under the new regime a ₹15 lakh salary pays ₹97,500 in tax for tax year 2026-27, or ₹8,125 a month. The ₹75,000 standard deduction leaves ₹14,25,000 taxable, slab tax on that is ₹93,750, and 4% cess adds ₹3,750. To match it, the old regime needs ₹5,43,750 of deductions on top of its ₹50,000 standard deduction. Full section 123 (old 80C), ₹50,000 of your own NPS, ₹25,000 of health insurance and professional tax add up to ₹2,27,500. A renter would need about ₹3.16 lakh of HRA exemption on top of that, which means rent of roughly ₹31,400 a month or more. If you pay less, stay on the new regime.

How ₹97,500 is worked out

Salary ₹15,00,000 minus the ₹75,000 standard deduction (section 19) leaves ₹14,25,000 of taxable income.
Slab tax: nothing on the first ₹4 lakh, 5% on ₹4 to 8 lakh (₹20,000), 10% on ₹8 to 12 lakh (₹40,000) and 15% on the last ₹2,25,000 (₹33,750). Total ₹93,750.
No rebate. The section 156 rebate (old 87A) stops at ₹12 lakh of taxable income, and its marginal relief runs out at a salary of about ₹13.46 lakh.
Health and education cess at 4% adds ₹3,750. Total tax: ₹97,500, which is 6.5% of the salary.

You are in the 15% slab, which runs to ₹16 lakh of taxable income, or a ₹16.75 lakh salary. Each extra ₹1,000 of salary up to there costs ₹156 in tax with cess.

What the old regime charges at ₹15 lakh

Deductions you claim (on top of the ₹50,000 standard deduction)	Total	Old-regime tax	Against ₹97,500 new
s.123 ₹1.5 lakh, s.126 ₹25,000, own NPS ₹50,000, professional tax ₹2,500	₹2,27,500	₹1,86,420	₹88,920 more
The same plus ₹2 lakh home loan interest	₹4,27,500	₹1,24,020	₹26,520 more
Row 1 plus ₹2.4 lakh HRA exemption	₹4,67,500	₹1,13,360	₹15,860 more
Row 1 plus ₹3 lakh HRA exemption	₹5,27,500	₹1,00,880	₹3,380 more
Row 2 plus ₹1.2 lakh HRA exemption	₹5,47,500	₹96,720	₹780 less

The line sits at ₹5,43,750. Without rent, the usual deductions (section 123, your own NPS, health insurance, home loan interest and professional tax) add up to ₹4,27,500, or ₹5,02,500 if you claim the full ₹1 lakh of health insurance for yourself and senior-citizen parents. Both fall short, so without HRA the old regime only wins at this salary with something unusual, such as large education loan interest or donations. Row 2 is someone who did everything else and still pays ₹26,520 more.

How much rent the old regime needs

HRA exemption is the smallest of three amounts: the HRA your employer pays, your rent minus 10% of basic plus DA, and 50% of basic plus DA (40% outside Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Pune and Ahmedabad). For a renter with no home loan who already claims the ₹2,27,500 in row 1, the exemption has to reach ₹3,16,250.

Basic + DA a year	City	HRA cap	Rent needed
₹6,00,000 (40% of salary)	50% city	₹3,00,000	Not possible: the cap is below ₹3,16,250
₹6,00,000	Other	₹2,40,000	Not possible
₹7,50,000 (50% of salary)	50% city	₹3,75,000	₹3,91,250 a year, about ₹32,600 a month
₹7,50,000	Other	₹3,00,000	Not possible

The cap usually settles this before rent does. In one of the eight 50% cities your basic plus DA has to be at least ₹6,32,500, and your HRA allowance at least ₹3,16,250. Elsewhere the basic would have to be ₹7,90,625, more than half the salary, which few pay structures allow. Outside the big cities, a ₹15 lakh earner without a home loan is almost always better off on the new regime.

When a smaller rent is enough

Suppose you own a house with a loan in your home town and rent a flat in the city where you work. You can claim the home loan interest, up to ₹2 lakh, and HRA for the flat at the same time. That puts you at row 2 (₹4,27,500), and only ₹1,16,250 of HRA exemption is left to find. On a ₹6 lakh basic that is rent of ₹1,76,250 a year, about ₹14,700 a month. Put your own figures into the calculator to check.

Employer NPS cuts the new-regime bill

Your employer's NPS contribution is deductible in the new regime under section 124(1) (old 80CCD(2)), up to 14% of basic plus DA. On a ₹6 lakh basic that is ₹84,000. If your employer moves ₹84,000 of your pay into NPS, taxable income falls to ₹13,41,000 and the tax drops to ₹84,400, a saving of ₹13,100 a year. The old regime allows only 10% (₹60,000), so the break-even rises slightly, to ₹5,46,750. The money stays in your NPS account, and most of it can't be withdrawn until you turn 60. Ask HR before the year starts; most employers only change the salary structure then.

A raise moves the line

At ₹16 lakh the new-regime tax is ₹1,13,100, ₹15,600 more than at ₹15 lakh, and the break-even goes up to ₹5,68,750. Someone who was just over the line at ₹15 lakh can end up under it after a ₹1 lakh raise without changing anything else. In the old regime the same raise costs ₹31,200, twice as much, because old-regime income above ₹10 lakh is taxed at 30%. Check again every April, before you tell your employer which regime to use for TDS.

Worked examples

Bengaluru renter: ₹7.5 lakh basic, rent ₹35,000 a month

HRA allowance ₹3,75,000. The three limits are ₹3,75,000 received, ₹4,20,000 − ₹75,000 = ₹3,45,000, and 50% of basic = ₹3,75,000, so the exemption is ₹3,45,000. Add section 123 ₹1,50,000, own NPS ₹50,000, health insurance ₹25,000 and professional tax ₹2,500: deductions ₹5,72,500, which is past the ₹5,43,750 line.

Old regime: ₹15,00,000 − ₹50,000 − ₹5,72,500 = ₹8,77,500 taxable. Tax ₹12,500 + ₹75,500 = ₹88,000, plus cess = ₹91,520. That is ₹5,980 less than the new regime's ₹97,500, so this person should pick the old regime.

Lucknow renter: ₹6 lakh basic, rent ₹25,000 a month, no NPS

Lucknow is not a 50% city, so the cap is 40% of basic, ₹2,40,000. Rent minus 10% of basic is also ₹2,40,000, and so is the HRA allowance, so the exemption is ₹2,40,000. With section 123 ₹1,50,000, health insurance ₹25,000 and professional tax, deductions come to ₹4,17,500.

Old regime: ₹10,32,500 taxable, tax ₹1,22,250 plus cess = ₹1,27,140. The new regime saves ₹29,640. Adding ₹84,000 of employer NPS brings the new-regime tax down to ₹84,400, so the gap grows to ₹42,740.

Questions people ask

How much TDS will be cut each month on a ₹15 lakh salary?

About ₹8,125 under the new regime if your employer spreads the ₹97,500 evenly over 12 months. If you choose the old regime, the employer works it out from the investment proofs you submit, so the monthly figure can change later in the year.

My ₹15 lakh is CTC, not salary. Does this apply?

Not directly. A CTC usually includes employer PF and gratuity, which are not taxable salary, so your taxable salary is lower and so is the tax. Find your gross salary with the CTC to in-hand calculator, then enter it here.

What is the tax on ₹15 lakh in the old regime?

It depends on your deductions. With section 123 ₹1.5 lakh, own NPS ₹50,000, ₹25,000 of health insurance and professional tax it is ₹1,86,420. Add ₹2 lakh of home loan interest and it is ₹1,24,020. Both are more than the new regime's ₹97,500.

I am a pensioner aged 60 to 79 with ₹15 lakh. Is it different?

The new regime is the same at any age: ₹97,500. In the old regime your basic exemption is ₹3 lakh instead of ₹2.5 lakh, so the break-even falls a little, to ₹5,31,250.

I also earn ₹50,000 of FD interest. How much more tax is that?

₹7,800 under the new regime, because the interest is taxed at your 15.6% marginal rate and the standard deduction applies only to salary or pension. Put it in the gross income box and the calculator includes it.

Written by Bulan Sarkar, who checked the results by hand and against a second public calculator. Use it for planning; it isn't tax or investment advice.

Sources

Old vs New Tax Regime Calculator

Tax under both regimes for 2026-27 and the break-even deductions the old regime needs at your income, with a chart from ₹5 lakh to ₹50 lakh.