HRA Calculator – Calculate Your House Rent Allowance Exemption

HRA Calculator

Calculate your House Rent Allowance exemption

 




How Pluxee’s HRA Calculator Helps You:
Quickly calculate your House Rent Allowance (HRA) exemption and understand its impact on your taxable income.

With the HRA Calculator, you can:
 - Instantly calculate your eligible HRA exemption based on salary, HRA received, rent paid, and city type
 - Identify the taxable portion of your HRA in seconds
 - Understand how metro and non-metro city classifications affect HRA exemption limits
 - Estimate potential tax savings available under the Old Tax Regime
 - Make informed rent and salary planning decisions for better tax efficiency

Why Choose Pluxee’s HRA Calculator?
 - Fast, accurate HRA exemption calculations based on current tax rules
 - Easy-to-use tool requiring only a few salary and rent details
 - Helps employees understand their HRA benefits and tax implications
 - Useful for salary structuring and tax planning throughout the financial year
 - Suitable for employees living in both metro and non-metro cities

HRA Exemption Formula (Section 10(13A), Rule 2A)


The exempt portion of your HRA is the lowest of these three amounts:

HRA Exemption = Minimum of:

Actual HRA received from your employer
Rent paid − 10% of salary (Basic + DA)
50% of salary (metro cities) or 40% of salary (non-metro cities)


The remaining amount is added to your taxable salary:

 - Taxable HRA = HRA Received − HRA Exemption

Here, "salary" for this calculation means Basic Salary + Dearness Allowance (only if DA forms part of retirement benefits) + any fixed percentage commission.


HRA Exemption: A Worked Example

Let's say an employee in Mumbai (a metro city) has the following monthly figures:

Component Amount
Basic Salary ₹50,000
Dearness Allowance (DA) ₹0
HRA received ₹25,000
Rent paid ₹20,000


Step 1 — Actual HRA received
₹25,000

Step 2 — Rent paid minus 10% of salary
₹20,000 − (10% of ₹50,000) = ₹20,000 − ₹5,000 = ₹15,000

Step 3 — 50% of salary (metro city)
50% of ₹50,000 = ₹25,000

HRA Exemption = Lowest of the three = ₹15,000
Taxable HRA = ₹25,000 − ₹15,000 = ₹10,000 (added to taxable salary)

In this example, ₹15,000 per month (₹1,80,000 per year) is tax-exempt, and ₹10,000 per month (₹1,20,000 per year) is added to taxable income.


New Section: HRA — Old Tax Regime vs New Tax Regime


Is HRA Exemption Available Under the New Tax Regime?
No. HRA exemption under Section 10(13A) is available only under the Old Tax Regime.
Under the New Tax Regime (the default since FY 2023-24), HRA exemption — along with other deductions like 80C, 80D, and home loan interest — cannot be claimed.

What this means for you:

  • If your HRA exemption (plus other deductions like 80C, 80D, LTA, home loan interest) adds up to a significant amount — typically above ₹2.5–3 lakh per year — the Old Regime may result in lower overall tax, even though its slab rates are higher.
  • If you have minimal deductions, the New Regime's lower slab rates may work out better.
  • Use this HRA Calculator alongside an Income Tax Calculator to compare both regimes before declaring your choice to your employer at the start of the financial year.

New Section: Documents Required to Claim HRA Exemption


Documents You Need to Claim HRA Exemption
To claim HRA exemption while filing your tax declaration or income tax return, keep the following ready:

Rent receipts — for each month, or at minimum quarterly, signed by your landlord
Rental agreement — a valid lease/rental agreement stating the rent amount and tenure
Landlord's PAN — mandatory if your annual rent exceeds ₹1,00,000
Proof of rent payment — bank transfer records, UPI receipts, or cheque copies (cash payments are harder to substantiate during scrutiny)
Form 12BB — submitted to your employer declaring your HRA claim along with supporting documents

If you forget to submit these to your employer during the year, you can still claim the exemption directly while filing your Income Tax Return (ITR) and claim a refund for any excess tax deducted.

What if you do not receive HRA?

If you do not receive HRA from your employer, you can still claim a deduction under Section 80GG of the Income Tax Act.

Maximum deduction: ₹60,000 per year
Subject to eligibility conditions

This is useful for self-employed individuals or salaried employees without HRA.

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FAQs on HRA

HRA exemption is calculated as the lowest of the following three amounts:

  • Actual HRA received from your employer
  • Rent paid minus 10% of your salary
  • 50% of basic salary (metro cities) or 40% (non-metro cities)
     

Any remaining HRA is added to your taxable income. You can use an HRA calculator to simplify this calculation.

For HRA purposes, salary typically includes:

  • Basic salary
  • Dearness allowance (if part of retirement benefits)
  • Commission (if applicable as a fixed percentage of turnover)

Yes, you can claim HRA if:

  • You pay rent to your parents
  • Your parents own the house
  • Your parents declare the rent as income in their tax returns

Yes, you can claim both if:

  • You live in a rented house
  • You are paying EMIs on a home loan for another property

This is common when your owned house is in a different city or under construction.

If you don’t receive HRA, you may still claim a deduction under Section 80GG, subject to conditions like:

  • You are paying rent
  • You do not own a house in your city of work
  • Your rent exceeds 10% of total income

Yes, both spouses can claim HRA separately if:

  • Both are salaried and receive HRA
  • Both contribute to rent payments

You can still claim HRA while filing your Income Tax Return (ITR).
Adjust your taxable income and claim a refund if excess tax was deducted.

Yes, if your annual rent exceeds ₹1 lakh, you must provide your landlord’s PAN to claim HRA exemption.

Yes, you can pay rent to family members and claim HRA, provided:

  • The property is owned by them
  • You are not a co-owner

No, HRA exemption is not allowed if you live in a house you own.

Yes, you can claim HRA if:

  • You are living in rented accommodation
  • Your owned house is still under construction

City classification impacts exemption:

  • Metro cities (Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata): 50% of salary
  • Non-metro cities: 40% of salary

  • For small amounts, receipts may not always be required
  • For higher rents, rent receipts are generally mandatory
  • PAN is required if rent exceeds ₹1 lakh annually