HRA Exemption Calculator (India)
This calculator works out your House Rent Allowance (HRA) exemption under Section 10(13A) of the Income Tax Act. Enter your monthly basic salary, Dearness Allowance (DA), HRA received from your employer, and rent paid, then pick your city type and tax slab. Your exempt HRA, taxable HRA, and estimated annual tax saving update in real time.
How HRA Exemption Is Calculated
House Rent Allowance exemption is governed by Section 10(13A) of the Income Tax Act read with Rule 2A. The exemption equals the lowest of three figures computed monthly: (1) the actual HRA received from your employer, (2) 50% of your Basic plus Dearness Allowance if you live in a metro city or 40% if you live elsewhere, and (3) the actual rent you paid minus 10% of your Basic plus DA. If you pay less rent than 10% of your Basic+DA, Condition 3 becomes zero and your entire HRA is taxable. The exemption applies only if you are living in rented accommodation; it is nil if you own the house you occupy.
Old Regime vs. New Regime
HRA exemption under Section 10(13A) is available only if you choose the old tax regime. Under the new default regime (introduced from FY 2020-21 and made the default from FY 2023-24), HRA received from your employer is fully taxable as salary. Before claiming HRA exemption, compare your total tax under both regimes: if the sum of all your exemptions and deductions under the old regime is large enough to outweigh the lower slab rates of the new regime, the old regime wins. A common break-even rule of thumb is that old-regime deductions need to exceed roughly Rs 3.75 lakh per year for the average taxpayer to benefit.
Documentation and Compliance
Your employer will usually ask you to submit rent receipts at the start of the year or at the time of investment declaration. Keep the rent agreement, monthly rent receipts signed by your landlord, and the landlord PAN card (mandatory if total annual rent exceeds Rs 1,00,000). If you pay rent to a close relative such as a parent, the rent must be commercially reasonable, actually transferred to the relative bank account, and the relative must declare it as income in their own return for the deduction to hold up under scrutiny. You cannot claim HRA for a house you co-own.
Special Scenarios
Self-employed individuals and salaried people who do not receive HRA as a pay component can claim a deduction under Section 80GG instead, subject to the same three-condition test but capped at Rs 5,000 per month or 25% of total income, whichever is lower. Employees who own a house in another city and live in a rented house in their work city can claim both HRA exemption and the home loan interest deduction simultaneously. Employees who receive HRA for only part of the year - because of a job change or relocation - can claim a prorated exemption by setting the months field to the number of months HRA was actually received.
Metro Cities for HRA Exemption (FY 2026-27)
| City | State | HRA Ceiling | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delhi (NCR) | Delhi | 50% of Basic+DA | Metro |
| Mumbai | Maharashtra | 50% of Basic+DA | Metro |
| Kolkata | West Bengal | 50% of Basic+DA | Metro |
| Chennai | Tamil Nadu | 50% of Basic+DA | Metro |
| Bengaluru | Karnataka | 50% of Basic+DA | Metro (from FY 2026-27) |
| Pune | Maharashtra | 50% of Basic+DA | Metro (from FY 2026-27) |
| Hyderabad | Telangana | 50% of Basic+DA | Metro (from FY 2026-27) |
| Ahmedabad | Gujarat | 50% of Basic+DA | Metro (from FY 2026-27) |
| All other cities | - | 40% of Basic+DA | Non-Metro |
Employees working in these eight cities qualify for the 50% of Basic+DA ceiling. All other cities use 40%.
Frequently asked questions
Can I claim HRA if I pay rent to my parents?
Yes, provided the arrangement is genuine. The rent must be transferred to your parents bank account, they must declare it as rental income in their own income-tax return, and you should have a formal rent agreement. HMRC-style back-to-back cash loops will likely fail scrutiny. The deduction is unavailable if you pay rent to a spouse.
What if I live in my own house and receive HRA?
If you occupy a house you own in the same city where you work, the entire HRA is taxable. If your owned property is in a different city and you live in a rented place near your workplace, you can claim the exemption for the rented accommodation while also deducting home loan interest on the owned property.
What happens when Condition 3 (rent - 10% of Basic+DA) is negative or zero?
If your monthly rent is less than 10% of your Basic+DA, Condition 3 is zero, and the minimum of the three conditions is also zero. Your entire HRA is then taxable. You would need to pay rent of at least 10% of your Basic+DA before any exemption kicks in.
Can I claim HRA for only part of the financial year?
Yes. If you received HRA for only some months - because you joined or left employment, relocated, or moved out of rented accommodation - set the months field to the actual number of months you received HRA and paid rent. The exemption is prorated accordingly.
Do I need to submit HRA documents to my employer?
Your employer will reduce TDS based on the HRA exemption you declare. For annual rent above Rs 1,00,000, the landlord PAN is mandatory. If you forget to submit documents to your employer during the year, you can still claim the exemption when filing your income-tax return and adjust the TDS difference as a refund.
Is there a maximum HRA exemption limit?
There is no fixed rupee cap on HRA exemption in the law. The effective ceiling is the minimum of the three conditions, which automatically restrains the exemption relative to your salary and rent. Very high rents can breach the 50% or 40% of Basic+DA ceiling, capping the exemption there.
What is Dearness Allowance (DA) and when should I include it?
DA is a cost-of-living adjustment paid on top of basic salary, common in central-government and public-sector jobs. You should include DA in the calculation only when it forms part of your retirement benefit (pension or provident fund calculations). Most private-sector employees do not have qualifying DA, so they leave that field as zero.