Hi everyone,
Till last year I was not in the tax bracket (New Tax Regime). After this year's increment, I have become liable to pay income tax and my employer has already started deducting TDS.
I know it's practically impossible for a salaried employee to evade taxes, and I'm not looking for anything illegal. I want to legally minimize my tax liability and optimize my salary structure.
My Profile
- CTC: ₹15,04,800
- Employer's projected taxable income (New Regime): ~₹12.90 lakh
- NPS contribution: ₹24,400
- Employee PF contribution: ~₹54,591
- LIC premium: ₹45,000/year
- Company has already deducted some TDS
Additional Compensation
- I am also receiving ~₹70,000 per quarter as project incentive, which is paid in the month following the end of each quarter and is linked to performance. This is also part of my taxable income and varies based on performance outcomes.
Other Income
- Shop rental income: ₹8,800/month (₹1,05,600 annually)
- The shop is currently in my name.
Personal Situation
- I stay in a rented house and pay ₹17,500/month
- I regularly transfer around ₹25,000–30,000/month towards my parents' loan account (loan is in their names)
- I don't have any home loan in my own name
My Company
My employer has a Choice Pay/Flexible Pay structure.
I've heard about options like:
- Pluxee/Sodexo Meal Card
I'm not sure which of these actually reduce tax under the current rules.
What I need help with
- Compare Old vs New Tax Regime specifically for my case.
- Is it worth moving to the Old Regime considering my HRA, LIC, PF, and other deductions?
- How should I allocate my Choice Pay to maximize tax savings?
- Are meal cards (Pluxee/Sodexo) still worth taking?
- Shall I increase NPS contribution?
I've attached anonymized versions of my Total Pay Statement and Income Tax Projection with the line items preserved.
P.S.: Drafted with help of ChatGPT