Old regime or new — which costs you less?
The new regime has lower rates and almost no deductions; the old regime has higher rates and a long list of them. Which costs less depends entirely on how much you actually claim. Put your figures in and this shows both, with the arithmetic, and tells you the deduction level at which the answer would flip.
What do you claim under the old regime?
Leave blank anything you do not claim. These do not apply under the new regime.
Enter your income to compare the two.
What people ask about the two regimes
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QCan I switch regimes every year?
A salaried person with no business income can generally choose afresh each year when filing. With business or professional income the choice is far more restricted and opting back out is limited — which is exactly why it is worth getting right rather than guessing.
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QThe new regime looks cheaper. Why would anyone use the old one?
Because deductions are not spread evenly. Someone paying a home loan, a full 80C, health insurance for parents and claiming HRA in a city can be well past the break-even. Someone renting modestly with a small 80C is usually not. The figure below tells you which you are.
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QDoes this include surcharge and cess?
Yes — cess on the tax, and surcharge where income crosses the thresholds, with the new regime's lower surcharge cap at the top band. Both are shown in the working rather than folded silently into a total.
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QIs this good enough to file on?
It is good enough to decide with, and to come to a conversation with. It is not your return. Capital gains, clubbing, carried-forward losses, foreign income and a dozen other things change the picture and none of them are in a calculator this size.
Close call, or business income involved?
Where the two are within a few thousand rupees, or where business income limits your ability to switch back, the decision is worth half an hour with someone who will look at the whole position.