Guides
Savings and tax in India
Deposits, mutual funds, salary and tax, worked through with the rules that actually apply in India — completed quarters, the least-of-three test, the 15/26 formula.
Start hereWhere to put your money in IndiaThe right home for a sum of money is decided by when you need it back and how much you can afford to lose — not by which product has the best headline rate.- SalaryIndia
CTC versus in-hand: where the rest of it goes
Cost to company includes money that never reaches your payslip. Only one of the four gaps is a genuine loss — the rest is deferred, and the structure decides how much.
5 min read
- DepositsIndia
Cumulative or non-cumulative: which FD pays more
One compounds and pays at maturity, the other pays interest out and never compounds. The rate is usually identical; the return is not, and the tax timing catches people out.
5 min read
- DepositsIndia
Why a 444-day FD is not the same as 15 months
Banks pick odd tenures because they are hard to compare. Interest compounds only on completed quarters, and the leftover days earn simple interest. Here is what that costs.
5 min read
- SalaryIndia
Gratuity: the 15/26 formula and the six-month rule
Fifteen days of pay per completed year, on a twenty-six day month. Six months rounds up to a full year, and one month either side of that mark is worth thousands.
4 min read
- RetirementIndia
How long will my corpus actually last?
The withdrawal rate dominates, not the return you assume. Two extra points of withdrawal can halve how long the money lasts, and inflation is usually left out entirely.
4 min read
- TaxSalaryIndia
HRA exemption: the least-of-three test, worked
Your exemption is the smallest of three figures, and the rent you paid is not one of them. Which leg binds decides whether paying more rent helps at all.
5 min read
- TaxIndia
Old vs new regime: where the break-even actually sits
Run both across a range of incomes and one rule falls out: without HRA the new regime wins at every level, however much 80C you claim. HRA is what reverses it.
5 min read
- InvestingIndia
SIP or lump sum: what the maths actually says
On a rising market a lump sum wins, and it is not close. A SIP is not a return-maximising strategy — it is a regret-minimising one, which is usually the more useful property.
4 min read
- TaxDepositsIndia
TDS on FD interest is a withholding, not a tax bill
The bank deducts at a flat rate against a bill calculated at your slab. It is rarely the right amount, and no deduction does not mean no liability.
5 min read
Tools these guides use
- In-Hand Salary CalculatorTurn a CTC figure into what actually reaches your account.
- Income Tax CalculatorCompare both regimes, with every deduction that matters.
- HRA CalculatorHow much of your HRA escapes tax, and which leg caps it.
- FD CalculatorMaturity value for any tenure, including odd day counts.
- RD CalculatorWhat your monthly instalments are worth at maturity.
- Gratuity CalculatorWhat you are owed on leaving, and how much of it is tax-free.
- SWP CalculatorHow long your corpus lasts at a monthly withdrawal.
- Retirement CalculatorBuild a corpus, then see how many years it funds you.
- SIP CalculatorSIP, lumpsum and step-up projections in one place.