Livemint

Salaried taxpayers can switch between the old and new tax regimes while filing their ITR, regardless of the regime used by their employer for TDS. However, rules differ for those with business income. Understanding the flexibility and tax impact can help taxpayers make an informed choice.

Your earlier EPF nomination becomes invalid once you get married. Filing a fresh nomination ensures your PF benefits are paid to the intended beneficiaries without unnecessary delays or legal complications.

Multi-asset allocation funds topped the hybrid category, recording 70,819 crore in net inflows in 12 months. These funds help diversify across equities, debt, gold, and other assets. Investors should evaluate allocation strategy, diversification, and capture ratios before investing.

The Delhi government has launched the 'Delhi Lakshmi Yojana', providing eligible women with monthly financial assistance of 2,500, of which 1,500 will go into a locked savings account. The initiative aims to empower women financially and support family stability.

Many tech professionals moving back home assume receiving dollars in a foreign account keeps their income out of local jurisdictionhere is how tax residency rules actually treat global earnings.

The government has revealed that the EPFO has developed an Aadhaar-based e-portal to help members trace old inoperative PF accounts, transfer balances to their active UAN or settle claims. The portal aims to reduce paperwork, improve transparency and simplify access to forgotten PF savings.

The Delhi High Court ordered the winding up of Paytm Payments Bank Ltd due to non-compliance with regulations. 

Taxpayers should compare the new and old tax regimes before filing their ITR for FY26. Since India follows a slab-based tax system, only the portion of income falling within each tax slab is taxed at the applicable rate. Understanding this helps taxpayers estimate tax liability more accurately.

Form 16 makes return filing easier, but it is not the only document required. By reconciling salary records with Form 26AS, AIS, bank statements and investment proofs, salaried taxpayers can accurately file their returns even without Form 16. 

First-time stock market investors can avoid costly mistakes by focusing on diversification, asset allocation, disciplined investing and long-term wealth creation. Check out the five most common investing mistakes experts warn against and practical steps to build a stronger investment portfolio.

The late filing fee is only one consequence of missing the ITR deadline. Delayed filing can also result in the loss of capital loss set-off benefits, delayed refunds and additional interest, increasing your tax burden in future years.

Market volatility often fuels fear and greed, prompting costly investment mistakes. Goal-based investing shifts the focus from market moves to life milestones, helping investors stay disciplined.

Mid-cap funds have rewarded long-term SIP investors, with 12 schemes generating annualised returns of more than 18% over the past decade. A comparison of three-, five- and 10-year returns also shows that recent winners are not always the best long-term wealth creators.

Report REIT and InvIT income in your ITR for AY 202627. Know the tax treatment, choose the right form and keep essential documents ready to avoid mistakes before the 31 July deadline.

Sebi's reforms and online bond platforms have made direct bond investing more accessible than ever. But should investors choose individual bonds over debt mutual fundsor use both?

Income tax refund delays for AY 202627 may occur due to incorrect bank details, pending e-verification, PAN issues, tax mismatches or errors in return filing. Here are common causes of delays, how to track your refund status and the key checks to complete for faster processing.

As more NRIs return to India to care for ageing parents, experts say early planning is crucial to manage healthcare costs, lower incomes, taxes, overseas assets and retirement savings.

Gold and silver prices today, 28 July: Check the latest 24K, 22K gold and 999 silver retail rates across Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and other major Indian cities, along with MCX market updates.

Paytm has partnered with ClearTax to offer income tax return filing starting at 11 through its app. Here's what the plan includes, who can benefit, and the precautions taxpayers should take before filing.

The ITR filing deadline for AY 2026-27 remains 31 July, with experts expecting no extension. Over 4.1 crore returns have already been filed. Taxpayers should file and e-verify returns on time to avoid penalties, interest and loss of key tax benefits.

The July 31 ITR deadline is just days away. Avoid these five common filing mistakes that could lead to tax notices, refund delays or additional tax demands.

8th Pay Commission: Fitment factor debate has intensified as employee unions seek a multiplier above 3. While a higher fitment factor could significantly increase salaries and pensions, experts say the Centre will balance employee expectations with fiscal sustainability before final recommendations.

The proposed MF-only PMS framework is positioned as a bridge between self-managed mutual fund investing and traditional PMS, allowing investors to access professional portfolio management at a lower entry threshold of 25 lakh while remaining within regulated investment products.

ITR: India has seen 4x growth in billionaires in five years. As many as 576 people reported gross total income of 100 crore or more, FY26 income-tax filings showed, MoS Pankaj Chaudhary said today.

The CBDT has issued a guidance note to operationalise India's crypto-asset reporting framework in line with the OECD's global standards. While there is no change in crypto taxation, experts say investors should focus on accurate record-keeping as information sharing becomes more structured.

Want to complete filing your income-tax returns before the 31 July deadline? Here's how taxpayers can calculate their ITR dues under new tax regime and old tax regime for financial year 2026 / AY 2027.

Mid- and small-caps often face criticism during market corrections, but 20 years of data show they have consistently outperformed large-caps in strong market years. Investors bullish on India's growth story should not ignore these segments despite their volatility.

DA hike: Here are the key Dearness Allowance-related demands made by employee groups from demand for an inflation-linked wage model to calls for implementation of DA merger and a new calculation formula for the component.

EPFO has delayed the launch of its UPI-linked claim settlement facility to August as it focuses on resolving glitches in the upgraded CITES 2.01 portal. The new system aims to enable faster credit of eligible PF claims through UPI once the platform stabilises.

The 8th pay commission panel is scheduled to hold state and union territory visits and meetings in Delhi, Chennai, and Puducherry in August and September this year as part of its consultation process. Check the full list of cities, dates and other details here

A study found that the BOI Large & Mid Cap Fund and BOI Multi Cap Fund from the same AMC have a portfolio overlap of 79.4%, despite belonging to different categories. This highlights that investing in multiple equity mutual funds across categories may not always lead to better diversification.

Experts say investors aged 25-30 should focus on goal-based asset allocation rather than chasing returns. Here's how to allocate equity, debt and gold, and the mistakes to avoid.

Whether you can opt for presumptive taxation under section 44ADA of the Act depends on the nature of your freelance income. If your freelance work qualifies as a specified profession you may opt for the presumptive taxation scheme, as gross receipts of 1 lakh are within the prescribed thresholds.

The Mumbai ITAT deleted a 17.41 lakh penalty after accepting a CA firm's affidavit that an incorrect revised ITR was filed due to a clerical error. The Tribunal held that, in the absence of evidence of deliberate misreporting, penalty under Section 270A could not be sustained.

The e-Nivaran facility allows taxpayers to raise and track income tax grievances online through a structured process. Both registered and unregistered users can raise complaints, which are routed to the concerned department, and can be tracked using a unique acknowledgement number.

An employee earning a basic salary of 25,000 can accumulate an estimated EPF corpus of 1.12 crore over 30 years. Monthly contributions, annual salary hikes and the power of compounding together build long-term retirement wealth through the Employees' Provident Fund.

SC says compensation under the Motor Vehicles Act cannot be awarded merely because a vehicle was part of the sequence of events. Claimants must establish a credible causal link between the use of the vehicle and the death or injury.

India's push to reduce external dependence presents a long-term investment opportunity. Experts suggest focusing on structural reforms, strong management, and business fundamentals, rather than short-term policy announcements, for sustainable earnings growth

Tax experts caution against viewing an HUF as a simple tax-saving hack because transferring assets to it changes their ownership. 

The EPF reform is more than a payroll change. It gives employers an opportunity to redesign retirement benefits by combining EPF's stability with NPS's growth potential and tax efficiency.

EPFO's corpus has swelled to 28.4 trillion and claim settlements hit a record in FY25, but rising pension payouts, persistent grievances and thinner investment yields pose fresh challenges.

Funding your spouses PPF account can help you claim a Section 80C deduction of up to 1.5 lakh, provided the contribution comes from your own income. Tax treatment, ownership rules, clubbing provisions and practical points every taxpayer should know before investing.

Experts explain whether FCNR deposit interest remains tax-free after returning to India and whether a five-month stay in India triggers tax residency under current rules.

As the July 31 ITR filing deadline nears, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has urged tax officials to let honest taxpayers correct genuine mistakes. She also outlined the 5Rs of responsive tax governance and called for greater tax certainty and lower litigation.

Market volatility is inevitable, but experts say investors can avoid emotional decisions by planning ahead. From setting investment rules to building an emergency fund, here's how to prepare your SIP before markets turn turbulent.

The Labour Ministry has completed bank verification for 1.18 lakh dormant EPFO accounts under its auto-refund pilot. The system is expected to be ready by August-end, allowing eligible subscribers to receive their PF money without filing a claim.

Gold and silver prices today, 24 July: Check the latest 24K, 22K gold and 999 silver retail rates across Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and other major Indian cities, along with MCX market updates. 

ITR filing deadline 2026 is just five days away for salaried taxpayers, pensioners and investors. Here's who must file by 31 July, key due dates, essential verification steps, filing checklist and practical tips to avoid last-minute errors and refund delays.

Experts say pausing a SIP should be driven by financial emergencies such as job loss or medical expenses, not market volatility. Here's when it makes sense to hit pause and when staying invested could work in your favour.

A healthy credit mix can improve your credit profile by showing responsible borrowing behaviour. Here's how secured and unsecured loans, timely repayments and low credit utilization influence credit scores constructively and help borrowers access better financial opportunities.