HRA Calculator — Calculate HRA Exemption Online

HRA Exemption Calculator: Maximise Your Tax Savings

House Rent Allowance (HRA) is one of the most significant tax-saving components available to salaried employees under the old tax regime. If you live in rented accommodation and receive HRA as part of your salary, you can claim an exemption on a portion of it under Section 10(13A) of the Income Tax Act. The exemption reduces your taxable income, resulting in lower income tax outgo. Our HRA Calculator instantly computes your maximum allowable exemption based on your salary and rent details.

HRA Exemption Formula: How It's Calculated

The HRA exemption is the minimum of the following three amounts:

• Actual HRA received from your employer per year
• 50% of basic salary (if you live in a metro city — Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai) or 40% of basic salary (for non-metro cities)
• Actual rent paid minus 10% of basic salary — i.e., only the rent exceeding 10% of your basic qualifies for exemption

The HRA exemption is the lowest of these three values. The remaining HRA (actual HRA minus exemption) is added to your taxable income.

Metro vs Non-Metro Cities for HRA

The Income Tax Department defines only four cities as "metros" for HRA purposes: Mumbai, Delhi (NCR), Kolkata, and Chennai. Residents of all other cities — including Bangalore, Hyderabad, Pune, Ahmedabad, and all state capitals — are classified as non-metro and qualify for only 40% of basic salary as the HRA ceiling. This distinction is important since Bangalore and Hyderabad have rental markets comparable to official metros.

HRA Exemption Under the New Tax Regime

The new tax regime (introduced in Budget 2020, made the default from FY 2023-24) does not allow HRA exemption. Under the new regime, all income including full HRA is taxable. Employees who pay significant rent should compare their total tax liability under both regimes before choosing. For those paying rent above ₹20,000/month in metro cities with salaries above ₹8–10 lakh, the old regime often yields lower tax despite higher rates, due to HRA and other deductions.

Rent Receipt and HRA Documentation

To claim HRA exemption when filing your ITR, you need:

• Rent receipts (for rent payments above ₹3,000/month — practically all cases)
• PAN of your landlord (mandatory if annual rent exceeds ₹1 lakh i.e. ₹8,333/month)
• Rental agreement for the property
• Bank statements showing rent payment (preferred over cash)

If you pay rent to a family member (parents or spouse), HRA can still be claimed provided the rental agreement is genuine, rent is actually paid (bank transfer preferred), and the family member declares the rental income in their ITR.