Tax benefit: renting (HRA) vs buying (24b + 80C).
Rent (HRA) tax saving
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Buy (24b+80C) tax saving
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Your breakdown
Updates live as you type| Step | Renting | Buying |
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Why this comparison only matters under the old regime
The whole rent-versus-buy tax debate lives inside the old tax regime. The new regime, which is now the default from FY 2023-24 onward, scraps the HRA exemption under Section 10(13A), the Section 24(b) interest deduction on a self-occupied house, and the Section 80C principal deduction. So if you have already moved to the new regime, none of the numbers below change your tax bill, and the decision becomes purely about cash flow and whether you want to own. This tool deliberately assumes you are an old-regime taxpayer, applies your marginal rate to each benefit, and tells you which path puts more money back in your pocket.
The two pots of benefit, and the caps that bite
Renting gives you one lever: the HRA exemption, the least of (a) actual HRA received, (b) rent paid minus 10% of salary, and (c) 50% of salary in a metro or 40% elsewhere. Buying gives you two levers under the old regime. The interest you pay on a home loan for a self-occupied property is deductible under Section 24(b), but only up to 2 lakh a year. The principal repayment qualifies under Section 80C, capped at 1.5 lakh, and that 1.5 lakh is shared with your PF, ELSS, life insurance, and PPF. The calculator silently applies both ceilings, so even if you enter 3 lakh of interest it only counts 2 lakh.
A worked example at the 30% slab
Take a Bengaluru professional in the 30% bracket. Renting, the HRA exemption works out to 2.4 lakh for the year. If she buys instead, she pays 3 lakh of interest (capped to 2 lakh) and 1.5 lakh of principal (fully within the 80C cap). Here is how the tax saving compares.
Buying wins on tax by 33,000 a year in this case. The chart below shows the gap.
The catch the tax saving hides
Do not let the 33,000 decide your life. The interest you deducted is real money leaving your account every month, often far more than the rent you would otherwise pay. A 50 lakh loan at 8.5% costs roughly 44,000 a month in EMI, while the same flat might rent for 20,000. The tax saving is a discount on a cost you chose to take on, not free income. My practical view: treat the tax angle as a tie-breaker, not the headline. Buy when you want to settle, when the EMI fits comfortably inside 35-40% of take-home pay, and when you plan to hold the property for at least seven to ten years so that transaction costs and early-year interest get amortised.
When you can legitimately claim both
There is a real situation where HRA and the home loan deduction stack. If you own a house in, say, Hyderabad that is let out or lying vacant while you live and work on rent in Pune, you can claim HRA on the Pune rent and, on the let-out Hyderabad property, deduct the full interest without the 2 lakh cap, after setting off the standard 30% on rental income. The income tax department has clarified this is allowed when the reasons are genuine and not a paper arrangement to dodge tax. Keep rent receipts, a registered or notarised rent agreement, and the lender interest certificate on file.
Does the under-construction period count?
Interest paid before you get possession does not get deducted in those years. Instead it is aggregated and claimed in five equal instalments starting the year construction completes, still inside the overall 2 lakh self-occupied ceiling. This pre-construction interest catches many first-time buyers off guard.
Is the 50% HRA figure automatic in metros?
No. 50% of salary is only the upper bound for the four metros, Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, and Chennai. Bengaluru, Pune, and Hyderabad use the 40% figure despite being large cities. The actual exemption is still the least of the three statutory amounts, so you rarely get the full 50% unless your rent is high relative to your basic salary.