What I Figured Out About Tax Planning (As a Salaried Person in India, 2025)
I’m not a finance guy. Just someone who works a 9–6 job, tries to save a bit every month, and like most salaried folks, gets stuck around tax season every year. Until recently, I didn’t think much about tax planning. Mostly just waited till the last moment, dumped some money into ELSS or whatever my friends were talking about, and moved on. But this year (FY 2024–25), I tried doing things a little differently - mainly out of curiosity. I wanted to know what was actually happening with my salary and why I was paying so much tax even after making investments. Salary Breakup Was a Surprise I never paid attention to what components my salary had. But turns out, things like “HRA,” “basic salary,” and even “employer NPS contribution” make a difference. There’s also a whole thing about choosing between the old regime and the new regime , and which one you land up in by default. I didn’t know that the new regime is auto-selected now unless you opt out while filing. Comparing Tax ...