New regime: what you give up when you stop claiming 80C
What falls away with the new default
When you file in the new regime for Tax Year 2026-27, the usual 80C basket (PPF, ELSS, life-insurance premiums counted under 80C, home-loan principal, and similar) does not reduce taxable income the way it does in the old regime. HRA exemption and self-occupied home-loan interest under 24(b) are likewise out of the common toolkit. You keep things like the new-regime standard deduction and, where applicable, employer NPS under 80CCD(2).
Giving up the claim is not the same as closing the goal
You can still fund PPF or ELSS for retirement and long goals; you simply may not get an 80C deduction that year. Run the PPF calculator for the goal maths, and the income-tax calculator to see whether old regime with a full real 80C+HRA stack still beats new. If new wins even after you imagine maxing 80C, stop buying products only for the deduction.
Make the choice once with honest numbers
List deductions you will actually document—not an aspirational ₹1.5 lakh. Compare regimes once, opt consistently with payroll if you can, and revisit after a rent change, home loan, or employer NPS tweak. The calculator is a planning mirror for the common salaried case, not a filing product.
Results from FinanceChacha are estimates for planning, not financial or tax advice. Read the disclaimer.
Try the calculators
Open a calculator this guide refers to and run your own numbers.