81+ Money-Saving Strategies

Financial Hacks That Save Lakhs

Proven, legal tax strategies and money-saving techniques used by smart taxpayers, NRIs, and freelancers

Total Hacks

Featured

Easy to Use

100%

Legal

Featured Hacks

₹2-5 lakhs

Form 13 Pre-Sale Strategy

Reduce property sale TDS from 14.95% to actual tax liability

₹10-50 lakhs

RNOR Golden Window

Get 2-3 years of completely tax-free foreign income in India

₹3-10 lakhs

Dual Indexation Choice

Choose between 20% with indexation or 12.5% without indexation

₹5-20 lakhs tax saved

UAE TRC Fast Track

Avoid deemed resident status with UAE Tax Residency Certificate

₹30,000-2 lakhs over 5 years

Pre-Construction Interest Split

Claim pre-construction interest over 5 years

₹2-4 lakhs annually

Section 44ADA Sweet Spot

50% deemed income with minimal tax and zero audit

₹6.5 lakhs tax saved

Leave Encashment Windfall

₹25 lakh tax-free leave encashment at retirement

₹1-2 lakhs annually

Rent to Parents Strategy

Claim HRA while parents show rental income with deductions

₹2.2 lakhs family savings

Joint Home Loan Doubling

Double tax benefits: Both co-borrowers claim separately

₹25 lakhs saved

Section 54 Two Properties

Buy two residential properties for LTCG exemption

Preserve loss offset

Carry Forward Loss Deadline

File by due date to carry forward losses

₹50,000-2 lakhs

Old vs New Regime Threshold

Switch to old regime if deductions exceed ₹4.5L

All Hacks

Featured

₹2-5 lakhs

Form 13 Pre-Sale Strategy

Reduce property sale TDS from 14.95% to actual tax liability

Get 2-3 years of completely tax-free foreign income in India

Dual Indexation Choice

Choose between 20% with indexation or 12.5% without indexation

₹5-20 lakhs tax saved

UAE TRC Fast Track

Avoid deemed resident status with UAE Tax Residency Certificate

₹30,000-2 lakhs over 5 years

Pre-Construction Interest Split

Claim pre-construction interest over 5 years

Section 44ADA Sweet Spot

50% deemed income with minimal tax and zero audit

Leave Encashment Windfall

₹25 lakh tax-free leave encashment at retirement

Rent to Parents Strategy

Claim HRA while parents show rental income with deductions

₹2.2 lakhs family savings

Joint Home Loan Doubling

Double tax benefits: Both co-borrowers claim separately

Section 54 Two Properties

Buy two residential properties for LTCG exemption

Carry Forward Loss Deadline

File by due date to carry forward losses

Old vs New Regime Threshold

Switch to old regime if deductions exceed ₹4.5L

₹50,000-2 lakhs annually

NRE Interest Arbitrage

Earn 6.5-7.5% tax-free returns instead of FCNR 2-4%

Unlimited repatriation

USD 1M Repatriation Split

Repatriate over USD 1 million by splitting across financial years

DTAA Certificate Before Income

Reduce TDS from 30% to 10-15% on all Indian income

₹12.5 lakhs tax saved

Section 54EC Double Dip

Get ₹1 crore LTCG exemption by investing across financial years

₹50,000-2 lakhs annually

Rental Income Pre-Deduction

Maximize deductions on rental income before 31.2% TDS

Time saved + compliance

NRO to NRE Direct Transfer

Maintain repatriability of investment proceeds instantly

Form 15CA Withdrawal Trick

Correct Form 15CA errors within 7 days without penalties

TRC Multi-Year Strategy

Cover two Indian FYs with single TRC application

Two Self-Occupied Properties

No notional rent tax on second property from AY 2026-27

Preserve full exemption

CGAS Account Protection

Preserve capital gains exemption for 2-3 years

Automatic TDS credit reconciliation via Form 26AS

Gift to Resident Strategy

Tax-free unlimited gifts to close relatives from NRE

₹46,800 tax saved annually

ELSS for NRI Tax Saving

Shortest 3-year lock-in for 80C deduction

ITR-2 Mandatory Filing

Always file ITR-2 as NRI, never ITR-1

Variable based on gains

Section 10(4B) FX Exemption

Proportionate exemption on foreign exchange asset gains

Export services at 0% GST with full ITC refund

₹50,000-2 lakhs annually

Payment Gateway Arbitrage

Save ₹5,000-7,000 per $1,000 received

₹25 lakh higher threshold

95% Digital Receipt Rule

Increase 44ADA threshold from ₹50L to ₹75L

e-FIRA Auto-Generation

Get FIRA within 24 hours instead of weeks

RBI Purpose Code Precision

Avoid payment delays with correct purpose codes

₹20,000-1 lakh annually

ITC on Business Tools

Claim full GST ITC on coworking, software, equipment

Simplified compliance

Single March 15 Advance Tax

Pay entire advance tax once instead of quarterly

10 minutes

easy

low risk

Freelancer under 44ADA

Avoid rejections

Foreign Client Invoice Formula

Complete invoice format for export compliance

₹50,000-2 lakhs annually

Home Office Deduction

Claim 20-40% of rent and utilities as business expense

Ongoing

medium

medium risk

Freelancer not using 44ADA

Avoid 18% GST

1-Year Invoice Rule

Ensure payment within 1 year to maintain export status

Full foreign tax credit

DTAA Form 67 Filing

Claim foreign tax credit if client deducted tax

2 hours

medium

low risk

Freelancer with foreign clients

Time + CA fees saved

ITR-4 vs ITR-3 Decision

Use ITR-4 Sugam for simplified filing under 44ADA

1 hour

easy

low risk

Freelancer under 44ADA

Zero tax on ₹7L

Zero-Tax Window

Earn up to ₹7 lakh gross with zero tax

1 hour

easy

low risk

Freelancer under 44ADA

Enhanced credibility

Voluntary GST Registration

₹5,000-20,000 annually

Consolidated Monthly Invoicing

Issue single monthly invoice to reduce fees

PAN-Aadhaar Link for TDS

Reduce platform TDS from 5% to 0.1%

₹30,000-1 lakh over 3 years

Equipment Depreciation

Claim 33.33% annual depreciation on equipment

Annual

medium

low risk

Freelancer not using 44ADA

Avoid ITC loss

Payment Within 180 Days

Pay vendors within 180 days to maintain ITC

Proforma Invoice Upfront

Clarify terms before starting work

₹12 Lakh Tax-Free Target

Zero tax on ₹12 lakh income from FY 2025-26

Employer NPS 14% Boost

Unlimited NPS contribution deduction in new regime

Capital Gains Grandfathering

Choose better rate: 20% with indexation or 12.5% without

₹1.25 lakh equity LTCG completely tax-free

Tax Loss Harvesting December

Offset gains by selling loss-making investments in March

80CCD(1B) Separate Bucket

Extra ₹50,000 NPS deduction over 80C limit

Simplified compliance

Presumptive Business ₹3 Crore

Threshold increased from ₹2 crore to ₹3 crore for 44AD

60% cash flow improvement

TDS Rate Cuts October 2024

Rent/commission TDS reduced from 5% to 2%

90% cash flow improvement

E-commerce TDS Relief

TDS slashed from 1% to 0.1% on e-commerce sales

Section 80EE First Home

Additional ₹50,000 interest deduction for first home

1 day

easy

low risk

First-time Home Buyer

₹46,800 annually

Section 80EEA Affordable Housing

Extra ₹1.5 lakh interest deduction for affordable home

₹2-5 lakhs over 8 years

80E Unlimited Education Loan

Deduct full interest on education loan for 8 years

Section 80TTB Senior Boost

₹50,000 deduction on deposit interest for seniors

Calculate HRA exemption using least of three formulas

Two Properties Self-Occupied

No notional rent on second property from AY 2026-27

GST ITC Deadline November

Claim ITC by November 30 of next year

GSTR-2B Monthly Reconciliation

Download GSTR-2B before filing to maximize ITC

QRMP Quarterly Filing

File GSTR-1 and 3B quarterly instead of monthly

1 day

easy

low risk

GST Registered ≤₹5 Cr

Full penalty waiver

Vivad Se Vishwas 2024

Settle tax disputes with complete penalty waiver

1-3 months

medium

low risk

Taxpayer with Dispute

Avoid TDS

Form 15G/15H for Zero Tax

Avoid TDS on interest if income below taxable limit

Sukanya Samriddhi 8.2%

8.2% tax-free returns for girl child with EEE status

Extra 1 month interest

PPF April 1 Strategy

Deposit by April 1 to earn full year interest

Shortest 80C lock-in: 3 years vs PPF 15 years

Simplified compliance

Senior Citizen Advance Tax Exemption

Seniors 60+ exempt from quarterly advance tax

75+ Senior ITR Exemption

Seniors 75+ with only pension need not file ITR

Section 80GG Rent Without HRA

Claim rent deduction up to ₹60,000 without HRA

Capital Gains Account Scheme

Preserve Section 54 exemption for 2-3 years

Time saved + accuracy

Pre-filled ITR AIS

Download pre-filled ITR to reduce errors

ITR Revised Return Window

Correct errors till December 31 of assessment year

Meal Voucher Tax-Free

₹24,000 annually tax-free food coupons

Medical Reimbursement ₹15,000

₹15,000 tax-free medical reimbursement

Annual

easy

low risk

Salaried - Old Regime

₹1,560 annually

Section 80D Preventive Checkup

₹5,000 preventive checkup within 80D without hospitalization

Angel Tax Abolished 2025

Zero angel tax on startup funding from April 2025

Partnership TDS Section 194T

10% TDS on partner payments exceeding ₹20,000

₹6.24 lakhs tax saved

Gratuity Exemption Bump

₹20 lakh tax-free gratuity for private sector

Need Personalized Guidance?

These hacks are powerful, but implementing them correctly requires expertise. Get personalized advice from CA Ashama Rajawat.