Section 80C Deduction FY 2025-26: Limit, Eligible Investments and Example
Section 80C allows a deduction of up to ₹1,50,000 a year from your gross total income for investments and payments such as PPF, EPF, ELSS, life insurance premium, NSC, 5-year tax-saver FD, Sukanya Samriddhi, tuition fees and home loan principal. It is available only under the old tax regime. At the 30% slab the full limit saves ₹46,800 including cess.
Key facts, FY 2025-26
- Maximum deduction
- ₹1,50,000 per year (combined with 80CCC and 80CCD(1))
- Regime
- Old regime only. Not available under the new regime.
- Who can claim
- Individuals and HUFs. Not companies, firms or LLPs.
- Maximum tax saved
- ₹46,800 at 30% slab, ₹31,200 at 20%, ₹7,800 at 5% (including 4% cess)
- Basis
- Actual payment during 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026
- Income-tax Act 2025
- Section 123 (reported)
How it works
Section 80C of the Income-tax Act 1961 lets you reduce your taxable income by the amount you invest or pay into a specified list of instruments, up to a ceiling of ₹1,50,000 in a financial year. The deduction is on a payment basis: what matters is the money that actually left your account between 1 April 2025 and 31 March 2026, not what you committed to.
The ₹1.5 lakh ceiling is shared. Section 80CCC (pension fund premiums) and section 80CCD(1) (your own NPS contribution) sit inside the same cap under section 80CCE. Only the additional ₹50,000 under section 80CCD(1B) sits outside it. So if your EPF alone is ₹1.6 lakh a year, you have already exhausted 80C and nothing else in this list will reduce your tax further.
The deduction is available only if you file under the old tax regime. The new regime, which is the default from FY 2023-24, does not allow 80C at all. That single fact decides whether 80C planning is worth doing for you, so check the regime comparison before you lock money away for tax reasons.
How much you save depends on your slab. A deduction of ₹1,50,000 reduces tax by ₹46,800 at the 30% slab, ₹31,200 at 20% and ₹7,800 at 5%, all including 4% cess. For someone whose old-regime taxable income is around ₹5 lakh, the deduction can also pull income under the ₹5 lakh threshold for the section 87A rebate, which makes the effective saving larger than the slab rate suggests. Some payments in the list also reverse if you exit early: a house sold within five years of possession, a life policy surrendered within two years, or a ULIP closed within five years adds the earlier deductions back to your income in the year of exit.
| Instrument | Lock-in | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Employee Provident Fund (EPF) | Until retirement or withdrawal rules | Only your own 12% contribution counts, not the employer share |
| Public Provident Fund (PPF) | 15 years | Maximum ₹1.5 lakh a year, interest is tax-free |
| ELSS mutual funds | 3 years | Shortest lock-in in the list, equity-linked |
| Life insurance premium | Policy term | Premium must not exceed 10% of sum assured for the deduction to be allowed in full |
| National Savings Certificate (NSC) | 5 years | Accrued interest is reinvested and itself qualifies for 80C except in the final year |
| 5-year tax-saver bank or post office FD | 5 years | Interest is taxable; premature withdrawal not allowed |
| Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana (SSY) | Until the girl child turns 21 (partial withdrawal at 18) | For a girl child below 10 years at opening |
| Senior Citizens Savings Scheme (SCSS) | 5 years | Age 60 and above, interest taxable |
| Home loan principal repayment | Do not sell within 5 years of possession | Includes stamp duty and registration charges in the year paid |
| Tuition fees | None | Full-time education of up to two children, Indian institution, tuition component only |
| Unit Linked Insurance Plan (ULIP) | 5 years | Premium must not exceed 10% of sum assured |
| NPS Tier 1 (own contribution, 80CCD(1)) | Until 60 | Shares the ₹1.5 lakh cap; extra ₹50,000 under 80CCD(1B) is separate |
Worked example: Salaried employee, ₹12 lakh gross salary, old regime
- EPF (employee share, 12% of ₹40,000 basic)
- ₹57,600
- PPF deposit
- ₹50,000
- Term insurance premium
- ₹18,000
- Tuition fees for one child
- ₹60,000
- Total eligible payments
- ₹1,85,600
- Deduction allowed under 80C
- ₹1,50,000
- Tax saved at 20% slab plus cess
- ₹31,200
The most common mistake: investing for 80C while filing under the new regime
If you file under the new regime, 80C gives you nothing. Every year taxpayers lock ₹1.5 lakh into a 5-year FD or a low-return insurance plan in March, then find at filing time that the new regime is cheaper even without the deduction. Run the regime comparison first. If the new regime wins, invest on merit, not for the deduction.
What to do next
Add up the payments you have already made this year, starting with EPF from your salary slip, home loan principal from the bank statement and school fee receipts. If the total is below ₹1.5 lakh and the old regime is better for you, top up with PPF or ELSS before 31 March 2026. Keep the receipts; your employer needs proof for Form 16 by January or February, and you need them if the return is picked for verification. If you are unsure which regime to choose, an expert-assisted return includes the comparison.
Section 80C: questions
What is the maximum deduction under section 80C for FY 2025-26?
₹1,50,000. This limit is shared with section 80CCC and section 80CCD(1). The extra ₹50,000 for NPS under section 80CCD(1B) is over and above it, taking the total to ₹2,00,000.
Can I claim 80C in the new tax regime?
No. Section 80C is not available under the new regime. The only deductions the new regime allows are the standard deduction of ₹75,000 for salaried taxpayers and the employer NPS contribution under section 80CCD(2).
Does the employer share of EPF count under 80C?
No. Only your own 12% contribution qualifies. The employer contribution is exempt separately and does not appear in your 80C total. Voluntary Provident Fund (VPF) contributions do count.
Is home loan principal covered under 80C?
Yes, the principal portion of your EMI on a housing loan qualifies, along with stamp duty and registration charges paid in the year of purchase. The interest is claimed separately under section 24(b). If you sell the house within five years of possession, the principal deductions claimed are reversed.
Which 80C investment has the shortest lock-in?
ELSS mutual funds, at 3 years. Tax-saver FDs, NSC and SCSS are 5 years, PPF is 15 years, and EPF runs until retirement or eligible withdrawal.
Can I claim tuition fees for more than two children?
No. Section 80C covers full-time tuition fees for a maximum of two children per taxpayer at a school, college or university in India. Development fees, donations, transport and hostel charges are not covered. A spouse can claim for other children separately.
Do I need to submit proof of 80C investments while filing ITR?
Not with the return. You declare the amount in Schedule VI-A of the ITR. Keep receipts, statements and premium certificates because the department can ask for them in a notice, and your employer needs them for Form 16.
What is the new section number for 80C under the Income-tax Act 2025?
Secondary sources report section 80C as section 123 of the Income-tax Act 2025, which applies from tax year 2026-27. The limit of ₹1,50,000 is reported to continue. Verify against the notified Rules before relying on the new number.
Related sections and forms
- Section 80CCD(1B)Section 80CCD(1B) allows an additional deduction of ₹50,000 for your own contribution to NPS Tier 1, over and above the ₹1,50,000 limit of section 80C, under the old regime only. Employer contribution to NPS under section 80CCD(2) is separate and is allowed in both regimes, up to 14% of basic plus DA under the new regime and 10% under the old regime for private employees.
- Section 80DSection 80D allows a deduction of up to ₹25,000 for health insurance premium paid for yourself, spouse and dependent children, rising to ₹50,000 if any of you is a senior citizen. A further ₹25,000 is allowed for parents, or ₹50,000 if they are senior citizens, so the maximum is ₹1,00,000. Preventive health check-ups up to ₹5,000 count within these limits. Old regime only.
- Form 16Form 16 is the TDS certificate an employer issues to every employee whose salary tax was deducted, due by 15 June 2026 for FY 2025-26. Part A is generated on TRACES and shows quarter-wise TDS deposited against your PAN; Part B is the employer's breakup of salary, exemptions, deductions and tax. You use it to fill the salary and TDS schedules of ITR-1 or ITR-2 by 31 July 2026.
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General information for FY 2025-26, not professional advice. Limits and dates change with each Budget; the updated date above is when this page was last checked. Disclaimer