Tax guides, in plain language
Practical guides to Indian tax and compliance, every section, form and due date, decoded by practising Chartered Accountants. Updated for AY 2026-27.
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§143(1)Featured guideIncome Tax Notice Reply Guide
Got an income tax notice? What 143(1) intimations, 139(9) defective notices and 148 mean, deadlines to reply, and how a CA responds correctly.
Read the guideStart with a guide hub
Four curated hubs walk you through a whole topic, one step at a time. Or browse all guides below.
Salaried Taxpayer Guide
Form 16, regime choice, filing and refunds.
Open hub → For businessesGST Compliance Guide
Register, claim credit, reply to notices.
Open hub → For foundersCompany Compliance Guide
Setup to scale, in four stages.
Open hub → The new lawIncome Tax Act 2025
What changes, in plain terms.
Open hub →Income TaxNewGot an Income Tax Notice? What Each Type Means and How to Respond
What 143(1), 139(9), 143(2) and 245 notices mean, the reply deadline for each, and what ignoring them costs.
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Income TaxNewAIS and Form 26AS Mismatch: Fix It Before It Triggers a Notice
The top trigger for a 143(1) notice and refund delays. How to reconcile AIS, 26AS and TIS before you file.
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Income TaxNewOld vs New Tax Regime for AY 2026-27: Which One Saves You More?
How the two regimes compare, who each suits, and the late-filing trap that locks you into the new regime.
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Income TaxNewWhich ITR Form Should You File for AY 2026-27?
ITR-1 to ITR-4 explained in plain language, including the new rule letting ITR-1 cover two house properties.
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Income TaxNewTDS Deducted But Not Showing in Form 26AS? Here is How to Fix It
Why deducted TDS goes missing from 26AS, how to get it corrected, and how to protect your refund.
Read guideIncome TaxNewITR Filing Last Date for AY 2026-27: The Complete Deadline Calendar
Every ITR deadline for AY 2026-27 in one calendar: 31 July salaried, 31 August business, plus belated and revised dates.
Read guideIncome TaxNewMissed the ITR Deadline? File a Belated Return
Missed 31 July? File a belated return up to 31 December 2026. The penalties, what you lose, and how to file it right.
Read guideIncome TaxNewLate ITR Filing Penalty: What Section 234F Costs You
The ₹5,000 fee is only the headline. Interest and lost loss carry-forward often cost far more. The full picture.
Read guideIncome TaxNewMade a Mistake in Your ITR? File a Revised Return
Fix a wrong figure or missed deduction. For AY 2026-27 you now have until 31 March 2027 to revise your return.
Read guideIncome TaxNewITR-U: File an Updated Return up to 48 Months Late
Missed even the belated window? ITR-U is your last legal route to come clean, up to 48 months after the assessment year.
Read guideCompany Law2026Accounting and Bookkeeping for a Small Business: What Good Looks Like
What proper bookkeeping delivers, cash vs accrual, the records the law expects, and when to move from doing it yourself to outsourcing.
Read guideCompany Law2026Government Schemes for MSMEs and Startups: The Two Gateways
Why Udyam and DPIIT recognition are the two gateways, the 80-IAC tax holiday, the seed fund, credit guarantees, and how state incentives stack.
Read guideCompany Law2026Ind AS Applicability: The ₹250 Crore Threshold and the Group Trigger
When Indian Accounting Standards become mandatory, the net worth threshold, the group-company trigger most people miss, and where banks and NBFCs stand.
Read guideCompany Law2026Business and Share Valuation: Who Signs What, and When
The trap that gets reports rejected: IBBI valuer for Companies Act, SEBI merchant banker for Rule 11UA DCF, CA for FEMA and NAV. Plus 56(2)(x) and angel tax.
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Company Law2026RERA Compliance: Registration, the 70% Escrow, and Quarterly Returns
When RERA registration is mandatory for developers and agents, the 500 sq.m / 8-apartment threshold, the 70% escrow rule, and the penalties.
Read guideCompany Law2026Digital Signature Certificate (DSC): What It Is and How to Get One
Why Class 3 is now the only class, signing vs encryption certificates, validity and the USB token, and how to obtain a DSC via video eKYC.
Read guideIncome TaxNRI · FEMARepatriating Money from India: The USD 1M NRO Limit and Form 15CA/15CB
How an NRI moves money out of India, the USD 1 million NRO limit, when a CA certificate (15CB) is needed, and why NRE funds need neither.
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Virtual CFOGuideWhat Does a Virtual CFO Actually Deliver?
Beyond the title: the concrete monthly outputs, MIS packs, cash-flow forecasts, unit economics, board decks, and how to judge if you are getting real value.
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Audit2026-27Tax Audit Under Section 44AB: Limits, Forms and Due Dates
When a tax audit is mandatory, the ₹1 crore and ₹10 crore rules, Forms 3CA/3CB/3CD (now Form 26), the dates, and the 271B penalty.
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Guide HubGSTGST Compliance: A Practical Guide (Complete Hub)
The GST journey in three stages, know when you need to register, claim your input tax credit correctly, and reply to notices before they become demands. Four guides.
Explore the hubGST2026-27GST Registration: Who Needs It and the Turnover Thresholds
₹40 lakh for goods, ₹20 lakh for services, and sometimes from your first sale. The thresholds, the catch in the goods limit, and who must register regardless of turnover.
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Guide HubCompanyCompany Compliance: The Founder's Guide (Complete Hub)
The whole lifecycle in four stages, choose your structure, survive your first year, meet your annual ROC and audit obligations, and add a CFO as you scale. Seven guides.
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Guide HubSalariedThe Salaried Taxpayer's Guide (Complete Hub)
Everything a salaried employee needs across the tax year, reading Form 16, choosing your regime, claiming HRA, filing on time, and fixing a stuck refund or notice. Nine guides, in order.
Explore the hubGuide HubAct 2025The Income Tax Act 2025, Explained (Complete Hub)
The 1961 Act is replaced from 1 April 2026. Our full hub ties together the Tax Year, renumbered sections, Section 123, Form 130 and what actually changes, one topic at a time.
Explore the hubIncome TaxSalariedForm 16 Explained: How to Read It and File From It
What Part A and Part B contain, how to reconcile with Form 26AS and AIS, filing your ITR from it, and the job-change trap. The salaried filer's Form 16 guide for AY 2026-27.
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Income TaxDeadlineITR Filing Deadline AY 2026-27: Dates, Late Fees & Consequences
31 July 2026 for most individuals. Miss it and you face a ₹5,000 fee, 234A interest, and lose the old regime and loss carry-forward. Every date and consequence.
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Virtual CFOGuideWhen Does a Startup Actually Need a Virtual CFO?
The real signs you need a virtual CFO, when you do not yet, the strategy-vs-bookkeeping label trap, how the cost compares to a full-time hire, and the mistakes to avoid.
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Company LawDirectorsDirector KYC (DIR-3): The Deadline That Deactivates Your DIN
Miss DIR-3 KYC and the MCA deactivates your DIN, freezing every company filing that needs your signature. The new 3-year rule, who must file, and the ₹5,000 cost.
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Company LawChecklistFirst-Year Compliance Checklist for a New Company
The compliance clock starts at incorporation. First auditor in 30 days, INC-20A within 180, then the annual ROC cycle. The full first-year checklist and the penalties for missing it.
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Income TaxAY 2026-27Salaried with Capital Gains? Why You File ITR-2
Sold shares, mutual funds or property? That gain usually moves you off ITR-1 onto ITR-2. The rates, grandfathering, Schedule CG, and matching your AIS.
Read guideCompany Law2026Private Limited vs LLP vs OPC: 2026 Decision Guide
Compare tax, compliance, funding and liability across all three. Which structure fits a funded startup, a low-compliance partnership, or a solo founder, and how to decide.
Read guideGSTNoticeHow to Respond to a GST Show Cause Notice
Got a DRC-01? How to read it, verify its validity, reply in DRC-06 within 30 days, the Section 73 vs 74 difference, and how early payment cuts the penalty.
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Income Tax2026-27Advance Tax for Freelancers: The 234B/234C Trap
If your tax after TDS tops ₹10,000 you owe advance tax. The four due dates, how 234B and 234C interest works, and the single-instalment relief for presumptive filers.
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Income TaxMSMESection 43B(h): The 45-Day MSME Payment Rule
Pay micro and small suppliers within 15 or 45 days or the expense is disallowed until you pay. Who it applies to, the 45-day cap trap, and how to stay compliant.
Read guideGST2026GST Input Tax Credit: Rules, Reversals & Mistakes
The Section 16 conditions, GSTR-2B matching, the 180-day rule, blocked credits under 17(5), and the common mistakes that trigger reversal demands and 18% interest.
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Income Tax2026-27Presumptive Taxation: 44AD vs 44ADA vs 44AE
44AD for businesses, 44ADA for professionals, 44AE for transporters. The limits, the rates, the five-year lock-in, and when presumptive actually costs more.
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TDS2026-27TDS on Rent: Section 194-I and 194-IB Explained
Who deducts TDS on rent, at what rate, and when. Section 194-I for businesses, 194-IB for individuals over ₹50,000/month, with Form 26QC and the traps to avoid.
Read guideTDSNew formForm 16 Becomes Form 130: What to Expect
Form 16 is now Form 130, with Form 24Q becoming 138 and Form 12BB becoming 124. What changes for salaried staff and payroll teams, and the transition timeline.
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Income TaxDeductionsSection 80C is Now Section 123: What to Know
Same ₹1.5 lakh, same PPF, ELSS and LIC, now under Section 123 and Schedule XV. What changed, the old-regime rule, and the mistakes to avoid.
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Income TaxExplainerTax Year vs Financial Year vs Assessment Year
From April 2026 one "Tax Year" replaces both FY and AY. The difference, with dates and examples, and which term applies to which filing.
Read guideIncome TaxReferenceOld vs New Section Numbers: Complete Mapping Table
80C is now 123, 44AB is 63, all TDS sections merged into 392 and 393. The full old-to-new section mapping for the Income Tax Act 2025.
Read guideIncome TaxNew ActIncome Tax Act 2025: What Actually Changes for You
The 1961 Act is replaced from 1 April 2026. What changes, what stays the same, the new Tax Year concept, and the section renumbering, in plain language.
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Income TaxAY 2026-27ITR Refund Not Received? Status, Delays & Fixes AY 2026-27
Waiting for your income tax refund for AY 2026-27? How to check status, why refunds get stuck, Section 244A interest, and how to fix failed refunds.
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Income Tax§139(4)Missed 31 July? Belated & Revised Returns 139(4)/139(5)
Missed the ITR deadline for AY 2026-27? How belated returns under 139(4), revised returns under 139(5), late fees u/s 234F and interest u/s 234A work.
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Income Tax§112ACapital Gains Tax on Shares & Mutual Funds AY 2026-27
LTCG and STCG rules for equity shares and mutual funds for AY 2026-27: rates, the ₹1.25 lakh exemption, debt fund taxation, and how gains go into ITR-
Read guideIncome Tax§10(13A)How to Claim HRA
Claim HRA exemption under Section 10(13A) correctly: the 3-part formula, rent receipts, landlord PAN above ₹1 lakh, paying rent to parents, and ITR re
Read guideIncome Tax§44ADAFreelancer Taxes: Section 44ADA Presumptive Scheme Guide
How freelancers and professionals use Section 44ADA presumptive taxation: the 50% rule, ₹75 lakh limit, advance tax in one shot, GST interplay and ITR
Read guideGSTDRC-01GST Notice Reply Guide
How to reply to GST notices: GSTR-3B vs GSTR-2B ITC mismatches, ASMT-10, DRC-01/01A, REG-17 cancellation threats, deadlines and reply formats.
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TDSForm 26QBTDS on Property Purchase
Buying property over ₹50 lakh? How 1% TDS under Section 194-IA works, filing Form 26QB, Form 16B for the seller, NRI seller rules, and penalty traps.
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Income Tax§234CAdvance Tax FY 2026-27
Advance tax instalments for FY 2026-27: 15 June, 15 Sept, 15 Dec, 15 March percentages, who must pay, interest under 234B/234C, and how to pay online.
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GSTPTRCProfessional Tax in Maharashtra
Maharashtra Professional Tax explained: employee slabs, PTEC vs PTRC, who must register, due dates, exemptions for women and seniors, and penalties.
Read guideIncome Tax§195NRI Selling Property in India
TDS rules when an NRI sells Indian property: Section 195 rates on capital gains, the buyer's TAN duty, lower deduction certificate (Form 13), and repa
Read guideCompany LawAOC-4Company Annual Filing Calendar
Private limited & LLP annual compliance calendar: AGM timing, AOC-4, MGT-7/7A, DIR-3 KYC, ADT-1, LLP Form 8 & 11 deadlines and late fees of ₹100/day.
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Income TaxITR-2ITR-2 Filing for AY 2026-27: Guide to the 15 Key Schedules
The ITR-2 form looks intimidating the first time you open it, 15+ schedules, each asking for details you didn't know you had to track. Here's what eac
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Income TaxFEMANRI Taxation & FEMA: Residential Status, Taxable Income & Co
NRI taxation explained, the 182-day residency test, what income is taxable in India, NRO vs NRE accounts, and the FEMA rules every NRI should know.
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TDS§192TDS on Salary (Section 192): How Your Employer Calculates It
How TDS on salary works under Section 192, the average-rate calculation, investment declarations, regime choice, and how to stop excess deduction.
Read guideReading a guide is step one. Filing is step two.
Book a free consultation and have a CA handle the return, the notice, or the registration end to end.
These guides are educational, not a substitute for advice on your specific situation. For official rules see the income tax portal and GST portal.