Tax-saving — legally minimise your tax outgo

1. ELSS (Equity Linked Savings Scheme) — 3-year lock-in, average 12-14% CAGR over 10y, taxed only above ₹1.25L LTCG @ 12.5%. 2. EPF — 12% of Basic auto-deducted, 8.1% tax-free interest, ideal for salaried. 3. PPF — 15-year lock-in, 7.1% tax-free interest, EEE, ₹1.5L cap per PAN including minors. 4. Life insurance premium — up to 10% of sum assured. 5. Home loan principal repayment — automatic 80C use if you have a home loan.

Others: Sukanya Samriddhi (for a girl child, 8.2%), NSC (5-year, 7.7%), tuition fees (up to 2 kids), tax-saver FD (5-year, 6.5-7%). Stack pragmatically — EPF alone often exhausts ₹1.5L for mid-senior salaried; new SIPs should therefore route via 80CCD(1B) NPS additional ₹50k for extra room.

80D allows ₹25,000 for self + spouse + dependent children health insurance premium (₹50,000 if any covered person is 60+). Add another ₹25,000/₹50,000 for parents' health insurance. Preventive health check-up up to ₹5,000 is included. 80E allows unlimited deduction of interest on education loan for higher studies for 8 years — no cap.

HRA exemption is the least of: HRA received, 50%/40% of Basic (metro/non-metro), or rent paid minus 10% of Basic. Landlord PAN mandatory if annual rent > ₹1 lakh. 24(b) allows ₹2 lakh interest on self-occupied home loan and unlimited for let-out (with restrictions on set-off against other income). These four alone often add up to ₹4-5 lakh of deductions — enough to flip old regime into a clear winner.