Old vs New Tax Regime Quiz
TaxAnswer 5 quick questions about your deductions, HRA, and home loan to find out whether the old or new tax regime is likely to save you more this financial year.
🇮🇳This tool is specific to India
Question 1 of 5
How much do you typically claim in tax deductions (80C, 80D, etc.) combined?
What is a Tax Regime Quiz?
The Old vs New Tax Regime Quiz is a quick, five-question assessment that gives salaried and self-employed taxpayers in India a directional answer to one of the most common questions every financial year: should I pick the old tax regime or the new one? Rather than asking you to enter exact income and deduction figures upfront, it works through your habits — how much you typically claim in deductions, whether you pay rent and claim HRA, whether you have a home loan, your income bracket, and what you personally value more, simplicity or maximising deductions.
The old regime retains higher slab rates but lets you reduce your taxable income through Chapter VI-A deductions like 80C investments, 80D health insurance premiums, HRA exemption, and home loan interest under Section 24(b). The new regime, introduced as the default option, applies lower slab rates but removes nearly all of these deductions. Which one wins depends entirely on how much you'd actually claim under the old regime — which is exactly what this quiz estimates before you commit to running the full numbers through the Old vs New Tax Regime Calculator or the Income Tax Calculator.
How to use this Tax Regime Quiz calculator
- Answer "How much do you typically claim in tax deductions (80C, 80D, etc.) combined?" based on your usual yearly investments and premiums, not an exact figure.
- Answer "Do you pay house rent and claim HRA exemption?" honestly about the proportion of your salary that goes toward rent.
- Answer "Do you have a home loan with interest deduction under Section 24(b)?" based on your current loan, if any.
- Select your approximate annual income bracket from the four options provided.
- Choose what matters more to you between simpler filing and maximising deductions — this captures preference, not just arithmetic.
- Review your result and tap through to the linked calculator to confirm the exact numbers before filing your return.
Formula & Methodology
Each of the five questions assigns a point value from 1 (favouring the new regime) to 4 (favouring the old regime) based on the option selected. Your total score is the sum across all five questions: Score = Deductions + HRA + Home Loan + Income + Priority The minimum possible score is 5 (all lowest-deduction answers) and the maximum is 20 (all highest-deduction answers). The score maps to a result as follows: | Score range | Result | |---|---| | 5–9 | New Tax Regime — likely better | | 10–15 | It's close — run the exact numbers | | 16–20 | Old Tax Regime — likely better | Worked example: Suppose you claim ₹1–2.5 lakh in deductions (3), pay a moderate amount of rent (3), have a moderate home loan with ₹50,000–2,00,000 annual interest (3), earn ₹15–25 lakh (3), and prioritise maximising deductions (4). Your total score is 3 + 3 + 3 + 3 + 4 = 16, placing you just inside the Old Tax Regime — likely better range. This is a directional heuristic, not a tax computation — the exact crossover point between regimes depends on your precise income and deduction amounts, which is why every result links to the Old vs New Tax Regime Calculator for a definitive, ₹-accurate comparison.
Frequently Asked Questions
It's a 5-question assessment that gives you a directional answer on whether the old or new income tax regime is likely to save you more tax this financial year. It looks at your deductions, HRA, home loan interest, income bracket, and filing preference, then points you to the right calculator to confirm the exact numbers.
The old regime has higher slab rates but lets you claim deductions like 80C investments, HRA, and home loan interest to reduce your taxable income. The new regime has lower slab rates but removes most deductions, so it usually wins for taxpayers who claim little or nothing under Chapter VI-A.
Each answer carries a point value from 1 (favouring the new regime) to 4 (favouring the old regime), and your total score across all five questions places you into 'New regime likely better,' 'It's close,' or 'Old regime likely better.' This mirrors the real-world pattern where higher combined 80C, HRA, and home loan deductions tip the math toward the old regime.
No, the quiz gives you a quick directional read so you know which calculator result to expect, but it doesn't compute your exact tax liability. Use the [Old vs New Tax Regime Calculator](/old-vs-new-tax-regime-india/) with your real income and deduction figures before filing.
Salaried individuals without business income can choose between the two regimes every financial year when filing their return. Individuals with business or professional income face restrictions on switching back to the old regime once they've opted for the new one, so check the latest rules before deciding.
HRA exemption is only available under the old regime, so anyone paying significant rent and claiming a large exemption usually finds the old regime more favourable. Use the [HRA Exemption Calculator](/hra-calculator-india/) to see your exact exemption amount before comparing regimes.
Yes — at lower income levels the new regime's basic exemption and rebate often make it the better choice even with some deductions, while at higher incomes, substantial deductions under the old regime can outweigh the new regime's lower rates. This is why the quiz asks about your income bracket alongside your deduction habits.
This means your combination of deductions and income puts you in a zone where either regime could come out ahead depending on the exact figures, not just the ballpark answers in the quiz. Run your precise numbers through the [Old vs New Tax Regime Calculator](/old-vs-new-tax-regime-india/) to get a definitive answer.
Yes, click 'Retake quiz' on the result screen to reset all five questions and try different deduction or income scenarios. This is useful if you're deciding whether increasing your 80C investments would be enough to tip the result toward the old regime.
Yes, the quiz runs entirely in your browser and your answers are never sent to or stored on thecalcu.com servers. Your answers are only saved in the page's URL so you can share or bookmark your specific result.
If the new regime saves you more tax overall, you can still invest in 80C instruments like PPF or ELSS for their own financial benefits — those investments aren't wasted, you simply won't get a tax deduction for them under the new regime. Use the [80C Deduction Calculator](/80c-deduction-calculator-india/) to see how much you'd be eligible to claim if you did opt for the old regime.
The new regime allows a standard deduction for salaried employees and the employer's contribution to NPS under Section 80CCD(2), but it removes most other deductions including 80C, 80D, and HRA exemption. Use the [Income Tax Calculator](/income-tax-calculator-india/) to see your exact tax liability under either regime including these specific allowances.
Also known as