Stop 7 of 7
Senior citizens
What changes once you reach a certain age, and where you can see it in the slabs and limits.
The old regime gives older taxpayers a bigger tax-free amount, and bigger limits on a couple of deductions. The law looks at your age "at any time during the tax year". So what counts is your age on the last day of the tax year (31 March 2027): if you reach the age at any point during the year, you are in that age group for the whole year.
- Senior citizen: 60* years or more (Finance Act 2026, First Schedule (old law: Finance Act, First Schedule)).
- Super senior citizen: 80* years or more (Finance Act 2026, First Schedule (old law: Finance Act, First Schedule)).
- Everyone younger is taxed at the ordinary, "below senior" rates.
These age groups only change your tax under the old regime. The new regime's slabs are the same at every age.
Slabs for senior citizens (60* to 79*)
Finance Act 2026, First Schedule (old law: Finance Act, First Schedule):
| Total income* | Tax rate* |
|---|---|
| Up to ₹3,00,000 | No tax |
| More than ₹3,00,000, up to ₹5,00,000 | 5% |
| More than ₹5,00,000, up to ₹10,00,000 | 20% |
| More than ₹10,00,000 | 30% |
Slabs for super senior citizens (80* and above)
Finance Act 2026, First Schedule (old law: Finance Act, First Schedule):
| Total income* | Tax rate* |
|---|---|
| Up to ₹5,00,000 | No tax |
| More than ₹5,00,000, up to ₹10,00,000 | 20% |
| More than ₹10,00,000 | 30% |
Bigger deduction limits
If you (or, for the family health cover, your spouse) are a senior citizen, the limit for health insurance premiums for yourself rises to ₹50,000* a year — section 126(8)(a) (old law: 80D(4)). The same higher limit applies to your parents' premiums if they are senior citizens — see the deductions page.
If you are a senior citizen, interest from bank, co-operative bank or post office deposits — savings accounts, fixed deposits and recurring deposits together — is deductible up to ₹50,000* a year (section 153(2)(b) (old law: 80TTB)). This is a single, larger limit instead of the smaller savings-account-only limit that applies below senior age.
Worked example
Lakshmi is 65 and retired. She uses the old regime. Her pension is ₹8,00,000 a year, and she earns ₹60,000 in interest from fixed deposits. She pays ₹40,000 a year in health insurance premiums for herself.
Because she is a senior citizen, her deposit interest deduction is capped at ₹50,000*, so ₹50,000 of her ₹60,000 counts, and her health insurance premium is within the senior limit too. Her total income for the year is ₹7,20,000, taxed on the senior citizen slabs above, giving a final tax of ₹56,160*.
Try your own numbers on the calculator — it asks for your age and applies the right slabs and limits automatically.
This page covers tax year 2026-27 (1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027). For the official rules, see incometax.gov.in.