New HRA Rules 2026: If you live in a rented house, then the ways of saving tax are changing for you from April 1, 2026. Under the new rule, it has now been made mandatory to provide PAN card of the landlord, so that tax evasion can be prevented. However, the good news for those living in cities like Bengaluru and Pune is that now they will get higher HRA exemption like Delhi-Mumbai.
HRA New Rules 2026: If you live in a rented house and save your tax by claiming HRA (House Rent Allowance) from the office, then this news is very important for you. From tomorrow 1st April, the game of your ‘rent receipt’ is going to change. As soon as the new tax rules (Income Tax Act 2025) come into force, merely showing the receipt will no longer suffice. The government has tightened the noose for tenants. Let us know those 3 changes which will affect your pocket from tomorrow…
Landlord’s PAN card now mandatory
Till now many people used to submit receipts without the PAN of the landlord, but now this will not happen. According to the new rule, if you want to claim HRA, you will have to provide your landlord’s PAN card to the office. The government wants to see whether the landlord is paying tax on the rent you are paying or not. Along with this, you will also have to keep the correct proof of rent payment (like bank transaction details) safe.
The list of metro cities has become longer, now you will get more discounts
There is also a good news for the tenants. The list of metro cities to get more discount on HRA has now become bigger. Earlier only Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai were in this list. Now Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Pune and Ahmedabad have also been included in it. If you live in these new cities, you can now get HRA exemption up to 50% of your basic salary, which was earlier 40%. This will increase your tax savings.
Cleanliness is necessary in the rent agreement
The rules are becoming more strict from April 1. Now while making HRA claim in the office, it will be mandatory for you to give complete details of the landlord, his address and the exact amount of rent. If you provide wrong information or do not provide the PAN of the landlord, the company can reject your HRA and deduct huge TDS (Tax) from your salary.
What to do today?
Since today 31st March is the last day of the financial year, complete the work related to it immediately. Call your landlord and ask for their PAN number. File all this year’s rent receipts and agreements. Remember that there have been some changes in the deadline for filing ITR, so start handling the papers from now on.
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