FY 2026-27 · India

20 LPA in-hand salary: about INR 1,29,330 a month.

On a CTC of INR 20,00,000 a year you take home about INR 1,29,330 a month under the new tax regime and INR 1,15,556 under the old regime.

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What changes at 20 LPA

Your city decides whether a rent allowance can carry the old regime.

At 20 LPA the old regime needs about INR 5,30,000 of deductions beyond your PF and professional tax to leave as much as the new regime. If you rent, the house rent allowance (HRA) exemption can supply most of that, and only the old regime allows it.

Rule 279 of the Income-tax Rules, 2026 exempts the least of three amounts: the HRA itself, your rent above 10% of your basic pay, and 50% of your basic in Mumbai, Kolkata, Delhi, Chennai, Hyderabad, Pune, Ahmedabad and Bengaluru, or 40% anywhere else. Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Pune and Ahmedabad joined the four older cities from tax year 2026-27.

Suppose your HRA is half your basic, INR 5,00,000 a year. In one of the eight cities, a rent of INR 50,000 a month exempts the full INR 5,00,000, and with the INR 30,000 of section 123 room your PF leaves, the old regime comes out INR 62 a year ahead.

Anywhere else the exemption stops at INR 4,00,000, reached at a rent of INR 41,667 a month, however much more you pay. With the same section 123 room, the new regime still leaves INR 31,138 a year more, so outside the eight cities the old regime needs a home loan or other deductions on top of rent to catch up.

The breakdown

From a 20 LPA CTC to your bank account.

Basic pay at 50% of CTC, PF at 12% of full basic for you and your employer, gratuity at 4.81% of basic inside the CTC, the Maharashtra rate of professional tax for men, no variable pay and no old regime deductions beyond PF and professional tax.

Each month

20 LPA salary breakdown under both regimes, monthly
Line	New regime	Old regime
Gross salary	INR 1,52,658	INR 1,52,658
Employee PF	-INR 10,000	-INR 10,000
Professional tax	-INR 208	-INR 208
Income tax and cess	-INR 13,120	-INR 26,894
In-hand	INR 1,29,330	INR 1,15,556

For the year

20 LPA salary breakdown under both regimes, yearly
Line	New regime	Old regime
CTC	INR 20,00,000	INR 20,00,000
Employer PF	-INR 1,20,000	-INR 1,20,000
Gratuity provision	-INR 48,100	-INR 48,100
Gross salary	INR 18,31,900	INR 18,31,900
Employee PF	-INR 1,20,000	-INR 1,20,000
Professional tax	-INR 2,500	-INR 2,500
Income tax and cess	-INR 1,57,435	-INR 3,22,733
In-hand for the year	INR 15,51,965	INR 13,86,667

Questions

20 LPA in-hand salary, answered.

Does HRA make the old regime better at 20 LPA?

Barely, and only in Mumbai, Kolkata, Delhi, Chennai, Hyderabad, Pune, Ahmedabad and Bengaluru. With HRA at half your basic, the full exemption and a full section 123, the old regime comes out INR 62 a year ahead. Elsewhere, the new regime still leaves INR 31,138 a year more.

How much rent do I need to pay for the full HRA exemption at 20 LPA?

With HRA at half your basic, INR 50,000 a month in the eight cities and INR 41,667 anywhere else. Only rent above INR 1,00,000 a year, a tenth of your basic, counts.

Which tax slab is a 20 LPA salary in?

Under the new regime, the 20% slab: taxable income is INR 17,56,900, and INR 1,29,330 a month reaches you. The old regime already taxes the top of its INR 16,59,400 at 30%, and leaves INR 1,15,556 with no deductions beyond PF and professional tax.

Other levels and sources

Compare another CTC.

Figures are estimates from the FY 2026-27 rules, checked on 22 October 2026. Your employer's payroll and salary structure can change them, and this is not tax advice.

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