Advance Tax Calculator for India: Installments and Due Dates
Work out how much advance tax you owe and exactly when to pay it. Enter your estimated income and TDS, and this tool computes your tax under the new regime, then splits it into the four due-date installments, with presumptive and senior citizen rules built in.
Advance Tax Liability and Installment Schedule Estimator
Your tax, netted against TDS, split into the Section 211 due datesWhat Advance Tax Is and Why It Matters
Advance tax is the income tax you pay as you earn through the year, rather than in one lump sum after the year ends. The principle is simple: the government wants its tax in step with your income, so if your total tax for the year is likely to be significant, you must estimate it in advance and pay it in installments across four due dates.
Miss those dates or underpay, and you face interest charges that quietly add to your bill. For salaried people whose employer deducts TDS, advance tax often takes care of itself, but the moment you have meaningful income outside salary, freelance earnings, capital gains, rent, interest, or business profit, advance tax becomes your responsibility.
This calculator does the whole job. You enter your estimated income for the year, your income type, and any TDS already being deducted, and it computes your actual tax under the current new regime, complete with the rebate, cess and surcharge, then nets off your TDS, checks
whether you cross the threshold that makes advance tax compulsory, and lays out exactly how much to pay by each of the four due dates. It also handles the special cases: the single-installment rule for presumptive taxpayers and the full exemption for senior citizens without business income.
The trigger is ten thousand rupees. You must pay advance tax only if your estimated tax for the year, after subtracting the TDS and TCS that will be deducted, comes to ten thousand rupees or more. Below that, you simply settle any balance as self-assessment tax when you file, with no advance tax obligation and no interest. This calculator applies that test automatically, so it tells you clearly whether you need to pay advance tax at all before showing you the schedule.
The Four Due Dates and How Much to Pay
For most taxpayers, advance tax is paid in four installments through the financial year, and the amounts are set as cumulative percentages of your total estimated tax. Understanding this cumulative structure is the key to paying the right amount at each stage.
The Installment Schedule
The schedule under Section 211 requires you to have paid at least fifteen percent of your tax by the fifteenth of June, forty five percent by the fifteenth of September, seventy five percent by the fifteenth of December, and the full hundred percent by the fifteenth of March. These are cumulative, so by September you should have paid forty five percent in total, not an extra forty five percent.
In practice this means paying fifteen percent in the first installment, then thirty percent, then thirty percent, then the final twenty five percent. If a due date falls on a Sunday or public holiday, the payment is due on the next working day.
The June and September Tolerance
There is a useful concession built into the rules for the first two installments. No interest under Section 234C is charged if you have paid at least twelve percent of your tax by the fifteenth of June, and at least thirty six percent by the fifteenth of September, even though the prescribed cumulative figures are fifteen and forty five percent.
This small tolerance recognises that estimating income early in the year is hard. For the December and March installments, however, there is no tolerance: you must reach seventy five percent and one hundred percent exactly, or interest applies on the shortfall.
How Your Advance Tax Is Calculated
The amount you pay is built up in clear steps, starting from your estimated income and ending with the net figure to be split across the installments. This calculator performs each step for you, but knowing them helps you check the result.
From Income to Tax
First, your estimated total income for the year is reduced by the standard deduction if you earn salary or pension, seventy five thousand rupees under the new regime. The slab rates are then applied to the resulting taxable income. Under the new regime for the current year, income up to four lakh is nil, the next four lakh is taxed
at five percent, and the rate steps up through ten, fifteen, twenty and twenty five percent to thirty percent on income above twenty four lakh. The Section 87A rebate can bring the tax to zero for taxable incomes up to twelve lakh. A four percent health and education cess is added, along with a surcharge if your income is high.
Netting Off TDS
Once your total tax is known, you subtract the TDS and TCS that has been or will be deducted during the year, because that tax is already being collected on your behalf. The figure that remains is your advance tax liability. Crucially, the ten thousand rupee threshold is tested on this net
amount, not on your gross tax, so if enough tax is already being deducted at source, you may fall below the threshold and owe no advance tax at all. This is why salaried people with tax fully covered by TDS often have nothing to pay, while those with large non-salary income do.
The Special Cases: Presumptive and Senior Citizens
Two groups of taxpayers follow different rules, and getting them right avoids either overpaying, in effort, or facing unexpected interest. This calculator handles both automatically when you tick the relevant box.
Presumptive Taxpayers Pay Once
If you have opted for the presumptive taxation scheme under Section 44AD, for small businesses, or Section 44ADA, for professionals such as freelancers, doctors and consultants, you enjoy a big simplification. Instead of four installments, you pay your entire advance tax in a single installment by the fifteenth of March.
There is no requirement to estimate or pay anything at the June, September or December dates, and no Section 234C interest applies for those quarters. This is a real convenience for small businesses and independent professionals, letting them settle their advance tax once a year rather than tracking four deadlines.
Senior Citizens May Be Exempt
A resident senior citizen, aged sixty or above, who has no income from business or profession is completely exempt from advance tax under the proviso to Section 207. Such a person can pay any tax due as self-assessment tax when filing the return, with no interest under Sections 234B or 234C.
This exemption recognises that retired seniors living on pension, interest and similar income should not have to navigate quarterly advance tax. Note the condition carefully: if a senior citizen has any business or professional income, the normal advance tax rules apply to them like anyone else, so the exemption is lost.
Tick the boxes that apply to you. If you select senior citizen without business income, the calculator marks you exempt. If you select presumptive taxation, it collapses the schedule to a single March installment. These options materially change what you owe and when, so setting them correctly is essential to getting an accurate schedule rather than a generic four-installment plan that may not apply to you.
Advance Tax Reference for India in 2026
These figures apply to the financial year 2025-26, assessment year 2026-27, under the new tax regime. Budget 2026 made no change to the slabs or the advance tax rules, so the same applies for the following year with the dates shifted forward.
Due Dates and Cumulative Targets
| Due Date | Cumulative Target | Interest-Free If |
|---|---|---|
| 15 June | 15% | At least 12% paid |
| 15 September | 45% | At least 36% paid |
| 15 December | 75% | 75% exactly |
| 15 March | 100% | 100% exactly |
| Presumptive 44AD/44ADA | 100% by 15 March | Single installment |
New Regime Slabs FY 2025-26
| Taxable Income | Rate |
|---|---|
| Up to ₹4 lakh | Nil |
| ₹4 lakh to ₹8 lakh | 5% |
| ₹8 lakh to ₹12 lakh | 10% |
| ₹12 lakh to ₹16 lakh | 15% |
| ₹16 lakh to ₹20 lakh | 20% |
| ₹20 lakh to ₹24 lakh | 25% |
| Above ₹24 lakh | 30% |
Key rules at a glance: advance tax applies when net tax after TDS is ten thousand rupees or more. The standard deduction under the new regime is seventy five thousand for salary and pension. The Section 87A rebate makes tax nil up to a taxable income of twelve lakh. A four percent cess applies on top, and a surcharge applies above fifty lakh. Interest for late or short payment is charged under Sections 234B and 234C at one percent per month, which our dedicated interest calculator can work out for you.
Advance Tax Versus Self-Assessment and TDS
People often confuse the three ways income tax reaches the government, and understanding how advance tax differs from TDS and self-assessment tax clears up much of the confusion about who owes what and when.
How the Three Differ
TDS, tax deducted at source, is collected by whoever pays you, your employer on salary, a bank on large interest, a tenant on high rent, and remitted to the government before the money reaches you. Advance tax is tax you calculate and pay yourself, in installments during the year, on income where enough is not being deducted at source. Self-assessment tax is the final balancing payment you make when filing your return, if anything is still owed after TDS and advance tax. All three reduce your final liability; they differ only in who pays and when. Advance tax fills the gap between what TDS collects and what you actually owe, spread across the year.
Why the Distinction Matters
The practical consequence is that relying on TDS alone is risky if you have substantial non-salary income, because TDS may not cover your full liability, leaving a gap that advance tax is meant to fill. If you ignore that gap and wait to pay everything as self-assessment tax at filing, you face interest under Sections 234B and 234C for not having paid advance tax during the year. The system is designed so that tax flows in as income is earned, and the interest charges exist precisely to discourage deferring everything to the end. Knowing which of your income streams are covered by TDS and which are not is the first step to getting advance tax right.
A simple mental model: add up all your expected income, work out the total tax, subtract what TDS will collect, and if the remainder crosses ten thousand rupees, that remainder is your advance tax, to be paid in installments. Anything still left at filing is self-assessment tax. This calculator handles the first two steps for you and shows the installments, so you can see clearly how much of your tax is your own responsibility to pay in advance versus what TDS already covers.
Common Advance Tax Mistakes to Avoid
Because advance tax rests on estimation and self-discipline, the same errors recur every year, and each one usually ends in avoidable interest. Knowing them helps you stay on the right side of the deadlines.
Ignoring Side Income Until Filing
The most frequent and costly mistake is treating salary TDS as the end of your tax obligation while quietly accumulating untaxed side income, freelance fees, capital gains, interest, or rent, through the year. When filing time comes, the tax on that income is due all at once, plus interest under Sections 234B and 234C for not having paid it in advance. The fix is to review all your income sources at the start of the year and at each due date, not just your salary, and to pay advance tax on anything TDS does not cover. A few minutes of checking each quarter prevents a nasty year-end surprise.
Forgetting to Revise After a Windfall
Advance tax is an estimate, and life changes it. A mid-year bonus, a big capital gain, a new client, or a rent increase all raise your liability, yet many taxpayers set their installments early and never revisit them. If your income jumps, your remaining installments must rise to keep your cumulative payments on target, or you fall short and incur interest. Whenever something material changes your income, recompute your advance tax with the new figure and adjust your next payment. The cumulative installment structure is built to absorb these revisions, but only if you actually make them.
Missing the December and March Precision
The forgiving twelve and thirty six percent tolerance for June and September lulls some taxpayers into thinking the later installments are equally flexible. They are not. By December you must have paid seventy five percent exactly, and by March the full hundred percent, with no tolerance, or interest applies on the shortfall. Treating the December and March deadlines with the same looseness as the early ones is a common way to incur interest on what feels like a small miss. Mark those two dates firmly and ensure your cumulative payments hit the exact targets, because there is no cushion at the back end of the year.
The safeguard: at the start of the year estimate your full income and set a rough installment plan, then before each of the four due dates recompute with your latest actual figures using this calculator, and pay to hit the cumulative target. This simple quarterly discipline, reviewing income and recomputing four times a year, is all it takes to pay the right advance tax on time and avoid every rupee of Section 234B and 234C interest.
Worked Examples from Hyderabad, Surat and Nagpur
These three cases show a salaried taxpayer with side income, a freelancer under the presumptive scheme, and an exempt senior citizen.
Deepak earns twenty lakh, mostly salary but with rental income his employer does not tax. His employer deducts one and a half lakh of TDS on the salary, but the rent leaves a net tax well above the ten thousand threshold, so he must pay advance tax on the balance.
The calculator computes his tax under the new regime, subtracts the TDS, and splits the remaining net advance tax across the four due dates, fifteen percent by June, forty five by September, seventy five by December, and the rest by March, so he pays on time and avoids interest.
Anjali is a freelance designer who has opted for presumptive taxation under Section 44ADA. Although her tax is well above the threshold, she does not have to track four deadlines. Under the presumptive scheme she pays her entire advance tax in a single installment by the fifteenth
of March, with no June, September or December payments required and no interest for those missed quarters. The calculator, once she ticks the presumptive box, shows just the one payment and its due date, matching the simplified rule that makes the scheme so convenient for independent professionals.
Ramesh, sixty seven, is retired and lives on his pension and some fixed deposit interest, with no business or professional income. As a resident senior citizen without business income, he is fully exempt from advance tax under Section 207. Even though his total income means he owes some tax,
he does not have to pay it in advance installments; he can simply pay it as self-assessment tax when he files his return, with no interest under Sections 234B or 234C. When he ticks the senior citizen box and leaves business income unchecked, the calculator confirms his exemption at once.
Six Expert Tips for Managing Advance Tax
Estimate Your Income Honestly Early
The whole system rests on estimating your annual income before the year is over, which is hard but important. Underestimate and you underpay, triggering interest; overestimate and you tie up cash unnecessarily. Make your best honest projection at the start of the year, including expected freelance income, capital gains,
rent and interest, and revise it at each due date as your actual earnings become clearer. It is far better to pay a little extra early and adjust down than to face a large shortfall and interest at year end, so err slightly toward caution in your first estimate.
Do Not Forget Non-Salary Income
The most common reason salaried people unexpectedly owe advance tax is income their employer does not tax through TDS: rent from a property, interest on fixed deposits above the TDS threshold, capital gains on shares or property, dividends, or freelance work on the side. Your salary TDS covers only your salary.
Add up all your other income, work out the tax on it, and if the total net tax crosses ten thousand rupees, you must pay advance tax. Checking this early, rather than discovering it at filing time with interest attached, is one of the most valuable habits a taxpayer can build.
Use the June and September Tolerance
Because income is genuinely hard to predict early in the year, the rules forgive a small shortfall in the first two installments: paying at least twelve percent by June and thirty six percent by September avoids interest even though the targets are fifteen and forty five percent. Use
this breathing room sensibly, but do not rely on it for the later installments, where seventy five and one hundred percent must be met exactly. Treat the tolerance as a cushion for early-year uncertainty, not as a licence to routinely underpay, since the December and March deadlines are strict.
Account for Capital Gains When They Occur
Capital gains are unpredictable, so the law does not expect you to have estimated them in advance. If you make a capital gain, you are required to pay the advance tax on it in the installment falling due after the gain arose, and no interest applies for not having anticipated it earlier.
So if you sell shares or property in December, include that gain in your December or March installment. Track the timing of your gains through the year and slot the tax into the correct installment, rather than either paying too early or missing it and facing avoidable interest.
Pay Online and Keep the Challan
Advance tax is paid through the income tax e-filing portal or authorised bank channels using a challan, and the payment reflects against your PAN in Form 26AS and the annual information statement. Always pay online for a clean record, note the challan identification number, and
keep the receipt, because you will need these details when filing your return to claim credit for the advance tax paid. Reconcile your payments against Form 26AS before filing, so any mismatch is caught and corrected early rather than delaying your refund or triggering a notice.
Know Your Interest Exposure If You Miss
If you underpay or miss an installment, interest is charged under Section 234C on the shortfall in each installment, and under Section 234B if your total advance tax paid by the year end is less than ninety percent of your assessed tax. Both run at one percent per month. Knowing this
exposure helps you decide whether a small top-up now is worth avoiding months of interest later. If you have already missed a payment, work out exactly what interest you owe using our dedicated 234A, 234B and 234C interest calculator, so you can pay the correct amount and stop the interest clock.
Advance Tax Quick Reference for 2026
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| When advance tax applies | Net tax after TDS is 10,000 or more |
| Governing section for liability | Section 208 |
| Installment schedule | Section 211 |
| 1st installment | 15% by 15 June |
| 2nd installment | 45% cumulative by 15 September |
| 3rd installment | 75% cumulative by 15 December |
| 4th installment | 100% by 15 March |
| June tolerance | No interest if 12% paid |
| September tolerance | No interest if 36% paid |
| Presumptive 44AD/44ADA | 100% in one installment by 15 March |
| Senior citizen exemption | 60+, resident, no business income |
| New regime standard deduction | ₹75,000 (salary/pension) |
| Section 87A rebate | Nil tax up to ₹12 lakh taxable |
| Cess | 4% on tax |
| Late payment interest | 1% per month, 234B and 234C |
| Payment portal | incometax.gov.in |
Frequently Asked Questions on Advance Tax
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Is the June or September tolerance real?
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Does advance tax differ under the old and new regimes?
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Do I pay advance tax on capital gains?
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Disclaimer and Editorial Transparency
This advance tax calculator provides estimates for educational and planning purposes only. It computes tax under the new regime for the financial year 2025-26, applying the current slab rates, the Section 87A rebate, a four percent cess and a simplified surcharge, then nets off the TDS and TCS you enter, tests
the ten thousand rupee threshold under Section 208, and produces the installment schedule under Section 211, including the single-installment presumptive case under Sections 44AD and 44ADA and the senior citizen exemption under Section 207. All results depend on the figures you enter and are estimates, not a tax computation or advice.
Advance tax depends on an estimate of your full-year income, which changes as the year progresses, and this tool uses a simplified computation that cannot capture every deduction, the old regime, complex surcharge and marginal relief situations, or the precise timing of capital gains. Nothing here is tax advice.
Revise your estimate at each due date, confirm your exact liability and regime choice, pay through the official portal, keep your challans, and consult a qualified chartered accountant or tax adviser for your specific circumstances, especially if your income is complex or large.
For authoritative information on advance tax and to make payments, refer to the Income Tax Department at incometax.gov.in and the Central Board of Direct Taxes at cbdt.gov.in. CalcWise.Finance performs all calculations locally in your browser and does not store your personal or financial data.