Surcharge Calculator

Calculate income tax surcharge for incomes above Rs 50 lakh. Includes marginal relief calculation to prevent tax exceeding income increase at slab boundaries. Old and new regime.

Surcharge Calculator

Applies on income above Rs 50 lakh

Annual income Rs 60L
Rs
Tax regime
Total tax (incl. surcharge)
---
Surcharge rate
Surcharge amount
---
Effective tax rate
---
Base income tax---
Health & Education cess (4%)---
Base tax Surcharge Cess

New regime max surcharge: 25%. Old regime: up to 37% for income above Rs 5Cr. 4% cess on tax+surcharge.

Tax components — base tax, surcharge and cess
💡
ThriftRupee Insight

Marginal relief prevents a perverse outcome where earning Rs 1 lakh more pushes you into a surcharge bracket and you pay Rs 2 lakh more in tax. At the Rs 50L boundary, if your income is Rs 51L, your tax increase is capped so net income doesn't fall below what it would be at exactly Rs 50L.

What is Income Tax Surcharge?

Surcharge is an additional levy on income tax — it is tax on tax, not tax on income. It applies only when your total income crosses certain thresholds. The surcharge amount is calculated on the base income tax (before cess), and then 4% Health and Education Cess is applied on the combined total of base tax plus surcharge.

Surcharge rates for FY 2025-26

Under the old tax regime: 10% surcharge for income between Rs 50 lakh and Rs 1 crore; 15% for Rs 1–2 crore; 25% for Rs 2–5 crore; 37% for income above Rs 5 crore. Under the new tax regime (from FY 2023-24): the maximum surcharge is capped at 25% — the 37% slab has been eliminated. This makes the new regime significantly more attractive for incomes above Rs 5 crore.

Marginal relief — preventing a tax cliff edge

Without marginal relief, earning even Re 1 above Rs 50 lakh would trigger a 10% surcharge on the entire base tax — potentially making you worse off than before the threshold. Marginal relief prevents this by capping the additional tax (due to surcharge) at the amount of additional income over the threshold. In practice, this means the effective tax rate increases smoothly across surcharge boundaries rather than jumping sharply.

Effective tax rate at high incomes

At Rs 1 crore income (old regime), base tax is approximately Rs 29.25 lakh, surcharge is Rs 4.39 lakh (15%), cess is Rs 1.34 lakh — total Rs 34.97 lakh, an effective rate of about 35%. At Rs 5 crore (old regime with 37% surcharge), effective rate reaches approximately 42.7%. Under the new regime, the same Rs 5 crore income faces a maximum surcharge of 25%, bringing effective rate down to around 39%.

Frequently asked questions

What is income tax surcharge?
Surcharge is an additional tax on income tax (not on income). Rates: 10% for income Rs 50L–1Cr, 15% for Rs 1–2Cr, 25% for Rs 2–5Cr, 37% for above Rs 5Cr (old regime). New regime caps surcharge at 25% — the 37% slab was removed. Health & Education cess of 4% applies on tax + surcharge.
What is marginal relief in surcharge?
If income exceeds a surcharge threshold by a small amount, marginal relief ensures the additional tax (due to surcharge) does not exceed the additional income. Example: At Rs 50L, tax = Rs 13.13L. At Rs 50.1L, surcharge kicks in but marginal relief caps the tax so you keep Rs 0 to Rs 10K more in hand than at exactly Rs 50L.
Is surcharge different in old and new regime?
Yes. Old regime: 10% for Rs 50L–1Cr, 15% for Rs 1–2Cr, 25% for Rs 2–5Cr, 37% for above Rs 5Cr. New regime (from FY 2023-24): maximum surcharge reduced to 25% — the 37% rate is eliminated. This makes the new regime more attractive for ultra-high incomes (Rs 5Cr+).