Section 80C allows ₹1.5 lakh a year in all under the old regime. Much of it is often used already — your EPF, a home-loan's principal, children's tuition, and insurance premiums. This optimiser shows the room left and suggests how to fill it.
Results
The deduction exists only under the old regime; compare the regimes before locking money in for it. Lock-ins: ELSS 3 years, tax-saver FD and NSC 5, PPF 15, Sukanya till the girl is 21, NPS till 60.
Suggested fill of the room
| Instrument | Amount |
|---|---|
| ELSS mutual fund | ₹94,800 |
The 80C menu
| Instrument | Lock-in | Return |
|---|---|---|
| ELSS mutual fund | 3 years | Market-linked, 3-year lock-in |
| PPF | 15 years | 7.1% tax-free; partial withdrawal after 7 |
| NSC | 5 years | 7.7% taxable |
| 5-year tax-saver FD | 5 years | Bank rate, taxable |
| Sukanya Samriddhi (girl child) | 21 years | 8.2% tax-free, till 21 |
| NPS Tier I (80CCE part) | Till 60 | Market-linked |
Small-savings rates are the government's for the quarter (PPF 7.1%, NSC 7.7%, SSY 8.2% — checked 28 Oct 2026); ELSS and NPS returns are market-linked.
Assumptions & formula
Room = ₹1,50,000 − (EPF + home-loan principal + tuition + insurance + other 80C) · Tax saved = deduction × marginal rate × 1.04- Old regime; the whole deduction falls in the marginal slab chosen (true when taxable income stays in that slab after the deduction).
Calculators are for information and planning. Outputs depend on the inputs and assumptions you enter and are not a recommendation to buy, sell or hold any security or product. Streetgains Technologies Private Limited is a SEBI Registered Research Analyst (INH000017082); it is not a loan provider, tax adviser or mutual fund distributor.