Summary: The Income-tax Act, 2025, effective from 1 April 2026, replaces the Income-tax Act, 1961, introducing a substantially simplified legislative structure. The number of sections has been reduced from 819 to 536, while chapters have been consolidated from 47 to 23. Although the tax rates and slabs remain unchanged, numerous commonly used provisions have been renumbered, requiring taxpayers, chartered accountants and tax professionals to update their references. The new legislation also introduces the concept of a single “Tax Year” in place of the earlier distinction between previous year and assessment year. The transition requires particular attention because returns for FY 2025-26 (AY 2026-27) and proceedings relating to earlier years continue under the Income-tax Act, 1961, whereas income arising during Tax Year 2026-27 onwards falls under the new legislation. Important changes include Section 80C becoming Section 123, Section 80D becoming Section 126, Section 87A becoming Section 156, Section 115BAC becoming Section 202, Section 44AB becoming Section 63 and Section 139 becoming Section 263. Similarly, the presumptive taxation provisions under Sections 44AD, 44ADA and 44AE are consolidated under Section 58. One of the most significant structural changes concerns TDS and TCS provisions. Salary TDS under Section 192 is now covered by Section 392, while several other TDS provisions, including Sections 194C, 194I and 194J, are consolidated into the table-based Section 393. TCS under Section 206C moves to Section 394. The article also provides comparative tables covering salary exemptions, house property, business deductions, capital gains, unexplained income, set-off and carry-forward of losses, Chapter VI-A deductions, rebates, return filing and revised income-tax forms. The section mapping serves as a practical reference for preparing tax returns, conducting audits, drafting assessment replies, advising clients and updating compliance documentation. Since some published concordance tables contain conflicting references, practitioners should verify the applicable provisions against the enacted Income-tax Act, 2025, Income-tax Rules, 2026 and official CBDT concordance before relying on a particular section number in any statutory filing or professional opinion.
- Introduction
- First, which Act do you quote? (The mistake everyone will make)
- The 15 mappings you will use most
- Salary and exemptions
- House property
- Business and profession
- Capital gains
- Other sources, clubbing, unexplained money
- Set-off and carry forward of losses
- Deductions (Chapter VI-A becomes Chapter VIII)
- Rebates, reliefs, return filing
- TDS and TCS: the big consolidation
- Forms changed too
- Where online cheat sheets disagree (read this before you trust any table)
- Practical tips for the transition
Introduction
Since 1 April 2026, India has had a new direct tax statute. The Income-tax Act, 2025 replaced the 1961 Act, cutting 819 sections to 536 and 47 chapters to 23. Tax rates and slabs did not change. Almost every section number did.
If you still think of “80C”, “194J” or “44AB” first and then translate in your head, this cheat sheet is for you. It maps the provisions practitioners and taxpayers use most, old number to new number, in one place you can bookmark or print.
First, which Act do you quote? (The mistake everyone will make)
Both Acts are live at the same time, and they apply to different things:
- Return for FY 2025-26 (AY 2026-27):still governed by the 1961 Act. Use the old
- Income of Tax Year 2026-27 onwards:governed by the 2025 Act. Use the new This includes TDS deducted and advance tax paid in the current year, and the return you will file in 2027.
- Proceedings for earlier years(assessments, reassessments, appeals) continue under the old Act.
The 2025 Act replaces “previous year” and “assessment year” with a single concept, the Tax Year (Section 3). Quoting a new section number in a reply to a notice for AY 2026-27 or earlier is the kind of slip that costs you credibility for no reason.
The 15 mappings you will use most
| What it covers | Old (1961 Act) | New (2025 Act) |
|---|---|---|
| Tax Year / previous year | 3 | 3 |
| Exempt incomes (HRA, etc.) | 10 | 11, read with Schedules II to VII |
| Standard deduction on salary | 16 | 19 |
| Deductions: LIC, PPF, ELSS, tuition fees | 80C (with 80CCC, 80CCE) | 123 (read with Schedule XV) |
| NPS contributions | 80CCD | 124 |
| Health insurance premium | 80D | 126 |
| Interest on savings and deposits | 80TTA, 80TTB | 153 (merged) |
| Rebate for resident individuals | 87A | 156 |
| New tax regime | 115BAC | 202 |
| Presumptive taxation | 44AD, 44ADA, 44AE | 58 |
| Tax audit | 44AB | 63 |
| Return of income (all of 139(1) to 139(8A)) | 139 | 263 |
| TDS on salary | 192 | 392 |
| TDS on all other payments (the entire 194 series) | 193 to 196D | 393 (table-based) |
| TCS | 206C | 394 |
Note the trap in the TDS rows: salary did not go into Section 393 with everything else. It has its own Section 392.
Salary and exemptions
| Provision | Old | New |
|---|---|---|
| Salaries (meaning) | 15 | 15 |
| “Salary” defined | 17 | 16 |
| Perquisites | 17 | 17 |
| Profits in lieu of salary | 17 | 18 |
| Deductions from salary, incl. gratuity and leave encashment exemptions | 16, 10(10) and related | 19 |
| Exempt incomes (HRA 10(13A) etc.) | 10 | 11 and Schedules II to VII |
| Political parties’ income | 13A | 12 |
| Expenditure on exempt income | 14A | 14 |
House property
| Provision | Old | New |
|---|---|---|
| Income from house property | 22 | 20 |
| Annual value | 23 | 21 |
| Deductions (30% standard deduction, home loan interest) | 24 | 22 |
| Arrears of rent, unrealised rent | 25A | 23 |
| Co-owned property | 26 | 24 |
Business and profession
| Provision | Old | New |
|---|---|---|
| Profits and gains of business or profession | 28 | 26 |
| Computation | 29 | 27 |
| Rent, rates, taxes, repairs | 30 | 28 |
| Depreciation | 32 | 33 |
| Other deductions | 36 | 32 |
| General deduction clause | 37 | 34 |
| Amounts not deductible (40(a)(ia) and others) | 40 | 35 |
| Expenses not deductible (40A, including cash payments) | 40A | 36 |
| Deductions on payment basis only (includes 43B(h), MSME) | 43B | 37 |
| Deemed profits | 41 | 38 |
| Scientific research expenditure | 35 | 45 |
| Specified business capex | 35AD | 46 |
| Maintenance of books of account | 44AA | 62 |
| Tax audit | 44AB | 63 |
| Presumptive taxation (residents) | 44AD, 44ADA, 44AE | 58 |
The three presumptive schemes now sit in one section instead of three.
Capital gains
| Provision | Old | New |
|---|---|---|
| Charge of capital gains | 45 | 67 |
| Transactions not regarded as transfer | 47 | 70 |
| Mode of computation | 48 | 72 |
| Cost on certain modes of acquisition | 49 | 73 |
| Depreciable assets | 50 | 74 |
| Slump sale | 50B | 77 |
| Stamp duty value as sale consideration | 50C | 78 |
| Unquoted shares, FMV as consideration | 50CA | 79 |
| Sale of residential house, reinvestment | 54 | 82 |
| Agricultural land | 54B | 83 |
| Bonds (REC, NHAI etc.) | 54EC | 85 |
| Investment in residential house (other assets) | 54F | 86 |
| Meaning of cost of acquisition and improvement | 55 | 90 |
| Special rates (111A, 112, 112A) | 111A, 112, 112A | 196 to 198 (single source, verify) |
Other sources, clubbing, unexplained money
| Provision | Old | New |
|---|---|---|
| Income from other sources | 56 | 92 |
| Deductions | 57 | 93 |
| Amounts not deductible | 58 | 94 |
| Clubbing of spouse and minor child income | 64 | 99 |
| Unexplained cash credits | 68 | 102 |
| Unexplained investments | 69 | 103 |
| Unexplained assets | 69A | 104 |
| Unexplained expenditure | 69C | 105 |
| Loans or repayments via negotiable instruments | 69D | 106 |
Set-off and carry forward of losses
| Provision | Old | New |
|---|---|---|
| Set-off within the same head | 70 | 108 |
| Set-off across heads | 71 | 109 |
| House property loss | 71B | 110 |
| Capital losses | 74 | 111 |
| Business losses | 72 | 112 |
| Speculation losses | 73 | 113 |
| Change in shareholding, loss restrictions | 78, 79 | 119 |
| Return for losses | 80 | 121 |
Deductions (Chapter VI-A becomes Chapter VIII)
All of Chapter VI-A moved into a compact run of sections 122 to 154. The limits did not change, and these remain old-regime deductions.
| Deduction | Old | New |
|---|---|---|
| General | 80A | 122 |
| Life insurance, PF, PPF, ELSS, tuition fees | 80C, 80CCC, 80CCE | 123 |
| Pension and NPS | 80CCD | 124 |
| Agnipath | 80CCH | 125 |
| Health insurance | 80D | 126 |
| Disabled dependant | 80DD | 127 |
| Specified diseases | 80DDB | 128 |
| Education loan interest | 80E | 129 |
| Home loan interest (first-time buyers) | 80EE | 130 |
| Home loan interest (affordable housing) | 80EEA | 131 |
| Electric vehicle loan | 80EEB | 132 |
| Donations | 80G | 133 |
| Rent paid (no HRA) | 80GG | 134 |
| Donations for research or rural development | 80GGA | 135 |
| Political contributions | 80GGB, 80GGC | 136, 137 |
| Co-operative societies | 80P | 149 |
| Savings and deposit interest | 80TTA, 80TTB | 153 |
| Self with disability | 80U | 154 |
Rebates, reliefs, return filing
| Provision | Old | New |
|---|---|---|
| Rebate framework | 87 | 155 |
| Rebate for resident individuals | 87A | 156 |
| Arrears relief (Form 10E) | 89 | 157 |
| Double taxation relief | 90, 90A | 159 |
| Relief where no DTAA | 91 | 160 |
| New tax regime | 115BAC | 202 |
| PAN | 139A | 262 |
| Return of income (all sub-sections) | 139 | 263 |
| Return tax preparer scheme | 139B | 264 |
| Verification of return | 140 | 265 |
| Self-assessment tax | 140A | 266 |
| Tax on updated return | 140B | 267 |
| Reassessment (147 to 151A) | 147 to 151A | 279 (single source, verify) |
TDS and TCS: the big consolidation
The whole 194 series is gone. There is no 194C, 194I or 194J in the new Act. Each is now a row in the table in Section 393, which sets out the payment, payer, rate and threshold together.
| Old | New |
|---|---|
| 192 (salary) | 392, its own section |
| 193, 194, 194A, 194C, 194H, 194I, 194IA, 194J and the rest | 393 (table rows) |
| 195 (payments to non-residents) | 393(2) |
| 206C (TCS) | 394 |
When a colleague says “deduct under 194J”, the new reference is the professional and technical fees row of the Section 393 table. Check the serial number for each payment type in the Act itself, because the table is organised by payee and payment type, not by old section.
Forms changed too
The form numbers moved into the Income-tax Rules, 2026.
| Old | New |
|---|---|
| Form 16 | Form 130 |
| Form 16A | Form 131 |
| Form 26AS | Form 168 |
| Form 3CD | Form 26 |
Where online cheat sheets disagree (read this before you trust any table)
We compared several published mapping tables. Most agree on the headline items (80C to 123, 80D to 126, 87A to 156, 139 to 263), but a few rows differ from source to source:
- Presumptive taxation (44AD):most sources say Section 58, one says Section 61.
- Scientific research (35):one table says Section 45, another says Section 135.
- Standard deduction on salary:most say Section 19, one says Section 123.
- Section 10(10D) life insurance maturity:one source says Schedule II, another says Section 11(2)(f).
- Interest for late filing (234A):one source says Section 423, another says Section 430.
This article uses the first answer in each case, taken from the table that tracks the enacted Act section by section. Rows marked “verify” rest on a single source. Before you quote any number in a reply, a notice response or a client opinion, confirm it against the Act and the CBDT concordance on incometax.gov.in.
Practical tips for the transition
- Search the parent section.Sub-clauses were reorganised far more than sections. Look up 80C, not 80C(2)(xviii).
- Renumbered does not always mean unchanged.Some provisions were amended while moving. Read the new text before assuming.
- Update your templates.Engagement letters, notice reply formats and checklists that cite old numbers need two versions for the next few years: one for AY 2026-27 and earlier, one for Tax Year 2026-27 onwards.
- Keep both numbers in client communication.Writing “Section 123 (old 80C)” avoids confusion for clients who know only the old number.
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Disclaimer: This article is a reference guide for orientation and is not professional advice. Section numbers should be confirmed against the Income-tax Act, 2025, the Income-tax Rules, 2026 and the official CBDT concordance before use in any filing or submission.
