Tax guides
Plain answers to the questions people ask most.
- Advance tax: do you need to pay by 15 March?Who pays advance tax, the four instalment dates, and what happens if you pay late.
- AY 2026-27 or tax year 2026-27: what is the difference?Two similar labels mean different years. Here is which one applies to the return you are working on.
- Do NRIs need to file an income tax return in India?When an NRI has to file in India, when it is still worth filing, and what income counts.
- DTAA for the UAE and Saudi Arabia: do you need it?What a tax treaty does for Malayalis in the Gulf, and when you need a Tax Residency Certificate.
- NRI, RNOR or resident: how is your tax status decided?The day-count rules behind your residential status, including the 182-day, 120-day and 60-day tests.
- Old or new tax regime: which is better for you in 2026-27?How to decide between the old and new tax regimes for 2026-27, with the deductions that tip the balance.
- Selling a plot in Kerala as an NRI: what tax applies?Capital gains and TDS when an NRI sells land or a house in India, and how a lower-deduction certificate helps.
- Tax saving before 31 March: what still helps?What you can still do before 31 March to reduce tax, and whether it is worth doing under your regime.