ITR filing AY 2026-27: Complete guide to income tax slabs for senior and super senior citizens

With the filing season for AY 2026–27 underway, taxpayers need to understand the income tax slabs applicable to them. Tax rates are not uniform across all age groups, and individuals aged 60 and above are treated differently for tax purposes.

Under the Income Tax Act, a is defined as a resident individual aged 60 years or older, but less than 80 years during the previous year. A super senior citizen is a resident who is 80 years of age or older.

Based on these classifications, let’s take a look at the income tax slabs applicable to senior and super senior citizens under both the old and new tax regimes.

Tax slabs for individuals above 60 years of age

Tax rates applicable to individuals (resident or non-resident) who are aged 60 years or above but below 80 years at any time during the previous year are as follows:

Tax under both regimes is calculated slab-wise, meaning each portion of income is taxed at the rate applicable to that slab.

In the old tax regime, up to ₹3,00,000 is not taxed. The next slab is ₹300,001 to ₹500,000, where tax is charged at 5% only on the income above ₹300,000. So if someone earns ₹400,000, only ₹100,000 (i.e., ₹400,000 − ₹300,000) is taxed at 5%.

Similarly, higher slabs apply an incremental rate. For example, income between ₹500,001 and ₹10,00,000 is taxed at 20% on the amount exceeding ₹500,000, plus the tax already calculated in previous slabs.

The same principle applies in the new tax regime, where income up to ₹400,000 is tax-free, and income between ₹400,001 and ₹800,000 is taxed at 5% only on the amount above ₹400,000. This incremental structure continues across all slabs, ensuring tax is applied only on the portion of income falling within each bracket rather than the entire income at the highest applicable rate.

Tax slabs for individuals above 80 years of age

Tax rates applicable to individuals (resident or non-resident) aged above 80 years at any time during the previous year.

Surcharge is an additional tax levied on individuals whose income exceeds certain thresholds. Under both the old and new tax regimes, no surcharge is applicable if the total income is up to ₹50 lakh.

For income between ₹50 lakh and ₹1 crore, a surcharge of 10% applies, and this increases to 15% for income between ₹1 crore and ₹2 crore. For income between ₹2 crore and ₹5 crore, the surcharge is 25% under both regimes.

However, for income above ₹5 crore, the surcharge remains 25% under the new tax regime, while it increases to 37% under the old tax regime. These higher surcharge rates of 25% and 37% do not apply to certain types of income, such as long-term capital gains under sections 111A, 112 and 112A, as well as dividend income.

In these cases, the maximum surcharge is capped at 15%, except for specific cases covered under sections like 115A, 115AB, 115AC, 115ACA and 115E.

Additionally, resident individuals are eligible for a rebate under Section 87A. Under the new tax regime, a rebate of up to ₹60,000 is available if taxable income does not exceed ₹12 lakh, effectively reducing tax liability to zero. Under the old tax regime, the rebate is up to ₹12,500 for taxable income up to ₹5 lakh in a financial year.

(Disclaimer: This is only for informational and educational purposes. Please consult a qualified tax expert for the latest tax laws and regulations.)