Budget 2026: What changed and what remains same for individual taxpayers; know how your future taxation will be impacted

The Union Budget 2026-27 sets out the government’s fiscal roadmap for the year ahead, reinforcing its commitment to macro-economic stability while aligning public spending with the long-term vision of Viksit Bharat. In terms of tax proposals, specifically for individual and small taxpayers, rather than offering immediate tax rate reductions or slab restructuring, the government has focused on structural simplification, procedural certainty, reduced litigation, and promoting trust-based compliance.

For individual taxpayers, particularly salaried employees, professionals, young earners, NRIs, and globally mobile individuals, the Budget’s impact lies less in headline relief and more in how taxation is administered and enforced.

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Tax Rates and Regime Structure: Status Quo Maintained

No changes have been made to tax slabs or rates for individuals under either the new tax regime or the old tax regime. The government has clearly signaled predictability and fiscal discipline, discouraging expectations of frequent slab tinkering.

Transition to the Income-tax Act, 2025

The Income-tax Act, 2025 comes into force from 1 April 2026, replacing the 1961 Act. While substantively similar, the new law aims to simplify language, reorganize provisions and reduce interpretational ambiguity. New forms and rules will be notified well in advance, with an emphasis on self-compliance. This is a long-term reform aimed at reducing disputes arising purely from drafting complexity rather than taxpayer behavior.

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Ease of Living: Targeted Relief for Genuine Hardship Cases

Interest on compensation awarded by Motor Accident Claims Tribunal (MACT) is now fully exempt from tax. Such disbursements would not be subject to Tax deduction at Source (TDS), irrespective of amount paid.

Return Filing: Extended Timelines and Greater Flexibility

• ·Original tax returns- The timeline for ITR-1 and ITR-2 remains unchanged whereas for the non-audit business cases and trusts the due date is extended to 31 August.
• ·Revised tax returns- The time limit for filing revised returns has been extended from 31 December to 31 March, subject to a nominal fee. This provides genuine opportunity to correct errors or non-reporting, thereby reducing scope of litigation. The extension in timeline will be especially useful for taxpayers foreign income, where the foreign jurisdiction follows a calendar year for income & tax purposes, due to which the final amounts are crystalised post 31 December of the calendar year.
• ·Updated tax returns- Updated returns can now be filed even after reassessment proceedings are initiated by paying an additional 10% tax. Filing an updated return with additional income waives penalty on that income. The updated return mechanism is now a genuine dispute-resolution tool rather than a restricted compliance option.

No TAN Required for Purchase of Property from an NRI

Resident individuals and HUFs purchasing immovable property from a non-resident will no longer be required to obtain a Tax Deduction and Collection Account Number (TAN) for carrying out TDS, significantly reducing one-time compliance burden for homebuyers. This change simplifies property transactions involving NRIs and aligns the process with purchases from resident sellers, making the tax system more practical and user-centric.

Nil / Lower TDS Certificate – Fully Digital & Automated

Small taxpayers can now apply electronically for a nil or lower TDS certificate without physical interaction with the tax officer, ensuring faster and more transparent processing. The move promotes trust-based compliance by reducing procedural delays and easing cash-flow challenges for individuals with lower effective tax liability.

Overseas Remittances under LRS

TCS has been reduced to 2% (from 5% / 20%) for overseas tour packages and foreign remittances for education and medical purposes with no monetary threshold applicable. These changes aim to ease cash-flow pressure and reduce dependency on adjustment of TCS against final tax liability or potential tax refund at the time of filing tax return.

Introduction of Foreign Asset Disclosure Scheme

Under the Foreign Assets of Small Taxpayers – Disclosure Scheme (FAST – DS), 2026, Part A covers individuals who neither disclosed foreign assets nor paid tax earlier, subject to a value cap of INR 1 crore. Such taxpayers are required to pay 30% tax on the fair market value of the asset or undisclosed income, along with an additional 30% levy in lieu of penalty, after which full immunity from prosecution is granted.

Part B applies to taxpayers who had already disclosed foreign income and paid due tax but failed to report the asset itself, with an asset value cap of INR 5 crore. In these cases, no additional tax or penalty is payable; instead, a fixed fee of INR 1 lakh is required to be paid to obtain complete immunity from both penalty and prosecution, providing finality and an opportunity for transparent financial reporting.

Penalty and Prosecution: Moving Towards Proportionality

The assessment and penalty proceedings will now be combined into one order, reducing prolonged uncertainty. Also, the pre-deposit of taxes for filing appeal has been reduced from 20% to 10%. Further, propose that no interest would accrue on penalty amounts during first appellate proceedings.

The penalty on technical and procedural defaults (eg. audit delays, reporting lapses) have been converted into fees. Several offences now attract only fines, with imprisonment capped at two years in serious cases. This marks a philosophical shift from deterrence-based enforcement to proportional compliance.

Union Budget 2026-27 is not a populist tax-cut budget for individuals. Instead, it represents a mature phase of tax policy, prioritising stability, administrative fairness, and compliance certainty. For individual taxpayers, the biggest gains lie in simplified processes, fewer disputes, reduced fear of penalties/ prosecution, and greater flexibility to correct mistakes.

The underlying message is clear: while tax rates may not change every year, the quality of the tax system itself is steadily improving on one hand and taxpayers are being entrusted to ensure diligence in compliance on the other hand.

(The article is authored by Akhil Chandna, Partner & Sarthak Prashar, Director at Grant Thornton Bharat LLP)