Section 80C of Income Tax Act - 80C Deduction List
Section 80C provides deductions up to Rs.1.5 lakhs on various investments and expenses. These include deductions for life insurance premiums, PPF, home loan principal repayment, ELSS mutual funds, Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana, and many more. Claiming the right deductions can significantly lower your tax liability for the year. It is important to note that these deductions and are disallowed under the New Tax Regime.
Key Highlights
- Taxpayers can be diversify into various eligible investments, thereby saving taxes and maximizing returns at the same time.
- Section 80C deduction is are only available under the Old Tax Regime, not under the new tax regime.
- Overall ceiling limit for specified investments is Rs. 1.5 lakhs. This limit do not apply to each investment.
What is Section 80C?
Section 80C of the Income Tax Act 1961 is a key provision that offers tax deduction benefits to taxpayers by reducing their gross total income, effectively lowering their taxable income and their overall tax liability for the financial year.
Under this section, investment made in ELSS Mutual Fund, Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana, Life Insurance, PPF, PF, EPF, Post Office Deposit, FD in Bank, Home loan Principal amount repayment, tuition fees payment for school and colleges, and several other specified schemes.
These deductions can significantly reduce taxpayers' taxable income, resulting in substantial tax savings.
Budget 2025 Changes - Section 80C
It was expected that with effect from 01st April, 2025, the ceiling limit for section 80C deductions would be increased to Rs. 2 lakhs. But, no such relaxations were made. There were no changes made with respect to section 80C in budget 2025.
Section 80C - The Most Popular Tax Saving Deduction
Section 80C continues to be one of the most popular options in the old tax regime for the following reasons.
- Variety of investment options: Like life insurance, provident fund, fixed deposit, government backed investments like national savings certificate, etc.
- Span of investment: For many 80C investments, the investment horizon is 5 years, which is comparatively less than pension funds.
- Promotes tax savings and financial planning: These specified investments assists in smart financial planning and saving taxes at the same time.
- Protection against inflation: These investments often have returns more than the inflation trend of the economy. This helps the taxpayers to beat the inflation while saving.
What Are 80C Deductions?
Section 80C of the Income Tax Act allows several benefits to lower the overall taxable income of the taxpayer. Section 80C deductions include Life Insurance Premiums, Public Provident Fund (PPF), National Savings Certificates (NSC), Equity-Linked Savings Scheme (ELSS), Sukhanya Samriddhi Yojana, Tuition fees, home loan principal repayment, and many more. The maximum section 80C deduction limit is Rs. 1.5 lakh per Financial Year.
Current Limitations
The ceiling limit of Rs. 1.5 lakh was fixed in the year 2014, more than 10 years now. More often than not, taxpayers and professionals alike opine that the aforesaid limit is quite outdated. Investments in very few options easily exhausts the maximum limit. Therefore, a relaxation of limits will help taxpayers to optimize tax deductions and maximize their returns.
Who Can Claim Section 80C Deductions?
Only individuals and HUFs are eligible to claim Section 80C deductions. Companies, Firms, LLPs, etc. are not allowed to claim the Section 80C deductions.
How to Claim Section 80C Deductions?
It is important to understand and comply with the following points to claim Section 80C deductions:
- Invest in eligible instruments before 31st March of the financial year.
- Collect proofs such as deposit slips, insurance premium receipts, ELSS statements, etc.
- Declare investments to your employer to adjust TDS.
- File ITR and report investments under “Deductions under Chapter VI-A”.
You can use ClearTax tax filing tool to help you claim deductions and ensure easy tax filing and compliance. Our tax experts can make your tax filing simpler
Eligible Investment Under Section 80C and Risk Comparison
The following table compares the various features of section 80C deduction options, easy for taxpayers to choose the most suitable option for them.
| Investment options | Average Interest | Lock-in period for | Risk factor |
| ELSS funds | 12% – 15% | 3 years | High |
| NPS Scheme | 8% – 10% | Till 60 years of age | High |
| ULIP | 8% – 10% | 5 years | Medium |
| Tax saving FD | Up to 8.40% | 5 years | Low |
| PPF | 7.90% | 15 years | Low |
| Senior citizen savings scheme | 8.60% | 5 years (can be extended for other 3 years) | Low |
| National Savings Certificate | 7.90% | 5 years | Low |
| Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana | 8.50% | Till girl child reaches 21 years of age (partial withdrawal allowed when she reached 18 years) | Low |
Expenses related to home loan principal repayment and tuition fees of children's education can also be claimed as deductions under Section 80C.
Deduction Limits under Section 80C, 80CCC, 80CCD(1), 80CCE, 80CCD(1B)
Sections 80CCC and 80CCD provide deductions for investments in pension schemes. The combined maximum deduction allowed under Sections 80C, 80CCC, and 80CCD(1) is ₹1.5 lakh. However, you can claim an additional deduction of ₹50,000 under Section 80CCD(1B) for contributions made to the National Pension Scheme (NPS).
Therefore, the total maximum deduction available under Sections 80C, 80CCC, 80CCD(1), and 80CCD(1B) is ₹2 lakh.
| Sections | Eligible investments for tax deductions | Maximum Deduction |
| 80C | Investment made in Equity Linked Saving Schemes (ELSS), PPF/SPF/RPF, payments made towards Life Insurance Premiums, principal sum of a home loan, SSY, NSC, SCSS, etc. | Rs 1,50,000 |
| 80CCC | Payment made towards pension funds | Rs 1,50,000 |
| 80CCD(1) | Payments made towards Atal Pension Yojana or other pension schemes notified by government | Employed: 10% of basic salary + DA Self-employed: 20% of gross total income |
| 80CCE | Overall combined limit of ₹1,50,000 for 80C + 80CCC + 80CCD(1) | Rs 1,50,000 |
| 80CCD(1B) | Investments in NPS (outside Rs 1,50,000 limit under Section 80CCE) | Rs 50,000 |
| 80CCD(2) | Employer’s contribution towards NPS (outside Rs 1,50,000 limit under Section 80CCE) | Central government employer: 14% of basic salary +DA Others: 10% of basic salary +DA |
How to Save Tax Under Section 80C?
Let us understand how section 80C helps in reducing tax implications using an example.
Mr. A has a salary income of Rs. 10 lakhs and other income of Rs. 1 lakh. He has invested Rs. 1.5 lakh in PPF.
The difference in tax implications when 80C deductions are claimed and not claimed is explained below:
| Particulars | Section 80C Deduction claimed | Section 80C Deduction not claimed |
| Salary Income | 10,00,000 | 10,00,000 |
| Less - Standard Deduction | (50,000) | (50,000) |
| 9,50,000 | 9,50,000 | |
| Other Income | 1,00,000 | 1,00,000 |
| Gross Total Income | 10,50,000 | 10,50,000 |
| Less - Section 80C deduction | (1,50,000) | - |
| Taxable Income | 9,00,000 | 10,50,000 |
| Total Tax payable (including cess) | 96,200 | 1,32,600 |
Therefore, by claiming a deduction of Rs. 1.5 lakh under Section 80C, Mr. A has saved Rs. 36,400 in taxes under the old tax regime.
Use ClearTax's free Income Tax Calculator to optimize tax savings and determine taxes.
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About the Author
CA Mohammed S Chokhawala
I'm a chartered accountant, well-versed in the ins and outs of income tax, GST, and keeping the books balanced. Numbers are my thing, I can sift through financial statements and tax codes with the best of them. But there's another side to me – a side that thrives on words, not figures. Read more
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