How much do your employees save with an employer-loaded, tax-free meal card and gift card? Move the sliders — 22 or 26 working days, any team size from 1. Cess included. Honest about the ₹12 lakh rebate.
| Benefit | Monthly | Annual tax-free | Tax saved @30% | Tax regime |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Meal Card (core) | ₹8,800 (22 days) | ₹1,05,600 | ₹32,947 | Yes — old & new |
| Gift Card (core) | — | ₹15,000 | ₹4,680 | Yes — old & new |
| Core total (meal + gift) | ₹1,20,600 | ₹37,627 | ||
| Telecom & Internet | ₹2,500 | ₹30,000 | ₹9,360 | Yes — with bills |
| Fuel · Books · Learning | varies | up to ₹1,44,000 | up to ₹44,928 | Old regime only |
| With telecom added | ₹1,50,600 | ₹46,987 |
Tax saved includes 4% cess (30% × 1.04). Meal: ₹200 × 2 meals × 22 working days (₹10,400/month at 26 days). Rule 15, Income Tax Rules 2026. Employer sets final limits. Illustrative, not tax advice.
Pick the number of employees (from 1), working days (22 or 26), the average marginal slab and the wallets the employer will load. The calculator multiplies the annual tax-free amount by the slab (plus 4% cess). It assumes the amounts are carved out of existing CTC, so nothing is added to CTC; YPayX charges ₹400 per employee, one-time.
Under ₹12 lakh taxable income (new regime): the Section 87A rebate makes tax nil, so there is nothing to save — the meal card is still worth giving for convenience and canteen compliance, but do not promise a tax saving.
Slabs (new regime, FY 2026-27): up to ₹4L nil · ₹4–8L 5% · ₹8–12L 10% · ₹12–16L 15% · ₹16–20L 20% · ₹20–24L 25% · above ₹24L 30%.
Illustrative only. Verify with your tax advisor. For a per-employee CTC restructure (before/after salary structure) use the HR calculator on the home page.
Annual tax-free amount × marginal slab × 1.04 (cess). For a meal card: ₹1,05,600 × 30% × 1.04 = ₹32,947 at the 30% slab.
Yes — meal, gift and telecom are available under both regimes. Fuel, books and learning are old-regime only and are shown separately.
Under the new regime, taxable income up to ₹12 lakh pays nil tax after the Section 87A rebate, so there is no tax to save for those employees.
The employee. The company's cost stays the same because the amounts are carved out of existing CTC.
No. It is an illustration based on the Income Tax Act 2025 and Income Tax Rules 2026. Confirm with your tax advisor.
15-minute call. We show the exact tax savings for your salary bands and a go-live plan for this month's payroll.