Year-round tax optimisation

Category: Income Tax. From ₹4,999. Typical timeline: Ongoing.

Overview

Tax planning and advisory is a year-round engagement that looks beyond the annual return to structure income, investments, and business transactions so tax liability is minimised within the law. It covers individual planning around deductions and capital gains as well as business-level decisions on entity structure, remuneration, and timing of income and expenses, replacing last-minute March scrambling with a plan built across the financial year.

Who needs it

• High-income individuals wanting to plan investments and deductions before the financial year closes
• Business owners deciding between salary, dividend and director remuneration structures
• NRIs and investors managing capital gains, DTAA claims and repatriation planning

Eligibility

• Salaried individuals and professionals with income from multiple heads seeking to optimise deductions
• Business owners and promoters evaluating entity structure, remuneration and dividend strategy
• Investors with capital gains, rental income or foreign assets needing structured tax planning

Documents required

• Prior year income tax returns and computation sheets
• Salary structure, business financials or professional receipts as applicable
• Investment portfolio details — mutual funds, equities, property, insurance
• Loan and interest statements for deduction planning
• Details of any foreign income, assets or NRI status, if applicable

Process

1. Financial review — Assess current income sources, investments, liabilities and existing tax position.
2. Scenario planning — Model alternative structures — salary vs dividend, old vs new tax regime, timing of asset sales — to compare tax outcomes.
3. Recommendation — Present a written plan covering deductions, investment timing and structural changes with projected tax savings.
4. Implementation support — Assist in executing recommended investments, restructuring or documentation before relevant deadlines.
5. Periodic review — Revisit the plan each quarter or after major transactions to keep it aligned with actual income.

Government fees

• Government fee: Not applicable — this is an advisory engagement, not a statutory filing

Professional fee

Professional fee starts at ₹4,999 for a structured annual tax planning engagement, scaling with the complexity of income sources and the depth of ongoing advisory support required.

Timeline

An initial tax planning review and recommendation is typically delivered within 5-7 working days of receiving financial details, with ongoing advisory continuing through the year.

Deliverables

• Written tax planning report with projected liability under available options
• Recommended investment and deduction checklist
• Advance tax estimate for the year
• Ongoing advisory access for transaction-specific tax queries

Frequently asked questions

Is tax planning the same as tax return filing?

No — return filing reports what already happened; tax planning is a forward-looking exercise to structure income and investments before the year closes to reduce eventual liability.

Which tax regime should I choose — old or new?

It depends on the mix of deductions and exemptions you can claim; we run both computations against your actual numbers to identify which regime results in lower tax.

Can tax planning help with advance tax as well?

Yes, as part of the engagement we estimate quarterly advance tax liability so instalments are paid on time and interest under Sections 234B/234C is avoided.

Common mistakes

• Making investment or restructuring decisions only in March, missing better options available earlier in the year
• Choosing a tax regime based on habit rather than actually comparing both under current income
• Ignoring advance tax obligations until the annual return, resulting in avoidable interest
• Overlooking deductions such as Section 80D, 80CCD(1B) or home loan interest that require specific documentation

Penalties for non-compliance

• No direct penalty for skipping tax planning, but poor planning often results in interest under Sections 234B/234C for underpaid advance tax
• Missed deduction claims due to inadequate documentation can permanently increase tax liability for that year

Legal references

• Income Tax Act, 1961 — provisions on deductions (Chapter VI-A), capital gains, and the old/new tax regime under Section 115BAC
• Sections 234B and 234C — interest for default in advance tax payment
• Double Taxation Avoidance Agreements (DTAA), where cross-border income is involved