We built the Advance Tax Calculator after seeing the same question repeated in our inbox week after week. People did not want advice — they wanted a number they could trust, with the working shown. This article is that working, written out properly.
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Prefer to start with your own figures? Use the Advance Tax Calculator now, or continue for the formula and a worked example.
How the calculation actually works
Advance tax is income tax paid during the year instead of at the end. It applies when the tax left after TDS is ₹10,000 or more, and is paid in four instalments — 15% by 15 June, 45% by 15 September, 75% by 15 December and the full amount by 15 March.
The formula behind it:
Advance tax = Tax on income + cess − TDS already deducted
| Symbol | What it means |
|---|---|
Taxable income |
Income after the standard deduction and any eligible deductions |
Cess |
Health and education cess at 4% of tax |
TDS |
Tax already deducted at source |
Nothing is rounded away quietly and nothing is assumed on your behalf. If a figure appears in the result, it came from something you entered.
Let us run one real set of numbers
A ₹15 lakh income under the new regime leaves a tax liability paid as four instalments through the year.
Change any one input and watch the result move — that sensitivity is the real lesson. It is far more useful than memorising a single outcome, because your own rate, tenure or contribution will never match the example exactly.
Using the Advance Tax Calculator, step by step
- Open the Advance Tax Calculator.
- Enter your figures. Use the ones on your statement, sanction letter or scheme document rather than a remembered number.
- Read the result card — the headline figure plus the breakdown that produced it.
- Adjust one input at a time to see what genuinely moves the outcome.
- Tap Download PDF to keep a copy of the calculation, with your inputs and assumptions printed on it.
The PDF takes a few seconds to build because it is a properly typeset report, not a screenshot. You will see a progress message while it is being prepared, and the download starts on its own.
Small habits that make a real difference
- Recalculate after every quarter — bonuses, capital gains and freelance income change the figure.
- Pay through the income tax portal using challan ITNS 280.
The errors that cost the most
- Skipping the June and September instalments, which attracts interest under section 234C.
- Forgetting to subtract the TDS your employer or clients already deducted.
If you want to go a level deeper afterwards, read up on sections 234b and 234c and challan itns 280. Both come up the moment you start comparing options seriously.