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Income Tax Slab for Companies FY 2025-26 — Corporate Tax Rates

Updated: 3 June 2026  ·  Income-tax Act 2025  ·  FY 2025-26 / AY 2026-27

In FY 2025-26, domestic companies pay income tax at 30% (or 25% if turnover ≤ ₹400 crore). Companies opting for Section 115BAA pay a flat 22% without MAT. New manufacturing companies under Section 115BAB pay just 15%. The effective rates including surcharge and cess range from approximately 17% to 34.94% depending on the regime and income level.
17.01%
Lowest effective corporate tax rate in India — for new domestic manufacturing companies under Section 115BAB (15% base + 10% surcharge + 4% cess). This makes India one of the most competitive manufacturing tax destinations in Asia.

Corporate Tax Rates at a Glance — FY 2025-26

Company Type / Regime Base Tax Rate Surcharge Effective Rate (incl. 4% cess)
Domestic — turnover > ₹400 crore (normal)30%7% (₹1–10Cr income) / 12% (>₹10Cr)33.38% / 34.94%
Domestic — turnover ≤ ₹400 crore (normal)25%7% (₹1–10Cr) / 12% (>₹10Cr)27.82% / 29.12%
Domestic — Section 115BAA (concessional)22%10% (flat)25.17%
New manufacturing — Section 115BAB15%10% (flat)17.01%
Foreign company40%2% (₹1–10Cr) / 5% (>₹10Cr)43.68% / 44.00%
Foreign company (royalty / FTS under DTAA)10%2% / 5%Varies

Normal Tax Regime — 30% and 25% Base Rates

Under the standard provisions of the Income-tax Act, domestic companies are taxed at:

These companies are also subject to MAT at 15% of book profit if MAT exceeds normal tax liability. Surcharge is levied at 7% if income is between ₹1 crore and ₹10 crore, and 12% if income exceeds ₹10 crore.

Section 115BAA — 22% Flat Rate for All Domestic Companies

Introduced by the Taxation Laws (Amendment) Act 2019, Section 115BAA allows any domestic company to opt for a flat 22% tax rate without MAT. Key features:

For most companies, 115BAA is beneficial if their effective tax rate under the normal regime (after deductions) is above ~25.17%. Companies with significant 80C/80IC deductions may find the normal regime more tax-efficient.

Section 115BAB — 15% Rate for New Manufacturing Companies

Section 115BAB was introduced to attract new manufacturing investment. Conditions:

Effective rate: 15% base + 10% surcharge (flat) + 4% cess = 17.01%. Like 115BAA, there is no MAT under this regime. The company must also not claim deductions under Chapters VI-A (other than Section 80JJAA for new employees) or Section 10AA.

MAT — Minimum Alternate Tax

MAT under Section 115JB applies to all domestic companies except those operating under the 115BAA or 115BAB concessional regimes. If a company's tax under normal provisions is lower than 15% of its book profit (per P&L under Companies Act), it must pay MAT at 15% of book profit plus surcharge and cess.

The excess MAT paid over normal tax becomes MAT Credit under Section 115JAA, which can be carried forward for up to 15 years and set off against normal tax when it exceeds MAT in subsequent years. MAT credit cannot be carried forward if the company later opts for 115BAA.

Surcharge on Corporate Tax

Income Range Normal Regime 115BAA / 115BAB Foreign Company
Up to ₹1 croreNil10%Nil
₹1 crore to ₹10 crore7%10%2%
Above ₹10 crore12%10%5%

Surcharge under the concessional regimes (115BAA/BAB) is a flat 10% regardless of income level — this simplifies computation and eliminates marginal relief considerations for these companies.

Foreign Companies — 40% Base Rate

Foreign companies (incorporated outside India) are taxed at a flat 40% base rate on income received from or accruing in India. Surcharge is 2% for income between ₹1–10 crore and 5% for income above ₹10 crore, plus 4% cess. Specific types of income like royalties and fees for technical services (FTS) under a DTAA may be taxed at lower rates (10% or as per treaty).

Foreign companies do not have a separate turnover-based lower rate equivalent to the 25% rate for domestic companies. DTAA provisions take precedence over domestic tax rates where beneficial to the foreign company.

Dividend Taxation After DDT Abolition

The Dividend Distribution Tax was abolished from FY 2020-21. Prior to that, domestic companies paid DDT at an effective rate of ~20.56%, and shareholders received dividends tax-free. Now:

Frequently Asked Questions

What is MAT and which companies must pay it?
MAT (Minimum Alternate Tax) under Section 115JB ensures that companies with book profits pay at least a minimum amount of tax even if their taxable income under normal provisions is low due to deductions and exemptions. The MAT rate is 15% of book profit (as shown in the P&L account prepared under Companies Act) plus applicable surcharge and cess. MAT applies to domestic companies under the normal tax regime (30% or 25%). However, companies opting for the concessional regimes under Section 115BAA (22% flat) or Section 115BAB (15% for new manufacturers) are fully exempt from MAT. If MAT paid exceeds normal tax, the excess becomes MAT credit under Section 115JAA, which can be carried forward for 15 years.
Who is eligible for the 22% tax rate under Section 115BAA?
Section 115BAA offers a flat 22% tax rate (effective ~25.17% after 10% surcharge + 4% cess) for all existing domestic companies that opt in. Eligibility: any domestic company that opts for this regime by filing Form 10-IC on or before the due date for filing ITR for that year. The option once exercised cannot be withdrawn. Conditions: the company must not claim specified deductions/exemptions (80IC, 80IE, 80-IBA, 80JJA etc.), cannot set off brought-forward losses/depreciation attributable to those deductions, and is exempt from MAT. There is no turnover limit — any domestic company can opt for 115BAA.
What is the effective tax rate for a new manufacturing company under Section 115BAB?
Section 115BAB provides a 15% base tax rate for new domestic manufacturing companies incorporated after 1 October 2019 that commence manufacturing before 31 March 2027. The effective rate works out to approximately 17.01%: base rate 15% + 10% surcharge on tax (15% × 10% = 1.5%) + 4% health and education cess on (15% + 1.5%) = 0.66% → total ≈ 17.01% effective rate on income. Conditions: the company must be newly incorporated, not formed by splitting up or reconstruction of an existing business, must not use old machinery (beyond specified thresholds), and should not use income from non-manufacturing activities for the concessional rate.
What is the corporate tax rate for startups?
There is no special "startup tax rate" in India per se. Startups registered under the DPIIT (Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade) are eligible for a 3-year tax holiday under Section 80-IAC — a 100% deduction on profits for any 3 consecutive years out of the first 10 years from incorporation, subject to turnover not exceeding ₹100 crore. This effectively means zero tax on business profits for those 3 years. Outside of Section 80-IAC, startups pay corporate tax at the applicable rate — 25% (turnover ≤ ₹400 crore), 30% (turnover > ₹400 crore), or optionally 22% under Section 115BAA. Note: 80-IAC deduction is not available if the company opts for 115BAA.
How are dividends taxed after the abolition of DDT?
The Dividend Distribution Tax (DDT) was abolished from FY 2020-21 (effective 1 April 2020). Before that, companies paid DDT at ~20.56% on dividends and shareholders received dividends tax-free. Now, dividends are taxable in the hands of shareholders at their applicable slab rate. For domestic companies receiving dividends from another domestic company, Section 80M provides a deduction to avoid cascading — the recipient company can deduct dividends paid to its own shareholders from the dividend received. For individual shareholders, dividends are added to total income and taxed at slab rates. TDS at 10% is deducted by the company under Section 194 if total dividend paid to a shareholder exceeds ₹5,000 per year.

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