Guides
Practical, source-cited orientation — general information, not legal advice.
HRA Exemption: the complete, honest guide
How the HRA exemption really works — the Rule 2A formula, rent receipts, the ₹1 lakh landlord-PAN rule, paying rent to parents, and the new-regime catch.
Stamp duty on rent agreements, state by state
What stamp duty actually is, indicative rent-agreement rates for Maharashtra, Delhi, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, and the official portal to verify in every state.
GST registration: who needs it, and the composition shortcut
The ₹40/20/10 lakh thresholds, when registration is compulsory regardless of turnover, and how the composition scheme trades paperwork for a flat levy.
Notarized, registered or self-attested — which does your document need?
The three levels of document formality in India, what each one legally does, and the 2014 self-attestation policy that removed most affidavit queues.
Why every rent agreement is 11 months — and when that's wrong
The Registration Act line behind the 11-month convention, what an unregistered agreement can and cannot prove, and the Maharashtra exception.
Rent receipts that pass the employer's checklist
Exactly what payroll teams check on rent receipts — thresholds, revenue stamps, landlord PAN, and the cash rules that quietly disqualify claims.
The anatomy of a valid GST invoice
Every Rule 46 mandatory field explained, CGST/SGST vs IGST, HSN digit rules, e-invoicing above ₹5 crore, and when a bill of supply replaces the tax invoice.
Changing your name legally: affidavit, newspapers, Gazette
The three-step legal name-change process in India — the affidavit, the two newspaper notices, and the Gazette publication that banks actually accept.