Scope and date. Written for FY 2025-26 (AY 2026-27) and FY 2026-27, current as at July 2026. Capital gains is one of the most fact-sensitive areas of Indian tax law — the same sale can be taxed very differently depending on dates, residential status and documentation. Treat this as a thorough map, not as advice on your transaction. For anything material, confirm the position with your CA and against the bare Act.
- 1. Capital Gains Basics
- 2. Calculating the Gain
- 3. Rates & Special Regimes
- 4. Exemptions 54 to 54GB — you are here
- 5. Property Sales
- 6. Losses, Advance Tax & ITR
All Eight Exemptions at a Glance
| Section | Gain on | Reinvest in | Time limit | Cap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 54 (82) | Long-term residential house | One residential house in India (two houses allowed once in a lifetime if the gain is up to ₹2 crore) | Buy 1 year before or 2 years after; construct within 3 years | ₹10 crore |
| 54B (83) | Agricultural land used for agriculture in the 2 preceding years | Other agricultural land | 2 years | — |
| 54D (84) | Compulsory acquisition of industrial land or building | Other land or building for the industrial undertaking | 3 years | — |
| 54EC (85) | Long-term land or building | Notified bonds — NHAI, REC, PFC, IRFC | 6 months from transfer | ₹50 lakh |
| 54F (86) | Long-term asset other than a residential house | One residential house in India | Buy 1 year before or 2 years after; construct within 3 years | ₹10 crore |
| 54G (87) | Shifting an industrial undertaking out of an urban area | Land, building, plant and machinery at the new location | 1 year before / 3 years after | — |
| 54GA (88) | Shifting an industrial undertaking to an SEZ | Assets in the SEZ | 1 year before / 3 years after | — |
| 54GB | Long-term residential property | Equity of an eligible start-up or manufacturing SME, which then buys new plant and machinery | Before the ITR due date | — |
Section 54 — House to House
Sell a long-term residential house, buy or build another, and the gain is exempt to the extent reinvested.
- The asset sold must be a residential house whose income is chargeable under Income from House Property.
- You reinvest the capital gain — not the whole sale value.
- The new house must be in India.
- Two houses may be bought instead of one, but only where the capital gain does not exceed ₹2 crore, and only once in a lifetime.
- The exemption is capped at ₹10 crore of investment.
Section 54F — Any Asset to a House
Sell a long-term asset that is not a residential house — a plot, gold, shares, an office — and buy or build a residential house.
- You must reinvest the entire net consideration, not merely the gain.
- Partial reinvestment gives a proportionate exemption.
- You must not own more than one other residential house on the date of transfer.
- You must not buy another house within 2 years, or construct one within 3 years, apart from the new house.
- Capped at ₹10 crore.
54 vs 54F — the Costly Difference
| Section 54 | Section 54F | |
|---|---|---|
| Asset sold | Residential house | Any long-term asset except a residential house |
| You must reinvest | The capital gain only | The entire net consideration |
| If you reinvest only part | Exemption to the extent reinvested | Exemption is proportionate |
| Other houses you may own | No restriction | Not more than one other house |
That second row is the expensive one. Sell a plot for ₹1 crore with a gain of ₹40 lakh and put ₹40 lakh into a house, and you do not get a full exemption — you get 40% of the gain, because you reinvested 40% of the consideration. See the worked example.
Section 54EC — Bonds
- Applies to long-term gains on land or building only.
- Invest in notified bonds — NHAI, REC, PFC, IRFC — within six months of the transfer. The window is not extendable.
- Ceiling of ₹50 lakh, applying across financial years for the same transfer.
- Five-year lock-in. The bonds are non-transferable, and taking a loan against them counts as a transfer that reverses the exemption.
Where the gain is larger than you can comfortably reinvest in a house, the two can be combined on the same transfer — part of the gain into the house under Section 54 or 54F, up to ₹50 lakh into 54EC bonds. Six months goes quickly, so decide the split early rather than in month five.
54B, 54D, 54G, 54GA and 54GB
- 54B — agricultural land, where the land was used for agricultural purposes by you or your parents in the two years immediately preceding the transfer. Reinvest in other agricultural land within two years. Available to individuals and HUFs.
- 54D — compulsory acquisition of land or building forming part of an industrial undertaking, used for the business for at least two years before acquisition. Reinvest within three years.
- 54G — shifting an industrial undertaking from an urban area to a non-urban area. Covers land, building, plant and machinery, and shifting expenses.
- 54GA — the same, where the shift is to a Special Economic Zone.
- 54GB — gain on a long-term residential property invested in the equity of an eligible start-up or manufacturing SME, which must then use the money to buy new plant and machinery. Investment must be made before the ITR due date.
How Exemptions Get Reversed
Every one of these exemptions is conditional, and the conditions run for years after you claim.
- Lock-in on the new house: sell it within 3 years and the exemption you claimed is reversed and taxed in the year of that sale.
- 54EC bonds: 5-year lock-in; sale, transfer or a loan against them reverses the exemption.
- 54F additional purchase: buying another residential house within 2 years, or constructing one within 3 years, withdraws the exemption.
- 54B land: selling the new agricultural land within 3 years reverses it.
- CGAS balance unused when the window expires becomes taxable as capital gain in that later year.
- The house must be in India. A property abroad does not qualify under Section 54 or 54F.
The Capital Gains Account Scheme
The reinvestment windows — two years to buy, three to construct — almost always run past your ITR due date. CGAS bridges that gap.
- Open a CGAS account with an authorised bank. Type A is a savings account for a purchase; Type B is a term deposit for construction.
- Deposit the unutilised gain — or net consideration, for Section 54F — on or before the due date for filing your return under Section 139(1), which for most individuals is 31 July following the financial year, unless extended.
- Claim the exemption in that return, disclosing the deposit.
- Withdraw against the actual purchase or construction within the statutory window.
The deadline is the filing due date, not the date you file. Deposit after 31 July and the exemption is lost even if you file on 31 July itself.
Worked Example — Section 54F, Partly Reinvested
A plot is sold for ₹1,00,00,000. The long-term capital gain is ₹40,00,000. The seller reinvests ₹60,00,000 in a residential house.
Exemption = Gain × (Amount reinvested ÷ Net consideration)
= 40,00,000 × (60,00,000 ÷ 1,00,00,000) = ₹24,00,000
Taxable gain = ₹16,00,000, at 12.5% = ₹2,00,000 plus cess.
Had the full ₹1 crore been reinvested, the entire gain would have been exempt. Under Section 54F it is the consideration that must be reinvested — not the gain. Sellers who plan for the gain figure and not the sale figure end up with a bill they did not expect.
What's Next?
- Part 5 — Property Sales: the whole property workflow, where these exemptions matter most
- Part 6 — Losses, Advance Tax & ITR
- Part 3 — Rates & Special Regimes
- Advance Tax — Who Pays and When