If you are filing your Income Tax Return (ITR) this year, there is an important update for you.
Many employees were expecting to claim the increased ₹200 per day tax-free meal voucher benefit, but this benefit will not be available in the current ITR filing cycle.
The reason is that the new rule has not yet become applicable for the income being reported this year.
Why Can’t You Claim the ₹200 Meal Voucher Benefit?
The government has increased the tax-free limit on meal vouchers provided by employers.
However, this revised limit will come into effect from April 1, 2026.
This means it will apply only to income earned during the financial year 2026-27.
Employees will be able to claim this benefit while filing their ITR for FY 2026-27, which will be submitted in the assessment year 2027-28.
Current ITR Filing Is Based on Old Rules
The ITR being filed currently is for the financial year 2025-26, which covers income earned between:
April 1, 2025, to March 31, 2026
Since the new meal voucher rule does not apply to this period, employees will continue to get tax benefits according to the old limit.
Under the existing rules, the tax-free meal voucher limit remains ₹50 per meal.
Employees Will Have to Wait One More Year
Many employees were expecting the higher ₹200 limit to reduce their tax burden this year.
However, they will have to wait until the next ITR cycle to take advantage of the revised benefit.
Experts advise taxpayers not to include the ₹200 meal voucher exemption while calculating their current tax savings, as it will not be applicable for FY 2025-26 income.
The increased benefit will only be available when filing returns for income earned from April 2026 onwards.
