Sold shares, gold, or a piece of land and now sitting on a large capital gains liability? Section 54F of the Income Tax Act was built for exactly this situation. It lets individuals and HUFs claim a capital gains tax exemption — up to ₹10 crore — by reinvesting the sale proceeds into a new residential house.
There's one important update to know upfront: section 54f of income tax act has been renumbered as Section 86 under the new Income Tax Act, 2025, effective from April 1, 2026 (Assessment Year 2026-27). The provisions remain largely the same — just reorganised under the new framework.
Section 54f provides capital gains exemption when a taxpayer sells any long-term capital asset — other than a residential house — and uses the sale proceeds to buy or construct a new residential property.
Stocks, gold, commercial buildings, land — all of these qualify. What doesn't qualify is a residential house, which falls under Section 54 (a separate provision entirely).
The key update under the new Act:
Section 54F becomes Section 86 from April 1, 2026
The ₹10 crore cap on exemption applies from April 1, 2024 (AY 2024-25 onwards) — even if you invest more than ₹10 crore in the new house, the exemption calculation is capped at that figure
All other conditions under sec 54f continue as before
Section 54f of it act is available only to individuals and HUFs — not to companies, firms, or other entities. That's worth noting upfront because the eligibility isn't universal.
Beyond the taxpayer type, a few specific conditions must be satisfied to claim the exemption under sec 54 f:
The asset sold must be a long-term capital asset other than a residential house — held for more than 24 months (or 12 months in the case of listed securities and certain other assets)
The sale proceeds must be invested in purchasing or constructing a new residential house situated in India
The new house must be purchased within 1 year before or 2 years after the date of sale, or constructed within 3 years from the date of transfer
On the date of sale, the taxpayer must not own more than one residential house (other than the new one being purchased)
The taxpayer must not purchase another house within 2 years from the sale date, or construct another house within 3 years
If any of these conditions are violated after the exemption has been claimed, the exemption gets reversed — it becomes taxable in the year the breach occurs.
Note: Non-residents can also claim this exemption. The new residential property, however, must be in India.
Before getting into the formula, one term needs to be clear: net sale consideration is the sale value of the asset after deducting transfer-related expenses — legal fees, brokerage, commission, registration charges, and so on.
This is the figure used in the denominator of the section 54f exemption formula.
Unlike section 54 — which allows a full exemption on the amount invested — section 54f of capital gain works on a proportionate basis.
Formula: 54F Exemption = Capital Gains × (Amount Invested in New House ÷ Net Sale Consideration)
54F Exemption = Capital Gains × (Amount Invested in New House ÷ Net Sale Consideration)
When the amount invested in the new residential property exceeds ₹10 crore, the calculation caps the investment figure at ₹10 crore. This restriction has been in effect since April 1, 2024.
Mr. X sold land on 14th August 2025 for ₹5 crore. He had originally purchased the land in June 2020 for ₹50 lakhs. He does not own any residential house on the date of transfer. In August 2026, he purchases a new residential property for ₹3 crore.
Since he held the land for more than 24 months, long-term capital gains provisions apply and indexation benefit is available.
He qualifies for exemption under income tax act section 54f because:
He sold a long-term capital asset other than a residential house
He doesn't own any residential property on the date of transfer
He reinvested in a new residential house within 2 years of the sale
Capital Gains Calculation:
Particulars
Amount (₹)
Sale Consideration
5,00,00,000
Indexed Cost of Acquisition (50,00,000 × 376 ÷ 301)
62,45,847
Long-Term Capital Gains
4,37,54,152
Exempt u/s 54F: ₹4,37,54,152 × ₹3,00,00,000 ÷ ₹5,00,00,000
(2,62,52,491)
Taxable Capital Gains
1,75,01,660
The ₹3 crore investment is well within the ₹10 crore cap, so the full amount is used in the formula. The result: ₹2.62 crore is exempt, and only ₹1.75 crore remains taxable.
Capital gain section 54 and section 54f look similar on the surface. They're not. Here's where they diverge:
Basis
Section 54
Section 54F
Asset Sold
Residential house property
Any long-term capital asset except a residential house
Exemption Amount
Full amount invested in new house
Proportionate to net sale consideration (see formula)
Two-Property Option
One-time option to claim exemption on two properties (if gains ≤ ₹2 crore)
No such option available
Maximum Exemption
Up to ₹10 crore
Up to ₹10 crore (when entire sale consideration is reinvested)
Both sections share the same ₹10 crore cap introduced from April 2024. But the calculation mechanism — and the asset that triggers the exemption — is fundamentally different.
If the new residential property hasn't been purchased or constructed before the income tax return filing deadline, the taxpayer can still protect the exemption under sec 54f of income tax act by depositing the unutilised sale proceeds in the Capital Gains Account Scheme (CGAS) before the return filing due date.
The amount deposited in CGAS is treated as if it were invested in the new house — keeping the exemption intact while the actual purchase or construction is completed within the allowed time limit.
Recent updates to the scheme worth knowing:
Private sector banks and small finance banks can now accept CGAS deposits
Deposits via UPI, BHIM, NEFT, RTGS, debit cards, and credit cards are now accepted under the scheme
This flexibility is genuinely useful for taxpayers who are mid-transaction when the filing deadline arrives.
A few court decisions have settled some commonly debated questions around section 54 f of income tax act.
The taxpayer sold commercial property in 2008-09 and invested the proceeds in constructing a farmhouse, claiming ₹47.84 lakhs as exemption under sec 54f. In 2010-11, he sold five more properties and invested further in the same under-construction house, claiming another ₹1.59 crore. The Income Tax Department argued that since the taxpayer owned a let-out house in Vasant Vihar at the time of the second sale, he was ineligible. ITAT Delhi disagreed. The decision: The Vasant Vihar property was his only complete house. The farmhouse under construction didn't count as an owned residential property. The tribunal confirmed that investing in the same residential property across multiple years — from multiple sales — is permitted under section 54f of it act. Both the ₹47.84 lakh and the ₹1.59 crore exemptions were allowed.
The Income Tax Department argued that owning two separate floors in one building meant owning two residential properties — and therefore disqualified the taxpayer from section 54f exemption worth ₹90 crore. The decision: The Delhi High Court rejected this argument entirely. Owning multiple floors in a single building does not equal owning multiple house properties. The exemption was upheld.
Both cases reinforce something worth remembering: the courts have generally read 54f income tax act provisions in favour of genuine reinvestment, not technical disqualifications.
Yes. Section 54f — and its successor Section 86 under the new Act — is available under both the old and new tax regimes. Taxpayers opting for the new regime don't lose access to this exemption.
A: Section 54f of income tax act provides a capital gains tax exemption when an individual or HUF sells a long-term capital asset — other than a residential house — and reinvests the proceeds in purchasing or constructing a new residential property in India. The exemption is proportionate to the amount reinvested, capped at ₹10 crore since April 2024.
A: Capital gain section 54 applies when you sell a residential house and reinvest in another residential house — the exemption equals the amount reinvested. Section 54f applies when you sell any other long-term asset (shares, gold, land, commercial property) and reinvest in a residential house — but the exemption is calculated proportionately to the net sale consideration, not the full amount reinvested.
A: Yes. Sec 54f of income tax act is available on sale of shares, provided they qualify as long-term capital assets (held for more than 12 months for listed shares). The sale proceeds must be reinvested in a new residential house within the prescribed timelines to claim the exemption.
A: Under section 54 f of income tax act, the new residential house must be purchased within 1 year before or 2 years after the date of transfer of the original asset. If constructing a new house, it must be completed within 3 years from the date of transfer. Failure to meet these timelines results in the exemption being revoked.
A: If the new residential property purchased under section 54f is sold within 3 years of its purchase or construction, the exemption previously claimed is reversed. The exempted capital gains get added back to the taxable income in the year of sale of the new house, and tax is charged accordingly.
A: Yes. As confirmed by ITAT Delhi in ACIT v Mahinder Kumar Jain, a taxpayer can sell multiple assets — even across different years — and invest the proceeds into the same residential property, claiming section 54f of capital gain exemption each time. Each claim is evaluated independently against the eligibility conditions applicable at that point.
A: The maximum exemption under sec 54 f is effectively capped at ₹10 crore from April 1, 2024 (AY 2024-25 onwards). Even if the entire sale consideration is reinvested in a property worth more than ₹10 crore, the exemption calculation treats the investment as ₹10 crore for the purpose of the formula.
A: Yes. If the new house hasn't been purchased or constructed before the return filing deadline, the unused sale proceeds can be deposited in the Capital Gains Account Scheme (CGAS). This preserves the section 54f exemption while the actual purchase or construction is completed within the allowed time — 2 years for purchase, 3 years for construction.
A: Yes, 54f income tax act exemption is available under both the old and new tax regimes. Taxpayers who have opted for the new regime are not excluded from this benefit — the exemption mechanism and conditions remain the same regardless of the chosen regime.
A: Section 54f has been renumbered as Section 86 under the Income Tax Act, 2025, effective from April 1, 2026 (Assessment Year 2026-27). The underlying provisions — eligibility, exemption formula, time limits, and the ₹10 crore cap — remain unchanged. Taxpayers need not worry about any substantive difference; the restructuring is primarily legislative reorganisation.
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