Income Tax NUDGE Initiative for wrong HRA claims helped recovered Rs 119 Cr

The Economic Survey 2025-26 said that the government used messages and gentle reminders to improve tax collection. By studying tax data, officials identified people who were likely making wrong claims for House Rent Allowance (HRA).

Instead of strict action, the tax department sent targeted messages and nudges asking them to correct their claims. This encouraged voluntary compliance, and as a result, the government collected an extra Rs. 119 crore in taxes.

The Economic Survey added, “Targeted nudges led to a reduction in incorrect House Rent Allowance (HRA) claims, resulting in additional tax collections of over Rs 119 crore.”

What do you mean by Nudge?

The Income Tax Department introduced the NUDGE (Non-intrusive Usage of Data to Guide and Enable) strategy this financial year to encourage better taxpayer compliance. The approach uses data analytics and gentle reminders to guide taxpayers toward correct reporting instead of relying on strict penalties.

The NUDGE aims to promote voluntary compliance and help taxpayers rectify errors proactively which makes the tax system more cooperative and efficient rather than punitive.

Here’s how Nudge exposed wrong income tax deduction claims:

1. 80GGC (Political party donation)

Nudges regarding deductions claimed under the Section 80GGC approach led to a large-scale correction of claims, with more than 91,000 taxpayers filing their updated returns, leading to the huge deduction claims amounting to nearly Rs. 2,050 crore and additional tax payments exceeding Rs. 680 crore.

2. Foreign assets and income

The Foreign Asset Campaign’s nudge approach led to a strong taxpayer response, with around 25,000 individuals revising their income tax returns.

More than 61 per cent of those contacted complied with the nudges, resulting in the disclosure of foreign assets valued at over Rs. 29,000 crore and foreign income exceeding Rs. 1,000 crore. A large portion of these disclosures came through belated return filings.

3. TDS return filing and non-genuine agricultural income

Nudges have upgraded third-party reporting and enhanced the accuracy of Tax Deducted at Source (TDS) filings. As a result, more than 8,500 deductors revised their TDS returns, which led to the inclusion of over 1.08 crore additional deductees. This corrective action brought nearly Rs. 4,825 crore of extra TDS into the tax system.

The initiative also enabled the detection of misreported income through advanced data analytics. Non-genuine agricultural income around Rs. 2,038.02 crore was identified across 310 entities and capital gains worth Rs. 33,057.28 crore earned via Offer for Sale (OFS) during Initial Public Offerings (IPOs) were brought to light.

The NUDGE initiative has reduced disputes, litigation, and compliance burdens for both taxpayers and the tax authorities, while simultaneously improving revenue collection through voluntary participation.