Archive · 6 Oct 2026
When Landlords Can Exclude Unpaid Rent From Taxable Income
If a tenant does not pay rent, the landlord may sometimes leave that unpaid amount out of the rent used for tax calculations.
The landlord must show that the rental agreement was genuine.
The tenant must have left, or the landlord must have taken steps to make them leave.
The tenant also must not be living in another property owned by that landlord.
The landlord must try to recover the money through legal steps, unless those steps would be futile.
Just missing a rent payment is not enough to qualify.
If the tenant pays the money later, it is counted as income in the year it is received.
The article says a 30% deduction is allowed on that recovered amount.
Section 21(4) of the Income Tax Act, 2025, allows qualifying unrealised rent to be excluded when calculating actual rent received or receivable.
Rule 21 of the Income-Tax Rules, 2026, requires a bona fide tenancy and that the tenant has vacated or steps have been taken to make them leave.
The tenant must not occupy another property belonging to the landlord, who must take reasonable legal steps to recover the rent or show proceedings would be futile.
The article’s example says four months of unpaid rent at ₹25,000 per month totals ₹1 lakh, which may qualify for deduction if the rules are met.
Rent recovered later is taxable as house-property income in the year received, with a 30% deduction permitted, even if the recipient no longer owns the property.
- Who
- House owners with tenants who have failed to pay rent.
- What
- Qualifying unpaid rent may be excluded from current rental income for tax purposes; recovered rent is taxable in the year received, with a 30% deduction.
- When
- The exclusion applies when the qualifying rent is unpaid; later recovery is taxed in the tax year it is received.
- Where
- Under India’s Income Tax Act, 2025, and Income-Tax Rules, 2026.
- Why
- To determine when rent that cannot be recovered can be treated as unrealised rent rather than included in current taxable rental income.
Taxpayer relief
Eligibility safeguards
Treatment of unpaid rent
Taxpayer relief
A landlord may exclude qualifying unrealised rent when computing actual rent received or receivable.
Eligibility safeguards
Nonpayment alone does not qualify; the landlord must meet the prescribed conditions and retain evidence.
Rent recovered later
Taxpayer relief
A 30% deduction is permitted on rent recovered subsequently.
Eligibility safeguards
The remaining recovered amount is treated as house-property income in the year received, even if the taxpayer no longer owns the property.
- Relevant exclusion provision
- Section 21(4), Income Tax Act, 2025
- Conditions for unrealised rent
- Set out in Rule 21 of the Income-Tax Rules, 2026
- Later recovery
- Section 23 treats recovered arrears or unrealised rent as house-property income in the year received.
- Deduction on recovered rent
- 30% of the recovered amount
- Example monthly rent
- ₹25,000
- Example unpaid period and total
- Four months; ₹1 lakh
- Expert quoted
- Mihir Tanna, Associate Director (Direct Tax), S K Patodia & Associates LLP