India · United States · UAE

Section 80-IAC of the Income Tax Act

A 100% profit tax deduction for eligible DPIIT-recognised startups, available for three consecutive years within an early window after incorporation. We check your eligibility, build the application, and file for the certificate.

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|800+ businesses served since 2020

What it is

A tax holiday for early-stage startups

Section 80-IAC of the Income Tax Act, 1961 lets an eligible startup claim a 100% deduction on the profits of its business for three consecutive assessment years, chosen from within an early window after incorporation. It’s designed to let a young company reinvest what it earns rather than hand a share of it over in tax during the years it needs cash most.

Eligibility depends on the entity’s incorporation date falling inside the window the government currently prescribes, its legal structure, an annual turnover cap, and a genuinely innovative or scalable business model — certified by the Inter-Ministerial Board. Because the incorporation window and other conditions are revised from time to time, we confirm the current position before you apply rather than assume an older one still holds.

What the Board looks for
  • Incorporation as a Private Limited Company or LLP, within the currently prescribed window
  • DPIIT recognition as a startup, held before applying
  • Annual turnover under the prescribed cap
  • A business built on innovation, or a scalable model with high growth potential
  • Certification from the Inter-Ministerial Board

Who this is for

Early-stage, DPIIT-recognised startups

Innovation-led startups

Building a genuinely new product

Companies developing a novel product, process or service, not simply repackaging an existing one.

Scalable business models

High growth, high employment potential

Businesses whose model is built to scale and create jobs, even without a purely novel product.

Profitable early startups

Ready to use the deduction

The benefit only has value once there’s taxable profit — most useful once a startup starts turning one.

What Indefine handles

Eligibility check to certificate in hand

Eligibility and window check

Confirming the current incorporation window, turnover cap and structure requirements apply to you.

DPIIT recognition

Where you’re not yet DPIIT-recognised, we handle that registration first.

Application build

Business case, financials and pitch deck prepared for the Startup India portal filing.

Documentation

Certificate of incorporation, MOA/LLP deed, financial statements and returns assembled correctly.

Inter-Ministerial Board liaison

Responding to any clarifications the Board raises during review.

Assessment-year planning

Advising which three years to claim, based on where your profits are likely to land.

How it works

Four steps to certification

We confirm eligibility

Incorporation window, structure and turnover checked against current rules.

We secure DPIIT recognition

If not already in place, handled before the 80-IAC filing.

We build and submit the application

Documentation prepared and filed on the Startup India portal.

We track it to approval

Board queries answered, certificate secured, assessment years planned.

800+
Businesses served
3
Countries · IN · US · UAE
Since 2020
Founded in Bangalore
CA-led
Qualified chartered accountants

FAQ

Questions companies ask first.

Can I choose which three years to claim the deduction?

Yes. The three consecutive assessment years can be chosen from anywhere within the eligible window after incorporation, so it’s worth planning them around when you expect profits to peak.

Is DPIIT recognition the same as the 80-IAC certificate?

No. DPIIT recognition is the entry requirement for startup status; the 80-IAC tax exemption certificate is a separate approval from the Inter-Ministerial Board that you apply for after recognition.

Does every startup qualify?

No — eligibility turns on the incorporation date falling inside the currently prescribed window, the entity’s legal structure, a turnover cap, and a genuine innovation or scalability test. We check your position against the current rules before filing.

Let’s talk

Tell us what you need.

A short call to understand where you stand and how we would run this for you. No obligation.

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