https://www.taxtmi.com/highlights?id=101203 House Rent Allowance exemption under Section 10(13A) turns on actual expenditure on rent for residential accommodation occupied by the assessee. Where the employer paid rent directly to the landlord but recovered the same amount from the employee's salary, the arrangement was treated as the employee bearing the rent himself, not as rent-free accommodation. The Court held that the mode of payment did not matter; the decisive test was whether rent expenditure was actually incurred. The Tribunal erred in denying the exemption, and the assessee's claim was allowed. en-us Mon, 29 Jun 2026 09:28:31 +0530 Mon, 29 Jun 2026 09:28:36 +0530 TaxTMI RSS Generator https://www.taxtmi.com/highlights?id=101203 House Rent Allowance exemption under Section 10(13A) turns on actual expenditure on rent for residential accommodation occupied by the assessee. Where the employer paid rent directly to the landlord but recovered the same amount from the employee's salary, the arrangement was treated as the employee bearing the rent himself, not as rent-free accommodation. The Court held that the mode of payment did not matter; the decisive test was whether rent expenditure was actually incurred. The Tribunal erred in denying the exemption, and the assessee's claim was allowed. Highlights Income Tax Mon, 29 Jun 2026 09:28:31 +0530 https://www.taxtmi.com/highlights?id=101203