Business
How Costly A House Should You Buy & How Much EMI Is Best? The 5-20-3-40 Formula Will Guide You
For most people, the dream of buying a house goes hand in hand with the fear of overwhelming debt. Home loans may have made ownership easier, but many buyers still struggle with questions of affordability: How expensive should the house be? How much down payment is enough? How big should the loan be? To answer this, financial experts point to a simple but effective calculation: the 5-20-3-40 formula. (News18 Hindi)

This four-part rule lays out the balance between income, down payment, loan amount, and monthly installments in clear terms. It begins with the 5 percent cushion, which suggests that a buyer should always keep at least five percent of the property’s value in cash. On a Rs 50 lakh house, that comes to Rs 2.5 lakh readily available to manage initial costs or emergencies. (News18 Hindi)

The second component is the 20 percent principle, which emphasises that a buyer should ideally cover one-fifth of the home’s cost upfront, keeping the loan capped at 80 percent of the property’s price. Financial planners say this step is crucial because it reduces the interest burden and shortens the repayment period. (News18 Hindi)

The third measure, known as the 3X rule, links the value of the house to the buyer’s income. The advice is straightforward: never buy a house priced at more than three times your annual earnings. So, someone making Rs 15 lakh a year would be safe purchasing a home worth Rs 45 lakh, but stretching beyond that amount risks straining long-term finances. (News18 Hindi)

Finally comes the 40 percent ceiling, which applies to EMIs. The formula warns against committing more than 40 percent of monthly income to loan repayment. For a buyer earning Rs 1 lakh a month, the EMI should not exceed Rs 40,000. Staying within this limit ensures there is still room to manage daily expenses, savings, and unexpected costs. (News18 Hindi)

Taken together, the formula provides a realistic picture of what a person can afford. Consider an example: a professional earning Rs 15 lakh annually wishes to buy a house worth Rs 45 lakh. According to the formula, they should have Rs 2.25 lakh in cash for the initial cushion, make a down payment of Rs 9 lakh, borrow no more than Rs 36 lakh, and limit their EMI to around Rs 30,000 a month. In this case, the purchase falls comfortably within all the recommended limits, leaving the buyer financially secure while pursuing home ownership. (News18 Hindi)

Experts stress, however, that while the 5-20-3-40 formula offers a valuable framework, it should not be treated as an unbreakable law. Each household has its own financial realities, whether that includes children’s education, health care needs, or investment goals. The formula is best used as a guide, a way to set boundaries that prevent overextension, while still allowing flexibility depending on individual circumstances. (News18 Hindi)
Business
Gross GST collections for November stand at over Rs 1.70 lakh crore; up 0.7 per cent – The Times of India
GST collections: The Gross Goods and Services Tax (GST) collections for the month of November came in at over Rs 1.70 lakh crore. This is a rise of 0.7%, according to official data.SBI Research in a report in November had estimated that the gross domestic GST collections may come around Rs 1.49 lakh crore for November 25 (returns of October 25 but filed in Nov’25), a YoY growth of 6.8%.“Coupled with Rs 51,000 crore of IGST and cess on Import, the November GST collections thus could cross Rs 2.0 lakh crore, driven by the peak festive season demand led by lower GST rate and increased compliance while most of states experience positive gains,” SBI Research had said.This story is being updated
Business
Key Financial Deadlines That Have Been Extended For December 2025; Know The Last Date
New Delhi: Several crucial deadlines have been extended in December 2025, including ITR for tax audit cases, ITR filing and PAN and Aadhaar linking. These deadlines will be crucial in ensuring that your financial affairs operate smoothly in the months ahead.
Here is a quick rundown of the important deadlines for December to help you stay compliant and avoid last-minute hassles.
ITR deadline for tax audit cases
The Central Board of Direct Taxes has extended the due date of furnishing of return of income under sub-Section (1) of Section 139 of the Act for the Assessment Year 2025-26 which is October 31, 2025 in the case of assessees referred in clause (a) of Explanation 2 to sub-Section (1) of Section 139 of the Act, to December 10, 2025.
Belated ITR filing deadline
A belated ITR filing happens when an ITR is submitted after the original due date which is permitted by Section 139(4) of the Income Tax Act. Filing a belated return helps you meet your tax obligations, but it involves penalties. You can only file a belated return for FY 2024–25 until December 31, 2025. However, there will be a late fee and interest charged.
PAN and Aadhaar linking deadline
The Income Tax Department has extended the deadline to link their PAN with Aadhaar card to December 31, 2025 for anyone who acquired their PAN using an Aadhaar enrolment ID before October 1, 2024. If you miss this deadline your PAN will become inoperative which will have an impact on your banking transactions, income tax return filing and other financial investments.
Business
Stock Market Live Updates: Sensex, Nifty Hit Record Highs; Bank Nifty Climbs 60,000 For The First Time
Stock Market News Live Updates: Indian equity benchmarks opened with a strong gap-up on Monday, December 1, touching fresh record highs, buoyed by a sharp acceleration in Q2FY26 GDP growth to a six-quarter peak of 8.2%. Positive cues from Asian markets further lifted investor sentiment.
The BSE Sensex was trading at 85,994, up 288 points or 0.34%, after touching an all-time high of 86,159 in early deals. The Nifty 50 stood at 26,290, higher by 87 points or 0.33%, after scaling a record intraday high of 26,325.8.
Broader markets also saw gains, with the Midcap index rising 0.27% and the Smallcap index advancing 0.52%.
On the sectoral front, the Nifty Bank hit a historic milestone by crossing the 60,000 mark for the first time, gaining 0.4% to touch a fresh peak of 60,114.05.
Meanwhile, the Metal and PSU Bank indices climbed 0.8% each in early trade.
Global cues
Asia-Pacific markets were mostly lower on Monday as traders assessed fresh Chinese manufacturing data and increasingly priced in the likelihood of a US Federal Reserve rate cut later this month.
According to the CME FedWatch Tool, markets are now assigning an 87.4 per cent probability to a rate cut at the Fed’s December 10 meeting.
China’s factory activity unexpectedly slipped back into contraction in November, with the RatingDog China General Manufacturing PMI by S&P Global easing to 49.9, below expectations of 50.5, as weak domestic demand persisted.
Japan’s Nikkei 225 slipped 1.6 per cent, while the broader Topix declined 0.86 per cent. In South Korea, the Kospi dropped 0.30 per cent and Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 was down 0.31 per cent.
US stock futures were steady in early Asian trade after a positive week on Wall Street. On Friday, in a shortened post-Thanksgiving session, the Nasdaq Composite climbed 0.65 per cent to 23,365.69, its fifth consecutive day of gains.
The S&P 500 rose 0.54 per cent to 6,849.09, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average added 289.30 points, or 0.61 per cent, to close at 47,716.42.
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