New Delhi, January 17, 2026, 14:41 (IST)
- NDTV reported that the Finance Ministry is weighing the introduction of an optional joint taxation system for married couples.
- ICAI’s proposal calls for distinct tax slabs for joint filers, designed to reduce the burden on households with a single income.
- ICAI is accepting registrations for its forensic accounting and fraud detection assessment test until Jan. 17. The online exam is scheduled for Jan. 24.
India’s finance ministry is mulling an optional joint taxation system for married couples ahead of the Union Budget, NDTV reported on Jan. 16. 1
The idea has gained traction amid tax changes dominating pre-budget discussions, with households eager for relief that hits their take-home pay right away. Moving to joint filing would also break from India’s longstanding practice of taxing spouses separately.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is set to present the Budget on Sunday, Feb. 1, at 11 a.m. in the Lok Sabha, according to The Week. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju confirmed the session will run from January 28, 2026, through April 2, 2026. 2
Under joint taxation, couples would merge their incomes and file a single income-tax return (ITR), instead of submitting two separate ones. They could also choose to stick with the current system. NDTV reported the plan would mandate both spouses have PANs — Permanent Account Numbers, India’s tax identifiers — and is modeled after joint-filing systems in countries like the United States and Germany.
The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) has pushed for an elective joint-taxation system in its pre-budget recommendations, Business Today reported. The plan includes a distinct slab structure for couples filing jointly. One proposed model would double the basic exemption limit to 800,000 rupees, with the highest 30% tax rate kicking in above 4.8 million rupees of combined income. 3
Karthik Narayan, vice president for title, tax and transition at Stellar Innovations, described the issue as a current, tangible challenge. “Today, the tax burden—shared in practice—is largely borne by individual salary earners,” he said, according to Business Today.
In a Jan. 13 Economic Times piece, practising chartered accountant Suresh Surana made the case for an elective joint tax regime with distinct slabs. He said this would better capture a household’s real paying capacity, especially when one spouse’s exemptions and lower slabs go unutilised. 4
But the mechanics could get complicated. Upstox said tax experts pointed out risks of misuse, along with worries over financial independence and fair treatment of spouses. Business Today highlighted that India’s PAN-based filing, tax-deduction-at-source system, and slab structure would require careful overhauls to prevent disputes and revenue losses. 5
On a separate note, ICAI has imposed a tighter deadline for its Certificate Course on Forensic Accounting and Fraud Detection (FAFD). The online assessment test is scheduled for Jan. 24, per an ICAI notification. Registrations and the mandatory “face registration”—a one-time webcam identity verification—must be completed by Jan. 17 at 5:30 p.m. 6
Taxscan, which first highlighted the deadline this week, said the test will run from 10 a.m. to 12 noon on ICAI’s Digital Learning Hub. Late log-ins won’t be allowed after 10:59 a.m. Eligibility requires an active ICAI membership number, minimum marks on module tests and project work, and completion of the professional training batch by Dec. 31, 2025. 7
The ICAI notification stated that face-registration approval may take between 24 and 48 hours, a crucial timeframe given the approaching cut-off. It also imposed a re-appearance fee of 500 rupees plus 18% GST for members who missed earlier attempts, while first-time candidates are exempt from any assessment fee.
