Not up to ₹200 per meal. From 1 April 2026, Rule 15(5)(a) treats employer-provided meals and non-transferable food vouchers as nil perquisite up to that limit, under both regimes. Value above ₹200 per meal is taxable. So is any cash food allowance. Check the conditions on working hours and eating joints.

It is per meal. The ₹1,05,600 yearly total is an illustration based on two meals a day, 22 working days and 12 months. It is not a ceiling written into the rule. Your payroll should value each meal against ₹200, and your own policy may set a lower monthly cap.

No. A cash food allowance is fully taxable, whatever the label. The relief covers food and non-alcoholic beverages given during working hours at the premises, or through non-transferable vouchers usable only at eating joints.

For income earned in FY 2025-26, the older rules apply. The limit is ₹50 per meal, and the benefit was not available to new-regime employees. The ₹200 limit and the removal of the new-regime bar apply from FY 2026-27, also called Tax Year 2026-27.

Yes. Under the Income-tax Rules, 2026, gifts, vouchers or tokens from an employer are nil perquisite if their total value is ₹15,000 or less in the tax year. The old figure was ₹5,000. This is a separate provision from the meal rule, so ask your tax advisor how both apply to your policy.