Flexible Benefits
Omnivoo allows you to allocate a portion of your CTC towards flexible benefit components. By choosing how your allowances are structured, you can optimize your tax savings while staying within statutory limits.
Accessing Flexible Benefits
The Flexible Benefits plan is not in the sidebar. Open it by its direct link (at /my-flexible-benefits) while you are logged in to your Omnivoo account. The page header shows Flexible Benefits Plan with the subtitle FY 2025-26 · Allocate your flexible benefits components (the financial year is shown in FY YYYY-YY format), and your allocation status badge (Draft, Submitted, Approved, or Locked).
Benefit Components
Eight components are available, each shown as a card with a description and a rupee amount input:
| Component | Description | Hint shown on the card |
|---|---|---|
| HRA | House Rent Allowance | - |
| LTA | Leave Travel Allowance | Tax-exempt for 2 trips per 4-year block |
| Meal Allowance | Meal vouchers | Annual limit: Rs 26,400 |
| Internet Allowance | Work-from-home internet | - |
| Telephone | Phone reimbursement | - |
| Fuel | Fuel / transport | - |
| Education | Children education | Annual limit: Rs 2,400 |
| NPS | National Pension Scheme | Additional deduction limit: Rs 50,000 |
The hints are guidance to help you stay within the tax-exempt limit for that component. The amount the form actually enforces is the total budget, not each individual component (see below).
The total you can allocate across all flexible components is capped by the flexible portion of your CTC. The remaining amount is paid as Special Allowance, which is fully taxable.
How Allocation Works
Allocation Progress
At the top of the page, a progress bar shows your overall allocation status:
- Total Allocated vs Max Allowable -- e.g., Rs 1,50,000 / Rs 3,00,000
- Remaining -- Max Allowable minus Total Allocated. It is shown in red when it goes negative (you have over-allocated).
- The progress bar fills as you increase your total allocation across all components, turning red if you exceed the maximum.
Over-Allocation Prevention
The system prevents you from submitting an allocation that goes over your total flexible budget. Submit is blocked only when your Total Allocated is greater than your Max Allowable -- a total exactly equal to Max Allowable (with Remaining at Rs 0) is still allowed. If your total goes over the maximum:
- The Submit Benefits Plan button is disabled.
- The progress bar turns red.
- A warning appears below the progress bar, in red: "Total allocation exceeds the maximum allowable amount. Please reduce your allocations."
- Reduce one or more component allocations to bring the total back within the allowed range.
The form enforces only the total budget, not a hard limit on each component. The per-component figures shown as hints (for example Meal Allowance Rs 26,400) are the amounts that stay tax-exempt. Going above a component's hint does not block submission, but the excess may be taxable, so it is best to keep each component within its hint.
Submitting Your Allocation
- Enter your preferred amount for each benefit component. Each component is displayed as a card with a description and an amount input field showing the Rupee symbol.
- Review the Summary card at the bottom of the form, which shows:
- Total Allocated -- sum of all your component allocations
- Max Allowable -- your total flexible budget
- Remaining -- how much is left to allocate
- Click Submit Benefits Plan.
- A green confirmation, "Benefits plan updated successfully", appears at the top of the form. Your allocation status moves from Draft to Submitted.
Status Flow
Your benefit allocation progresses through the following stages:
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Draft | You are still editing your allocation. You can make changes freely. |
| Submitted | Your allocation has been submitted for approval. You can still edit the amounts and re-submit while the status is Submitted. |
| Approved | Your employer or Omnivoo has approved the allocation. It will be applied to your salary structure. |
| Locked | The allocation is locked for the financial year. No further changes are possible. |
Submit your flexible benefit allocation early in the financial year so it can be approved before your payroll is processed. Once the plan is approved, the form locks for the rest of the year.
When the Form Locks
The flexible benefits form disables every amount field and greys out the Submit Benefits Plan button once your allocation reaches one of these two statuses:
- Approved -- Once your employer or Omnivoo approves the allocation, all amount fields are disabled and Submit is greyed out. The approved breakdown is applied to your salary structure.
- Locked -- The allocation is locked for the financial year and no further changes are possible.
While your allocation is still Draft or Submitted, every amount field stays editable and you can save your changes again.
Impact on Your Salary
Once your allocation is approved:
- Your monthly payslip reflects the chosen breakdown (e.g., higher HRA, Meal Allowance line items).
- The unallocated flexible amount is paid as Special Allowance, which is fully taxable.
- TDS is recalculated based on the new salary structure.
Tips for Optimal Allocation
- HRA - Allocate this if you pay rent. You will declare your rent details (and landlord PAN, when your annual rent exceeds Rs 1,00,000) in your Investment Declaration.
- Meal Allowance - Keep it within the Rs 26,400 hint to stay tax-free.
- Education - If you have children, the Rs 2,400 hint is a small, easy tax saving.
- NPS - Allocating to NPS through the employer route can give you an additional deduction under Section 80CCD(2).
For questions about your flexible benefits, contact contact@omnivoo.com.