When the transaction value crosses ₹2 lakh, jewellers typically request a pan card for gold purchase disclosure. Two distinct legal provisions apply.

On 1 July 2017, India moved to a unified indirect tax system through the Goods and Services Tax (GST), replacing earlier state and central levies applicable to gold purchases. Before this transition, the pre-GST gold tax history included multiple components such as state VAT, central excise duty and service tax on making charges, which varied across states.

One of the biggest fears that keeps many buyers at the counter is if a ring that is stamped 925 is somehow not real silver. It is.  The pure silver vs sterling silver question is really about two numbers. Pure silver (also called fine silver) is 99.9% silver (999). Sterling silver is 92.5% silver (925) and copper is added to give it strength. Both are real. They just have different jobs. Silver has traded above Rs 2 lakh a kilogram this year, so there is real money at stake, whether the plan is for a bracelet, an investment bar or ornaments that might one day secure a loan from a lender such as IIFL Finance. This guide covers what each grade is, their common uses, a side-by-side table, which suits jewellery, which suits investment, and how BIS hallmarks settle purity on the spot.

Indian law has recognised a woman's exclusive wealth for generations; it called it stridhan long before the modern discussion of financial independence. Digital gold for women reflects a shift in form rather than principle. It represents gold purchased digitally in an individual’s name, typically backed by vaulted physical metal stored by a custodian, and accessible through an online platform.

Gold loan end-use monitoring is better understood as a record-checking process. It may apply differently depending on whether a loan supports consumption needs, business activity, farming, education, medical expenses or another declared purpose. The lender may ask for documents that support the purpose and repayment plan, subject to the loan type, amount, borrower profile and policy.

A gold loan for farmers during monsoon season may help bridge seasonal cash-flow gaps when input costs arrive before crop income. The fit depends on eligible gold collateral, KYC, valuation, repayment comfort, crop cycle and lender policy. It should not be read as a fixed funding promise for every farmer or every farm expense.

Summer business gold loan strategies should start with cash-flow planning, not the highest loan amount available against jewellery. Seasonal businesses may need funds for stock, repairs, wages, packaging, supplier payments or demand spikes before customer collections arrive. A gold loan may be considered only when eligible collateral, repayment comfort and lender terms fit the business cycle.

In May 2026, the customs duty on gold imports jumped from 6% to 15% overnight, and suddenly every traveller with a Dubai shopping plan wanted the rulebook. The rulebook exists, and the FEMA gold import India framework is its spine: the Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999 works alongside the Customs Act and DGFT trade notifications to govern every gram of gold that crosses an Indian border, in either direction. Get it right and the process is a form and a duty payment. Get it wrong and the metal can be seized, with penalties stacked on top. This guide covers who may import gold commercially, the passenger allowance table by traveller category, the export rules for carrying gold abroad, the current duty arithmetic with a worked example, and what lawful sourcing means when that gold is later pledged for a loan.

Two shops, the same 10-gram bangle, two bills that differ by thousands of rupees. The gold rate was identical at both counters; what moved the number was the making-charge structure, and the flat vs percentage making charges question is exactly the one most buyers never think to ask. One shop quoted a fixed rupee amount per gram. The other quoted a percentage of the gold's value, and with 22K gold around ₹13,190 a gram in mid-2026, a percentage of anything gold-related is a large number. The structure you accept can matter more than your haggling skills. This guide defines making charges, works both structures on the same piece at today's prices, sets out when each one wins, explains the GST billing wrinkle that quietly changes the tax rate, and covers what making charges mean when the jewellery is later pledged for a gold loan.

A father credits digital gold to his daughter's account on Dhanteras and a question follows the gift out of the app: does the taxman want a share? The gift tax digital gold rules give a clean two-part answer. Gifts to specified relatives, spouse, parents, children and a defined wider circle, are fully exempt from income tax with no upper rupee limit. Gifts from non-relatives stay tax-free only while the year's total sits at ₹50,000 or below; cross that line and the entire value becomes taxable income for the recipient. Between those two rules lies everything a gifting family needs, and this guide walks the full route: what counts as digital gold for tax purposes, the ₹50,000 mechanics with a worked example, the complete specified-relatives list, the capital gains treatment when the gifted gold is eventually sold, and the ITR reporting steps for both sides of the gift.