Tax Consultant
1611 Points
Posted on 12 June 2026
Whether your agricultural land sale is taxable depends on whether it qualifies as rural under the Income Tax Act definition.
Rural agricultural land is NOT a capital asset under Section 2(14)(iii) and there is NO capital gains tax. It also does not need to be reported in Schedule CG of your ITR.
Definition of rural agricultural land:
- More than 2 km from the boundary of a municipality or cantonment with population between 10,000 and 99,999
- More than 6 km from the boundary of a municipality or cantonment with population between 1 lakh and 9,99,999
- More than 8 km from the boundary of a municipality or cantonment with population 10 lakh and above
If your land falls WITHIN these distance limits, it is urban agricultural land, which IS a capital asset. The gain would be taxable as short-term or long-term capital gain depending on the holding period.
Even for exempt rural land, the sale proceeds may appear in your AIS from the registrar. You should acknowledge this in the AIS feedback (mark it as correct) to prevent an automated notice under Section 143(1).
For the full rules on agricultural income exemptions, partial integration, and how Section 10(1) works, this [agricultural income tax guide for AY 2026-27](https://taxgarden.in/blog/agricultural-income-tax-india-section-10-1-partial-integration-ay-2026-27) covers all the scenarios.