Questions with actual answers.
The things an offer letter, a lease or a payslip assumes you already know. Each one ends at the tool that does the arithmetic.
- Should you take a higher basic salary or higher allowances?Two offers at the same CTC can pay very differently depending on where basic pay sits. What a higher basic actually changes in India, why employers often prefer it low, and how to read the split on your own offer.13 August 2026
- How much EMI can you actually afford on your salary?Every answer online is a percentage: 30%, 40%, 50/30/20. All of them are guesses about a life they cannot see. What lenders actually check, where the rules of thumb come from, and how to work out your own number.13 August 2026
- Why are security deposits so high in Bengaluru?Ten months in Bengaluru, two in Delhi, on the same flat at the same rent. Why the gap exists, what the law actually says, and what a large deposit costs you even though you get it back.13 August 2026
- Why is provident fund deducted twice from your CTC?Your payslip shows one PF deduction, your CTC contains two. Why the employer contribution sits inside the number you were offered, what the ₹15,000 wage ceiling changes, and why your in-hand is lower than CTC ÷ 12 by more than tax.13 August 2026
- Is gratuity part of your CTC, or on top of it?Your offer letter puts gratuity inside the CTC. Whether it belongs there is genuinely disputed, and the answer changes what your offer is worth. What it is, when you get it, and what to check before you sign.12 August 2026