14 free tools every Indian founder should bookmark

Running a startup in India means making a steady stream of decisions you're not trained for — when to claim a tax holiday, what a funding round does to your tax position, whether you've missed a compliance deadline. These free tools answer those questions in a couple of minutes each. No login wall, no credit card. Bookmark the page.

Grants & eligibility

DPIIT recognition benefit calculator — estimates the combined value of DPIIT recognition for your specific startup, so you can see what you're leaving on the table. Start here; recognition gates most other benefits. (More in what DPIIT recognition unlocks.)

80-IAC success-probability scorer — gauges your odds of approval for the three-year tax holiday before you invest effort in the application.

PLI scheme eligibility checker — tells you whether your manufacturing or production activity fits a Production Linked Incentive scheme.

State startup policy comparison — lines up state incentives side by side, useful when choosing where to register or expand. (See subsidies by state.)

Tax & fundraising

Funding round tax-impact calculator — models what a round does to your tax position before you close it.

ESOP lifecycle tax calculator — maps the tax at each ESOP stage so you can design employee equity that actually works.

Angel-tax exemption checklist — walks through your angel-tax position for the relevant years. (Background in angel tax after the 2024 abolition.)

R&D deduction calculator — estimates what your research spend yields under Section 35.

Rule 11UA valuation calculator — helps you understand fair-market-value methodology when issuing shares.

Section 79 loss carry-forward tool — checks whether your losses survive a change in shareholding after a raise.

Startup GST rate finder — pins down the GST rate that applies to what you sell.

Compliance & readiness

Startup compliance calendar — the deadlines you can't afford to miss, in one place. Arguably the single most useful bookmark on this list.

MCA compliance health score — a quick read on your ROC/MCA standing so nothing's quietly overdue.

Seed funding readiness score — an honest check on how fundable you look before you start pitching.

How to use them together

These tools answer point questions. The bigger question — which grants, subsidies, and tax benefits does my specific company qualify for, and in what order should I pursue them? — is what BenefitStack's free report answers. Tell us about your business once and get a ranked list of every central and state scheme you qualify for, with amounts, timelines, and documents. The tools sharpen individual decisions; the report gives you the whole map. Both are free, and there's no success fee on anything you receive.