From LPG Price Cuts to Revised Passport Fees: Major Changes From July 1

A new month always brings new updates to our personal finance routines. However, July 1 marks a particularly significant shift for Indian citizens. The government and major banking institutions have introduced a fresh wave of guidelines.

Right from kitchen budgets to international travel plans, these rules affect everything. It’s quite important to stay updated with these regulations. The main benefits include helping you manage your household cash flow effectively and getting rid of unexpected penalties.

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Key Takeaways

• LPG Relief: Commercial 19-kg LPG cylinder prices have been slashed by ₹183.50. This brings the price down to ₹2,930 in Delhi. Household domestic LPG prices remain unchanged.
• Hike In Passport Fee: Passport fees have increased for the first time in 14 years. A standard 36-page passport now costs ₹2,500, while the Tatkaal service fee has gone up to ₹5,000.
• Free Updates For Aadhar: Updating your registered email address on the Aadhaar mobile app is now entirely free for the next six months.
• Stricter Credit Card Rules : Major players like HDFC Bank and SBI Card have tightened rules around airport lounge access and reward points.
• Deadline For ITR Filing: The deadline for filing Income Tax Returns (ITR-1 and ITR-2) for the financial year 2025-26 remains July 31, 2026.

Commercial LPG Cylinder Prices Witness Big Cuts

In a major relief for small business owners, the prices of commercial LPG cylinders have dropped significantly. The price of a 19-kg commercial LPG cylinder has been cut by ₹183.50. This is the very first price reduction for commercial cylinders this year.

Following this announcement, the price of a 19-kg commercial cylinder in Kochi has been reduced from the earlier Rs. 3131 to Rs.2951. In Kozhikode, the price has come down to Rs.2,983 whereas in Trivandrum the latest price stands at Rs.2,971.5.

If we take the case of other states, in Delhi, a 19-kg commercial cylinder will now cost ₹2,930 instead of the earlier ₹3,113.50. Similar price cuts have been rolled out across all major Indian cities.

The prices dropped to ₹3,052.50 in Lucknow and ₹3,081.50 in Kolkata. This latest move will immensely benefit restaurants, eateries, and hotels. It should also help control food inflation to some extent.

Note for Households:

There is no change in the price of the 14.2-kg domestic LPG cylinders. Households will continue to pay the existing rates for their monthly cooking gas.

Hike in Passport Application Fee After 14 Years

Are you planning an international vacation or want to renew your travel documents? Be prepared to shell out more money.

The Ministry of External Affairs has revised the passport fee structure through the Passports (Amendment) Rules. This is the first major price revision implemented in roughly 14 years.

The costs for both fresh applications and reissues under normal and Tatkaal categories have increased.

The Revised Passport Fee Structure:

In addition to that, replacing a lost or damaged 36-page booklet will now cost a hefty ₹5,000 under the ordinary scheme. These financial changes from July 1 make international documentation notably more expensive for ordinary citizens.

Free Email Updates via Aadhaar Mobile App

In a citizen-friendly move, the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has announced happy news for Aadhaar holders. Starting July 1, you can update your registered email address through the official Aadhaar mobile application entirely free of cost.

Previously, users had to pay a service charge of ₹75 for this specific update. The government has waived this fee to encourage citizens to link their latest active email IDs. This helps ensure better digital security and seamless delivery of government communication.

However, this is a limited-time waiver. The service will remain free for exactly six months, ending on December 31, 2026. It is to be noted that the fee waiver is exclusively for updates done through the Aadhar mobile application.

HDFC Bank Credit Card: New Rules for Lounge Access

Airport lounge benefits are getting tighter. HDFC Bank has officially implemented a new spend-based milestone for its credit cardholders. If you want to enjoy complimentary domestic airport lounge visits, you must meet a strict spending threshold.

Cardholders must spend a minimum of ₹60,000 in the preceding calendar quarter to unlock lounge benefits for the next quarter. To keep it simple, to enjoy lounge access during the July-September quarter, you should have spent ₹60,000 or more between April and June.

This rule impacts popular cards like the Regalia Gold and Diners Club Privilege. If you have not met this spend criteria, you will be denied free entry at airport lounges.

SBI Card Alters Reward Point Programs

State Bank of India Card users will also notice shifts in their monthly statements. The bank has revised the reward points program for select PhonePe SBI Credit Cards. This includes the PhonePe SBI Credit Card PURPLE and the SELECT BLACK variants.

The new rules place a monthly cap on how many reward points you can accumulate in a billing cycle. More importantly, the bank has expanded the list of transactions that do not qualify for any reward points at all.

Spends on educational institutions, toll payments, jewellery purchases, and insurance premiums paid outside the designated platform will no longer earn rewards. These adjustments highlight how credit card perks are shrinking as part of the financial changes from July 1.

The Clock is Ticking for ITR Filing

While this is not a new rule, July 1 marks the final countdown for your annual tax compliance. In the case of taxpayers filing their Income Tax Returns under the ITR-1 and ITR-2 forms for the Financial Year 2025-26, they must submit their files by July 31.

However, for taxpayers filing ITR-3 or ITR-4 who are not subject to tax audit, the deadline has been extended to 31st August. Missing this critical deadline will attract heavy late filing fees. It will also prevent you from choosing certain beneficial tax regimes.

Furthermore, delayed filing means you cannot carry forward eligible financial losses to future assessment years. It is best to collect your Form 16 and file your taxes early to avoid the last-minute rush and technical glitches on the tax portal.

Export Duty Raised on Petrol

On the macro-economic front, the central government has increased the Special Additional Excise Duty on petrol exports. The duty has been hiked from ₹1.5 per litre to ₹4 per litre.

At the same time, the export duty on diesel has been slashed from the earlier Rs.14 per litre to Rs.8.5 per litre. Both these revised duties will remain effective for the fortnight starting July 1.

The primary goal of this policy change is to ensure a stable domestic fuel supply. It deters domestic oil manufacturing companies from exporting massive quantities of petrol to international markets to chase higher profits.

Even though this does not directly impact your daily petrol pump prices, it helps maintain national fuel reserves. However, there’s reason to cheer as Nayara Energy has cut petrol prices by Rs 5 per litre and diesel prices by Rs 3 per litre at over 7,000 fuel stations across India, effective 1st July 2026.

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Conclusion

The financial changes from July 1 bring a mixed bag of news for the common man. On one hand, commercial LPG price cuts offer substantial relief to small business owners.

The free Aadhaar email update window is also a welcome convenience. On the other hand, the sharp hike in passport fees and the tightening of credit card lounge benefits mean citizens have to plan their discretionary spending much more carefully.

With the ITR deadline also knocking at the door, July demands smart financial planning. Make sure that you review your credit card spends, update your identity documents for free, and clear your taxes on time to kick off the new quarter on a stable financial foot.