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Creators & Freelancers

Rates, taxes & money for the self-employed

Working for yourself changes the money maths entirely — no fixed salary, no employer PF, and taxes and expenses you handle yourself. These tools are built for India's freelancers, creators and consultants: work out the rate you should actually charge, what you really keep, and how to plan when there's no HR department doing it for you.

Price your work, then plan the tax

Start with the freelance rate calculator: it works back from the income you need, your expenses and the hours you can realistically bill, so your rate covers holidays, slow months and tax. Creators earning from YouTube can use the YouTube money calculator to see what actually reaches the bank after the platform's share, US withholding and Indian tax.

Tax and GST for self-employed income

Freelance and creator income is business or professional income, so there is no standard deduction, but genuine work expenses can be claimed. Clients may deduct TDS, which you get back by filing a return if your tax is lower. GST registration is required once your turnover from services crosses the threshold, and earnings from foreign clients can be treated as exports.

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