Professional Tax for Freelancers by State | Naukri Mitra
Riya had been freelancing as a graphic designer in Bengaluru for three years when a notice from the state commercial tax department landed in her inbox. She had filed her income tax returns on time every year, paid advance tax, even registered for GST once her billing crossed the threshold. Professional tax, however, was a line item she had never heard of. Her first reaction was panic; her second was confusion, because a friend in Noida doing the exact same kind of freelance work had never received anything similar. That contradiction is the whole story of professional tax in India — it is real, it is enforceable, and it is almost entirely dependent on which state and city you happen to be billing from. This guide breaks down professional tax for freelancers India-wide, state by state, so you know exactly where you stand instead of guessing based on a friend's experience in a different city. What Is Professional Tax and Is It Different From Income Tax? Professional tax is a...