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GST for freelancers/agencies in India

kochubei_valeria
Community Member

Upwork is now collecting General Service Tax (GST) Identification Numbers for freelancers and agencies located in India. We are not currently implementing any tax collection. The GST rules in India are complex, and Upwork is currently working to determine how the GST rules apply to all Indian freelancer and agency transactions being facilitated through Upwork’s platform. At this time, we are only collecting GST ID Numbers. 

 

We have sent an email to freelancers and agencies located in India notifying them of this update. If you have a GST ID number, we ask you to click the link provided in the email to update your taxpayer identification information. Or you can input the information by going to your “User Settings” and then “Tax Information.” Once you input your taxpayer identification number, this system will confirm that we have received your number.  The system will also let you respond to indicate that you do not have a GST ID number if you are not registered.

 

If you have any questions about GST or Tax IDs, we recommend that you consult a tax advisor to determine how the law applies in your specific case.

140 Comments
kamalkolkata
Community Member

but i dont have an GSTIN number so can i select there "I am not registered with GSTIN". Would it anyway stop me from getting payment. As you said that we pay GST to our other vendors. I have no problem in paying GST for your services. But how will you collect? 

bijujx0a
Community Member

Hi Munedra,

I pay income tax every year. My earning is less  6 L anuualy. Do I need to register for GSTIN ?.

sunnyjaryal7
Community Member

Is it compulsory to provide GSTIN details for Indian freelancers? 

a_sri_ram
Community Member

I am a freelancer from India.Can I put my GSTIN under "I am not registered under GST"?Will this stop me from withdrawing my funds.Please reply

g_vasilevski
Retired Team Member

Hi Dharmender,

 

Did you mean that you don't have a GST number at the moment? If you do not currently have a GST number, you may wish to consult with a trusted tax expert or advisor. Upwork cannot provide tax advice. Thank you.

VladimirG
Community Manager

Hi Amit,

 

If you do not currently have a GST number, you may wish to consult with a trusted tax expert or advisor. Upwork cannot provide tax advice. You can find more information in the previous conversation on this announcement thread and in this Help article.

iaabraham
Community Member

Vladimir G wrote:

Hi Amit,

 

If you do not currently have a GST number, you may wish to consult with a trusted tax expert or advisor. Upwork cannot provide tax advice. You can find more information in the previous conversation on this announcement thread and in this Help article.


Hi Vladimir, I am in the process of setting up in India, and have in fact consulted several Indian tax professionals who have stated that I do not have to pay or register for GST. I suspect the same applies to many Indian freelancers here.

 

Now the question that many of us are asking is: Since we are not legally required to have a GST number, can we safely continue without one on Upwork? What is Upwork going to do to freelancers who don't provide their GST number (because they don't have to)? Or is this something that Upwork is still in the process of figuring out?

 

Some clarification is much needed, even if it's just: "Sorry, we actually don't have the answers to your questions. We're working on it."

 

Either way, we need to know.

VladimirG
Community Manager

Hi Isabelle,

 

I apologize but I won't be able to advise on your question. Upwork is currently working with its tax advisors to determine under what circumstances GST must be collected on transactions between Upwork and its users. If it is determined that tax is to be collected, we will contact our users in India to provide an explanation of what transactions will be assessed and the date any collection will start.

iaabraham
Community Member

Well I guess that's an honest answer. Thanks anyway, I know you're just relaying what the team tells you.

ananya965
Community Member
Hey! I'm new to the upwork space and I am still a bit confused. Will I have difficulty withdrawing my money from upwork if I don't have a gstin? Or will they be charging me 1% of my earnings as gst and then let me withdraw money?