Starting October 1st, Upwork will begin withholding Tax Deducted at Source, TDS, from payments to freelancers and agencies located in India as part of a new tax law enforced by the Indian government.
As part of our continued efforts to remain compliant with tax laws in India, we are asking that our customers in India provide their Income Tax Identification number in the “Tax Info” section under “Settings”. For purposes of TDS withholding, the Indian government will accept either a Permanent Account Number (PAN) or an Aadhaar number. Please be sure to use the correct format for your PAN or Aadhaar number as defined by the Indian government:
- PAN is a 10-digit alphanumeric entry, i.e., A A A A A # # # # A
# = Numeric A = Alphabetic
- Aadhaar is a 12-digit numeric entry
For those freelancers and agencies that have provided a PAN or an Aadhaar number:
We are required to withhold 0.75% of all your payments, starting with the first dollar you earn as of October 1, 2020, and forward it to the Indian government. The rate is scheduled to increase to 1% on April 1, 2021.
For those freelancers and agencies that have not provided a PAN or an Aadhaar number:
We will be required to withhold 5% of all your Upwork earnings and forward it to the Indian government. You will be able to claim a tax credit or refund from the Indian government should you pay more taxes than required.
You will need to add a PAN or Aadhaar number in order to keep the withholding tax at .75% of your earnings. Click here to Add Income Tax Identification.
To learn more about Indian TDS, click here.
Let us know if you have any questions.
