For Indian freelancers · tax year 2026-27
What should I charge? After everything.
Enter the take-home pay you want and get your hourly, daily and monthly rate, after platform fees, payment and currency costs, business expenses and income tax, including the presumptive scheme most freelancers can use. Or enter your current rate to see what you actually keep.
Charge at least
$17.47 / hour
₹1,695 / hour · $140 / day · $1,675 / month retainer
| You bill clients | ₹19,49,239 |
| Payment & conversion costs | − ₹29,239 |
| Reaches your bank | ₹19,20,000 |
| Business expenses | − ₹1,20,000 |
| Income tax (new regime, presumptive) | ₹0 |
| You take home | ₹18,00,000 |
Income tax is 0.0% of what reaches your bank (taxable income ₹9,60,000). The old regime would be ₹77,480 more expensive.
- Presumptive scheme (Section 58, formerly 44ADA): tax is on 50% of receipts, and you don't need detailed books of expenses.
Tax year 2026-27 (Income-tax Act, 2025): new-regime slabs with the ₹12L rebate and marginal relief, old-regime slabs, surcharge and 4% cess. Advance tax, professional tax and capital gains aren't included. USD rate ₹97 (approximate). Estimates, not tax advice.
How it works
- Billable hours, not working hours: most freelancers bill 20–30 hours a week once sales, admin and learning are counted.
- Platform fees come off what the client pays; payment and conversion costs come off what's left.
- With the presumptive scheme, tax is on 50% of receipts, so with the ₹12L rebate, receipts up to ₹24L can mean zero income tax.
- Exports of services are zero-rated for GST under a LUT, so GST isn't a cost for foreign clients.