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Intermediate

Case Study: A Freelancer's Journey Through Presumptive Taxation

Follow Rohan, a fictional Pune-based software developer, from the year he quits his salaried job to the year his freelance practice outgrows presumptive taxation. Year by year you watch him handle a transition year with both salary and fees, decide whether the professionals' scheme (old Section 44ADA, now Section 58 of the Income-tax Act, 2025) beats actual expenses, scramble to pay his single advance tax instalment by 15 March, get paid by foreign clients and register for GST, file ITR-4, and then hit the limits: cash receipts, the ₹75 lakh ceiling, books of account, a tax audit and the question of an LLP or company. Every decision is worked through with real numbers and every mistake is costed. Built for freelancers, consultants and anyone with income from several sources. Educational content only, not tax advice; confirm figures for your own tax year with a chartered accountant.

Presumptive TaxationFreelancersSection 44ADAAdvance TaxGST for FreelancersExport of ServicesITR-4Tax Audit

MODULES

6

DURATION

4 Hours

TRACK

Tax & Wealth Planning

What You'll Master

Handle the transition year when salary and freelance fees land in the same return

Check whether a freelance profession qualifies for the professionals' presumptive scheme

Compare 50 percent deemed income against actual expenses and pick the cheaper route with numbers

Plan the single 15 March advance tax instalment and cost the interest for missing it

Track foreign client receipts, reconcile them with AIS and handle GST registration and LUT for export of services

Recognise the cash receipts, turnover and declared-income tests that push a freelancer out of the scheme

Know what changes once you keep books, face a tax audit and file ITR-3, and when an LLP or company starts to make sense

Access Level

LEARNER

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Everything included

Full Text Playbooks

Actionable Exercises

Mobile Reading Mode

Lifetime Updates

Curriculum Breakdown

Chapter 1: Meet the Freelancer: The Leap From Salary

2 Lessons

Who Is Rohan and Why His Story Matters9 min read

The Transition Year: Salary and Freelance Fees in One Return12 min read

Chapter 2: Year One: Choosing Presumptive Taxation

3 Lessons

Does a Freelance Developer Qualify for the Professionals Scheme10 min read

Running the Numbers: 50 Percent Deemed Income vs Actual Expenses12 min read

The Single Advance Tax Instalment and the March Scramble10 min read

Chapter 3: Year Two: Foreign Clients, GST and the Paper Trail

3 Lessons

Getting Paid From Abroad: FIRCs, Purpose Codes and AIS Gaps11 min read

When GST Registration Became Unavoidable11 min read

Filing ITR-4: What Goes Where11 min read

Chapter 4: Year Three: Growth Tests the Limits

3 Lessons

Approaching the 75 Lakh Ceiling and the Cash Receipts Condition11 min read

Subcontractors and a New Laptop: Costs the Scheme Ignores10 min read

Declaring Above 50 Percent vs Leaving the Scheme11 min read

Chapter 5: Year Four: Life After Presumptive

2 Lessons

Crossing the Ceiling: Books, Tax Audit and ITR-312 min read

Sole Proprietor, LLP or Company: The Structuring Question12 min read

Chapter 6: Lessons From the Journey

2 Lessons

Five Mistakes Rohan Made and What They Cost10 min read

Your Own Presumptive Taxation Playbook9 min read