This post is one of those thats been sitting in the drafts for years… There are some that need a lot of push and nudge before they make it to the “publish” status..
The journey began back in 2007.. Yes, that long ago, a decade plus right? What did I do? Well, I quit my corporate job and became a freelancer. It wasn’t really some major plan I had or a growth chart I had written down somewhere in the back of my cupboard.. Circumstances and life happened and this became a chosen path~, even though I technically did not choose it ! Heck, never thought I would be a freelancer, and what do you know, a decade later, am loving it, have changed directions a couple of times but the main focus remains the same… Yes, there were days when I thought I should give it up and go back to a full time job, but then life has a way of showing you the path ahead… There is no turning back now~!! 🙂
Those who know me, know that I am not driven by money, never have been and never will that ever change.. Yes, i did say “never” and in this case, I know I mean it! Why is it so? Cos I am one of those who believes in enjoying what she does and does not chase after money… Infact, right after quitting my job and taking on freelance writing project, I made three times of my salary and then that continued to grow. Not because I was taking on more and more work, but because I had learnt that i had skills and capabilities that was attracting good projects. There are months when I exceed expectations[my own] and then others when am swatting flies, and just doing random stuff that I love. That is freelancers’ life for you- we are either busy all the time, all 7 days of the week or jobless and chilling ..
While many think a freelancers’ life is so fancy and dandy, let me burst that bubble right on.. As mentioned above, there are times I am jobless [literally with no projects on hand or even in the near future, which can leave me restless and disgruntled] but over the years I have learnt it is alright to go through this phase, cos then the tide changes and am flooded with work [sometimes it is seasonal, there are clients with whom I work only on certain projects and they come into play only at specific periods during the year and so during that time, I am completely swamped] …
During this whole learning process, one thing I learnt early on was being professional. Being on time, delivering on time and then chasing after clients for the payments… lolz.. Yes, I have slipped up here and there on certain aspects, but do make it a point to keep the client posted on what why etc… Cos I wouldn’t want someone to do the same to me!
One other thing I learnt, not with ease was the whole professional tax payment. While it doesn’t make sense as to why I need to part with my hard earned money to the Government, at the end of the day, it does come back to me in the form of infrastructure and facilities.. So, in that sense, it is necessary! One that needs to be done on time and all it requires is a few minutes.. Infact, this professional tax is applicable for those who are salaried and for those running their own businesses as well, with the only difference being- for salaried people the tax is deducted by their employers.
While I was figuring this out my way- doing a lot of reading on the internet, talking to people, seeking help from professionals, I came upon this site -Vakilsearch. One that gives not just an overview on what Professional tax online payment system is but they literally hand hold you till you close out the process. What I discovered was that the the slabs, the percentage is different for different states.
The slab rate that one pays is determined by the State Government only and the amount paid can be filed as deduction under Section 16 of the Income Tax Act. And the first step one needs to do is professional tax registration. Once I am done with that,I was assigned a number which I use when filing tax returns online. Similarly, there are different forms for different professionals. I know it can get overwhelming, but with the help of Vakilsearch I was able to get this all done with ease. They just took charge, guided me through, stuck with me patiently till I was done and had clicked the submit button on the tax forms… Yayy~ !
Their services are a blessing for all, especially those who are overwhelmed or dont have the bandwidth to do it all and need an external arm to help them along. Have a friend who is in a similar state, she will focus and put in 200% on work, and get things done, but when it comes to professional tax payment, she gets stuck, almost like she freezes. So, these guys were able to ease out her dilemma and ensure she completed payment on time and did not have pay penalties.
Now, I am a smooth sailing freelancer with no worries, at least not in this front~~ How about you?!
[Psst, you can also refer to this article for some additional reading- https://yourstory.com/2015/08/profession-tax]
