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Curriculum Money for Freelancers & Independent Workers

Money for Freelancers & Independent Workers

A practical guide for freelancers, consultants and independent workers in India - budgeting on irregular income, pricing, contracts, taxes and GST, getting paid from abroad, insurance, retirement, platform fees and growing into a business.

  1. Freelancing in India: The Big Picture Who freelances in India, why more people choose independent work, and the financial trade-offs compared with a salaried job. 📄 Read-aloud
  2. Budgeting on an Irregular Income How freelancers can smooth uneven earnings into a steady monthly "salary" using a baseline budget, a holding account and a larger emergency fund. 📄 Read-aloud
  3. Pricing Your Freelance Work How to set rates that cover taxes, non-billable time and business costs, and when to charge by the hour, by the project or by the value delivered. 📄 Read-aloud
  4. Contracts, Invoices and Getting Paid on Time How freelancers can protect themselves with clear contracts, professional invoices, advance payments and legal protections for small businesses. 📄 Read-aloud
  5. Income Tax for Freelancers in India How freelancers are taxed in India, including presumptive taxation for professionals, TDS deducted by clients, deductible expenses and advance tax. 📄 Read-aloud
  6. GST for Freelancers When a freelancer must register for GST, how GST works for services to Indian and foreign clients, and why exports of services are zero-rated. 📄 Read-aloud
  7. Money for Freelancers: Checkpoint 1 Quick checkpoint - five questions on freelancing, irregular income, pricing, contracts and taxes. 5 questions
  8. Getting Paid From Abroad The options Indian freelancers have for receiving payments from foreign clients, the hidden costs of exchange rates and fees, and the paperwork that proves export income. 📄 Read-aloud
  9. Protecting Yourself Without an Employer The insurance freelancers need to buy for themselves - health, term life, disability and equipment cover - and how to choose sensibly. 📄 Read-aloud
  10. Retirement Savings Without an Employer How freelancers can build retirement savings without EPF, using NPS, PPF, mutual funds and automatic habits. 📄 Read-aloud
  11. Working Through Freelance Platforms How freelance marketplaces help find clients but take commissions and control relationships, and how freelancers can balance platform work with direct clients. 📄 Read-aloud
  12. Feast or Famine: Managing Workload and Burnout Why freelancers swing between too much work and too little, how to build a steady pipeline, and how to protect your health and income from burnout. 📄 Read-aloud
  13. From Freelancer to Business When and how a freelancer might grow into a business by hiring, forming an LLP or company, and systemising work, plus a recap of the module. 📄 Read-aloud

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