1% TDS on Gig Pay? Claim Your Refund in 3 Steps

Platforms like Swiggy deduct 1% TDS from every payout to delivery partners. If your total income is below the taxable limit, you can file an ITR and get every rupee back. Here's how.

Here's what happened: Platforms deduct 1% TDS on every payout to gig and delivery workers under Sections 194C and 194J of the Income Tax Act, regardless of the worker's actual tax liability.. Tens of thousands of gig workers with annual incomes below the taxable threshold are entitled to a full TDS refund — but only if they file an income tax return.. The Income Tax portal's pre-filled ITR forms now pull TDS data automatically from Form 26AS, making it significantly easier for first-time filers with no accounting background..

What you should do: Log in to incometax.gov.in, open Form 26AS or AIS, and verify the exact TDS amount deducted by your platform this financial year before you file.. File ITR-4 (if you treat gig income as business income under presumptive taxation) or ITR-1 by July 31, 2025 — missing this deadline means your refund gets delayed by a full year.. Link your Aadhaar to your bank account and pre-validate the account on the tax portal so your refund is credited automatically without manual follow-up..

Submit a Form 15G to your gig platform at the start of each financial year declaring your income is below the taxable limit — the platform is then legally required to deduct zero TDS from the very first payment.

For readers weighing their credit and loan options, our personal loan guide and CIBIL score resources put this update in context.