Business

Gig workers turn to tax filing for refunds, credit

By Sohail Khan 19 September 2026, 12:20 pm

Benchmarks
Nifty23,346.4075.81

FEATURED FUNDS★★★★★

Motilal Oswal Midcap Fund Direct-Growth

5Y Return
22 %

Invest Now

Enter search text:

Business News›Industry›Banking/Finance›Finance›Gig workers turn to tax filing as TDS refunds offer cash, financial records

Read Today's Paper

Gig workers turn to tax filing as TDS refunds offer cash, financial records
Synopsis

Gig platforms are integrating tax filing assistance into their apps. Many delivery partners receive tax refunds after deductions at source. This service helps workers establish formal financial records for credit applications. Platforms like Zomato and Swiggy facilitate these filings for numerous partners. This shift signifies growing tax compliance within India's gig economy.

Government Plan for Gig Workers — Gig platforms are integrating tax filing assistance into their apps. Many delivery partners receive tax refunds after deductions at source.

For India's gig workers, tax filing is increasingly becoming part of the job.

For many delivery partners, 1% of their payouts is deducted as tax at source. Over a year, those deductions can add up to a sizeable refund, particularly for workers whose annual earnings remain below the taxable threshold. As a result, platforms are increasingly building tax-filing assistance into the apps through which their workers earn their livelihoods.

Also Read: Rising fuel prices push gig workers towards fixed-pay, lower-cost jobs

The scale of the shift is visible in filing data. ClearTax, one of the agencies working with gig platforms to help workers file returns, told that filings through its platform more than quadrupled in three years — from 2.5 lakh in assessment year 2023-24 (FY2022-23) to 5.5 lakh in AY2025-26 (FY2023-24) and approximately 11 lakh in AY2026-27 (FY2025-26).

"Most of them are below taxable income," Avinash Polepally, vice-president of product and business at ClearTax, told .

Some workers earn through multiple platforms, while others may also have gaming winnings or capital gains to report. In one unusual case, Polepally said, a worker with several income sources received a refund of Rs 5.4 lakh.

For workers, however, the benefit of filing a return goes beyond getting back TDS. A filed tax return can create a formal financial record that may help when applying for credit. Some workers also file before seeking jobs in West Asia, where the documentation can support visa applications.

Eternal, which operates Zomato and Blinkit, told that the two platforms facilitated income-tax return filing for 2.1 lakh delivery partners for FY2025-26. Around 75% were first-time filers, with workers receiving Rs 33.6 crore in refunds — an average of about Rs 1,600 across all filers.

"For many delivery partners, this may be their first experience with formal financial services," Zomato CEO Aditya Mangla said.

Also Read: India’s gig economy is leaving its women behind, study finds

The subsidised service is integrated into the delivery-partner app, allowing workers to enter the process, verify their details through an OTP and complete their filing with the help of a chatbot.

Swiggy said more than 50,000 food-delivery and Instamart partners filed returns through its app, generating Rs 6.5 crore in refund claims. More than a third of these workers were first-time filers. The company worked with ClearTax, TaxBuddy and Dvara Money for the initiative.

Zepto said 30,895 filings were registered in 2026, with refund claims exceeding Rs 4.9 crore. Meesho's Valmo said around 10,000 partners initiated filing after its programme began in July, claiming nearly Rs 2 crore. Almost 70% of those workers were first-time filers.

Delhivery also offers riders tax-filing assistance through WhatsApp, although it did not disclose filing numbers.

The numbers, however, are not directly comparable. Eternal reported completed filings and refunds actually received, Swiggy reported filings and refund claims, Zepto counted registered filings, while Valmo's figure refers to workers who initiated the process.

That distinction is important in assessing how far these initiatives translate into broader financial inclusion.

"It's a very, very selective and convenient interpretation of financial inclusion," said Balaji Parthasarathy, former professor at IIIT-Bangalore and principal investigator, Fairwork India.

Still, the growing number of workers using these services points to a broader change in India's gig economy: tax compliance, once largely outside the day-to-day experience of informal workers, is increasingly becoming part of the digital infrastructure through which they work, earn and manage their finances.

Add as a Reliable and Trusted News Source
Add Now!

(You can now subscribe to our WhatsApp channel)

(Catch all the Business News, Breaking News and Latest News Updates on The .)

…moreless

(You can now subscribe to our WhatsApp channel)

Read More News on
swiggyzomatogig workers tax filingTDS refunds for gig workersgig economy in IndiaClearTax gig economytax filing assistance gig platformsincome tax return filing gig workersfinancial inclusion for gig workersfinancial records for gig workers

(Catch all the Business News, Breaking News and Latest News Updates on The .)

…moreless

Enter search text:

Continue reading with one of these options:
Limited Access
Free
Login to get access to some exclusive stories

& personalised newsletters
Login Now

Unlimited Access
Starting @ Rs120/month
Get access to exclusive stories, expert opinions &

in-depth stock reports
Subscribe Now

Unlock Access to All Exclusives with ETPrime FREE TRIAL

15 Days Free: Unlock All ETPrime Exclusives, Market Tools & ePapers

Trial offer expiring in00 : 05 : 00

I'd rather pay ₹2599 now

Uh-oh! This is an exclusive story available for selected readers only.

Worry not. You’re just a step away.

Prime Account Detected!

It seems like you're already an ETPrime member with

Log out of your current logged-in account and log in again using your ET Prime credentials to enjoy all member benefits.

Unlock ETPrime's Exclusive Stories Today!

Subscribe to gain powerful insights on business, stock market and industry trends.

Big Price Drop! Flat 40% Off

Student Only Offer

Already a Member? Sign In now

Already a Member? Sign In now
Already a Member? Sign In now

Offer Exclusively For You

Save up to Rs. 700/-

ON ET PRIME MEMBERSHIP

Avail Offer

Offer Exclusively For You

Get 1 Year Free

With 1 and 2-Year ET prime membership

Avail Offer

Offer Exclusively For You

Get 1 Year Free

With 1 and 2-Year ET prime membership

Avail Offer

Offer Exclusively For You

Get Flat 40% Off

Then ₹ 1749 for 1 year

Avail Offer

Offer Exclusively For You

ET Prime at ₹ 49 for 1 month

Then ₹ 1749 for 1 year

Avail Offer

Special Offer

Get flat 40% off on ETPrime

Avail Offer
Avail Offer

Claim NowAlready a Member? Sign In now

Need Assistance?

Connect with an ETPrime expert for personalized support and guidance

+91 9484700004

' + h3 + '

' + h4 + '

' + listing + '

What’s Included with

ETPrime Membership

1Exclusive Insights That Matter

Uncover the truth with our investigative stories

Make strategic moves using the real-world case studies

Read industry-specific stories to identify emerging trends

Spot opportunities with in-depth insights that matter

Trump temper on H-1B visas is forcing Indians to do these things to stay put in US

What Adani’s US indictment means for India Inc’s overseas fundraising
Why veterans like Reliance, L&T are on acquisition spree? Aswath Damodaran has an answer.

Will China’s dollar bond sale in Saudi Arabia trump the US in financial world?
Huawei launches its own OS to compete with Google and Apple. But can it win beyond China?

The problem with lab grown diamonds
Why a falling rupee is a better option for the economy

A list of top 20 momentum stocks that have delivered massive returns in one year