Can you work for a foreign company from India?
Yes: a company abroad can pay you as an independent contractor, employ you through an employer of record, or hire you through its own entity in India. What changes between the three is who handles tax, what protections you get and how the money arrives.
- Checked 4 November 2026
- Every rule links to its official source
- General information, not tax or legal advice
3,600
remote jobs on RemoteHunt say they can hire someone in India
Live count, updated hourly
344 of 2,146
of those jobs that state a contract type are contractor roles; 1,706 are full-time
Live count · 2,146 of 3,600 state a type; a job may state both
Three ways a foreign company can pay you
| Question | Independent contractor | Employee through an employer of record | Employee of a company in India |
|---|---|---|---|
| You sign with | The company abroad (a service agreement) | The employer of record's company in India | The company's own entity in India |
| Income tax | You register and file yourself | Deducted through payroll | Deducted through payroll |
| Leave, notice, social security | Only what your contract says | What employment law in India requires | What employment law in India requires |
| Ask before signing | The currency, the payment channel and who pays the transfer fees | Which employer of record, and whether the contract is under the law of India | Whether the job is really remote or tied to an office |
More on each arrangement: contractor vs. employee.
What the law in India says about income from abroad
- A resident of India is taxed on income from all sources, including income arising abroad; a 'not ordinarily resident' person is taxed on foreign income only if from an India-controlled business or profession. Source 1
- An individual is resident in India for a tax year if in India 182 days or more, or 60 days or more plus 365 days or more over the four preceding years. Source 2
- A person other than a company or firm files a return if total income exceeds the non-taxable maximum; the due date for someone not needing an audit is 31 July. Source 3
- Under Section 58 of the Income-tax Act 2025, certain residents in a specified profession may have profits deemed at 50% of gross receipts, up to a receipts ceiling. Source 4
- A service from a supplier in India to a recipient abroad, paid in convertible foreign exchange (or rupees where RBI permits), is an 'export of services', which is zero-rated under GST. Source 5
- RBI's 2026 regulations require export proceeds for services to be realised and repatriated within nine months of the invoice date, extendable by the authorised dealer bank. Source 6
Five questions to ask before you sign
- Am I a contractor or an employee, and under which country's law is the contract?
- In what currency am I paid, and who sets the exchange rate?
- Through which channel does the money arrive, and who pays the fees?
- If an employer of record employs me, which one, and will I get a payslip from India?
- Will anyone ask me to pay for equipment or training? (If yes, walk away.)
This page describes the rules; it does not tell you what to do in your case. Rules change. If something here differs from what the official source says today, the source is right: write to hello@remotehunt.app and we will fix the page.
Sources (each opened on 4 November 2026)
- Income-tax Act, 2025, Section 5 - Scope of total income (Chapter II, Basis of charge), Income Tax Department (CBDT), Ministry of Finance, Government of India
- Income-tax Act, 2025, Section 6 - Residence in India, Income Tax Department (CBDT), Ministry of Finance, Government of India
- Income-tax Act, 2025, Section 263 - Return of income, Income Tax Department (CBDT), Ministry of Finance, Government of India
- Income-tax Act, 2025, Section 58 - Special provision for computing profits and gains of business or profession on presumptive basis in case of certain residents, Income Tax Department (CBDT), Ministry of Finance, Government of India
- Integrated Goods and Services Tax Act, 2017 - Section 2 (Definitions), Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC), Government of India
- Foreign Exchange Management (Export and Import of Goods and Services) Regulations, 2026 - Notification No. FEMA 23(R)/2026-RB (in force 1 Oct 2026; amended up to 2 Nov 2026), Reserve Bank of India
- RemoteHunt index: live postings, counted hourly
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