Earnings

Tax on online astrologer income: what the government pages say

Q: What TDS rate applies when an app pays me as an e-commerce operator?

The section 194-O rate is 0.1% from 1 October 2024 . It does not apply if your gross sales through that operator stay within Rs 5 lakh in the year and you have given your PAN or Aadhaar . Without either, the rate is 5% .

Money from reading on apps is taxable income. This page sets out the income tax, TDS and GST rules from government pages, in plain words. It is general information, not tax advice: ask a chartered accountant about your own case.

Updated 2026-11-05

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Short answer

Income from online astrology readings is taxed as income from business or profession, filed in ITR-3, or in ITR-4 if your income is worked out on a presumptive basis ¹. Section 44ADA's presumptive scheme covers listed professions such as legal, medical and accountancy, and astrology is not on that list ². An app that counts as an e-commerce operator deducts TDS at 0.1% since 1 October 2024 ^3,4, and GST registration for services generally starts above Rs 20 lakh a year ⁵. This is general information; a chartered accountant should check your case. Kismo sends payouts by email through Grade, so keep those emails as your record.

Head of income: Profits or gains of business or profession, filed in ITR-3 or ITR-4 ¹
Section 44ADA: Listed professions only; astrology is not named ²
New regime, AY 2026-27: Rebate up to Rs 60,000 when taxable income is Rs 12,00,000 or less ¹
TDS by e-commerce operators: 0.1% from 1 October 2024, down from 1% ³
GST registration for services: Above Rs 20 lakh turnover; Rs 10 lakh in Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura ⁵
Advice: General information only: ask a chartered accountant

The basics

Is income from online astrology readings taxable in India?

Income from online astrology readings is taxable in India, like other income from business or profession. The Income Tax Department's guide for people earning from business or profession lists "Profits or Gains of Business or Profession" as a head of income for the return ¹.

Whether readings count as a business or as a profession for you is a technical point. It decides which simplified schemes you can use, so it is the first question to put to a chartered accountant.

The form

Which income tax return form does an online astrologer file?

An online astrologer normally files ITR-3, the form for individuals with income from business or profession who cannot use the simpler forms ¹. ITR-4, called Sugam, is a shorter option for some.

Form	Who can use it	Source
ITR-3	Individuals with business or professional income who are not eligible for ITR-1, ITR-2 or ITR-4	¹
ITR-4 (Sugam)	Residents with total income up to Rs 50 lakh whose business or professional income is worked out on a presumptive basis under 44AD, 44ADA or 44AE	^1,2

ITR-4 is optional even where you qualify ¹. It cannot be used by a company director, or by someone with income from a source outside India or total income above Rs 50 lakh ¹.

Presumptive tax

Can an astrologer use presumptive taxation under section 44ADA?

Section 44ADA is written for the specified professions in section 44AA(1), and the income tax site's list does not name astrology ². The list is: legal, medical, engineering or architectural, accountancy, technical consultancy, interior decoration, and any other profession notified by the CBDT ².

Section 44ADA rule	What the income tax site says [2]
Who	Resident individuals or partnership firms (not LLPs) in a specified profession
Receipts limit	Rs 50 lakh a year, or Rs 75 lakh if cash receipts are no more than 5% of the total
Income declared	50% of gross receipts, with no further expense claims
Books of account	Not required for that profession
Advance tax	100% by 15 March of the year

Section 44AD is the presumptive scheme for small businesses. The same page says it is not open to people earning commission or brokerage, or to anyone required to keep books under section 44AA(1) ². Whether either scheme fits your readings is a question for a chartered accountant.

Slabs

How much income tax does an online astrologer pay?

An online astrologer pays income tax at the same slab rates as any individual, on taxable income from all sources added together. These are the default new-regime rates for AY 2026-27, that is income earned from April 2025 to March 2026, for people under 60 ¹.

Taxable income	Tax, new regime [1]
Up to Rs 4,00,000	Nil
Rs 4,00,001 to Rs 8,00,000	5% above Rs 4,00,000
Rs 8,00,001 to Rs 12,00,000	Rs 20,000 + 10% above Rs 8,00,000
Rs 12,00,001 to Rs 16,00,000	Rs 60,000 + 15% above Rs 12,00,000
Rs 16,00,001 to Rs 20,00,000	Rs 1,20,000 + 20% above Rs 16,00,000
Rs 20,00,001 to Rs 24,00,000	Rs 2,00,000 + 25% above Rs 20,00,000
Above Rs 24,00,000	Rs 3,00,000 + 30% above Rs 24,00,000

Resident individuals in the new regime get a rebate of up to Rs 60,000 when taxable income is Rs 12,00,000 or less ¹. A 4% health and education cess applies on top of any tax ¹. In a made-up case, taxable income of Rs 14,00,000 gives Rs 90,000 of tax plus Rs 3,600 cess.

With business or professional income, you leave the new regime by filing Form 10-IEA by the return's due date ¹. You can come back to it only once in your lifetime ².

TDS

Do astrology apps deduct TDS under section 194-O?

Astrology apps deduct TDS under section 194-O only if they count as e-commerce operators paying you for services sold through their platform. Section 194-O, added in 2020, makes such an operator deduct tax on the gross amount of the sales or services it facilitates ⁴.

Rate: 1% when introduced, cut to 0.1% from 1 October 2024 ^3,4.
Small sellers: no deduction for an individual whose gross sales through that operator stay within Rs 5 lakh in the year and who has given PAN or Aadhaar ⁴.
No PAN or Aadhaar: the 2020 changes set TDS at 5% in that case ⁴.
When: at credit to your account or at payment, whichever is earlier ⁴.

Some apps deduct TDS on their own terms. AstroSage's terms for astrologers say TDS is deducted from every payment, whatever the amount ⁶. Tax deducted in your name shows in your AIS and Form 26AS on the e-filing portal, and Form 16A is the quarterly certificate for it ¹.

GST

Does an online astrologer need GST registration?

An online astrologer generally needs GST registration only once aggregate turnover from services crosses Rs 20 lakh in a financial year ⁵. For a business in Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland or Tripura the limit is Rs 10 lakh ⁵. Below that, you may still register voluntarily ⁵.

Selling services through an e-commerce operator does not force registration. CBIC's guide says such suppliers need not take compulsory registration and keep the threshold exemption under notification 65/2017, as amended in 2019 ^5,7.

Clients in other states do not change this either: inter-state suppliers of taxable services are exempt up to the same Rs 20 lakh, or Rs 10 lakh in those four states ⁵.

New law

What changes for online astrologers under the Income-tax Act, 2025?

The Income-tax Act, 2025 applies to income from tax year 2026-27, which began on 1 April 2026; dues up to FY 2025-26 stay under the Income-tax Act, 1961 ⁸.

This page uses the 1961 Act's section numbers, such as 44ADA and 194-O, because those are the names people search for and the slab table above is for AY 2026-27 ¹. The new Act renumbers its sections, so ask your chartered accountant for the matching provisions before you file for 2026-27.

Your records

How do Kismo payouts reach you, and what should you keep for tax?

Kismo payouts reach you by email through Grade (usegrade.com), sent to the address you registered with. You enter no bank or UPI details in the Kismo app.

You can withdraw once every 14 days, the whole balance in one transfer, once it reaches Rs 2,000.
Each payout is reviewed and sent by hand within a few working days.
Gifts from clients count too: you get 50% of each gift, from Rs 49 to Rs 1,999.
Help with Grade's side is at usegrade.com/creator-help.

This page does not cover how Kismo or Grade treat tax. Keep every payout email, a monthly note of what you earned on each app, and your AIS, and take them to your chartered accountant.

Questions

What do astrologers ask about this?

Do I pay income tax if my astrology income is under Rs 12 lakh?

Under the new regime for AY 2026-27, a resident individual with taxable income up to Rs 12,00,000 gets a rebate of up to Rs 60,000 ¹. That covers the slab tax up to that level. Ask a chartered accountant whether you must still file a return.

Is astrology a specified profession for section 44ADA?

Astrology is not named. The income tax site lists legal, medical, engineering or architectural, accountancy, technical consultancy and interior decoration, plus professions the CBDT notifies ². Ask a chartered accountant how your reading income should be treated.

What TDS rate applies when an app pays me as an e-commerce operator?

The section 194-O rate is 0.1% from 1 October 2024 ³. It does not apply if your gross sales through that operator stay within Rs 5 lakh in the year and you have given your PAN or Aadhaar ⁴. Without either, the rate is 5% ⁴.

Do I need GST registration if I earn Rs 30,000 a month from readings?

Rs 30,000 a month is Rs 3,60,000 a year, well under the Rs 20 lakh threshold for services, or Rs 10 lakh in the four special category states ⁵. Registration then is generally voluntary, but count all your services together, on Kismo and anywhere else, not one app at a time.

Where can I see the tax an app deducted in my name?

Log in to the income tax e-filing portal and open your AIS or Form 26AS, which show tax deducted at source in your name ¹. An app that deducts TDS should also give you Form 16A, the quarterly TDS certificate ¹.

What should I take to a chartered accountant as an online astrologer?

Take your PAN and Aadhaar, bank statements, your AIS and Form 26AS, any Form 16A, and a month-by-month record of what each app paid you. If you read on Kismo, include every payout email from Grade, since your payouts arrive that way.

Read for clients on Kismo

Set your own per-minute rate for chat and calls, from Rs 20 to Rs 1,000. Apply in your browser with your Aadhaar or PAN and one reading.