ArthaShala: Personal Finance & Investing

The Tax Season Dilemma: Are You Filing the Wrong Form? You finally landed that dream internship or cracked your first major freelance gig. You're generating income. Life is great—until July approaches. The Income Tax Return (ITR) deadline hits, and you're staring at the e-filing portal completely clueless. Should you select ITR-1 or ITR-4 ? Filing the wrong form can lead to immediate rejection, delayed TDS refunds, and pesky notices from the IT Department. Let’s decode this once and for all! ✅ TL;DR – Choose Your ITR in 10 Seconds 💼 Salary + Form 16 ➡️ File ITR-1 💻 Freelance / 194J / Form 16A ➡️ File ITR-4 (or ITR-3) Navigating the maze of income tax returns: Choosing between ITR-1 and ITR-4 is crucial for freelancers and interns to ensure compliance and claim refunds. The Gig Economy Trap: You Are a Business, Not an Employee Many students make the critical mistake of assuming that any money they earn is ...

Mastering Form 15G: How Indian students can save their internship stipend from TDS deductions. ⚠️ Disclaimer: Form 15G केवल तभी वैध है जब छात्र की कुल वार्षिक आय करयोग्य सीमा से कम हो। The 10% Heartbreak: Where Did Your First Stipend Go? You worked hard for a month. Your offer letter promised ₹15,000 . You eagerly check your bank account, and you only received ₹13,500 . You just became a victim of TDS (Tax Deducted at Source) . But as a student, do you really have to pay this? Absolutely not. The Truth About Stipend Taxability in India Whether you are doing a high-end corporate gig, running content networks like the Sahityashala Network , or getting paid to write technical analysis for Sahityashala Sports , companies will often treat your internship stipend as a "professional fee." Under Section 194J of the Income Tax Act, companies are mandated to deduct a 10% TDS on professional and technical services. However, if your total ...

Complete 2026 Guide: Taxation on YouTube Shorts and Instagram Reels for Indian Students Wait! Before You Spend Your First Brand Deal Cheque... You’re a student. You post a reel. It hits 5 million views. Suddenly, brands are sliding into your DMs, and YouTube is sending you Adsense revenue. It feels like free money. But is it? The Income Tax Department of India doesn't care if you're a student or a CEO —income is income. If you don't understand the tax rules today, you might face heavy penalties tomorrow. The Rise of the Student Creator Economy India is witnessing a massive boom in the creator economy. Whether you are running a Sahityashala Sports fan page, reciting Maithili Poems to a niche audience, reviewing global literature on English Sahityashala , or managing a broader blog at Sahityashala , monetization is easier than ever. Between YouTube Shorts bonuses, Instagram brand integrations, affiliate links, and super chats, students are m...

✅ Verified: February 2026 Update In 2026, if you are just "paying" via UPI without getting anything back, you are effectively losing money . The days of random scratch cards giving you "Better Luck Next Time" are dead. The new era of digital finance is about assured returns . Whether you are a student managing an internship stipend or a freelancer worrying about taxable income , optimizing your transaction flow can yield ₹300 to ₹1,000 in monthly savings . This isn't just about saving pennies; it's about building a system. As outlined in our Master Your Finances Guide , small leaks sink great ships. This guide reveals the high-value strategies like RuPay-on-UPI and merchant-specific codes that banks don't advertise. ⚠️ Critical Alert: Before you start earning, ensure you aren't losing money to hidden penalties. Check our new guide on UPI Autopay Rules & Tax Traps for 2026 . The Golden Rule: Merchant (P2M) vs. Perso...

In recent years, the lines between betting, trading, and the stock market have become dangerously blurred. If you open your phone today, a sports betting app and a stock broker app often look identical: flashing green and red numbers, real-time charts, and the seductive promise of "easy money." Social media influencers use identical language for all three— risk, returns, strategy, discipline . Even losses are framed the same way: "bad day," "wrong call," or "the market didn't respect my levels." This confusion is not accidental. It is the result of the gamification of financial markets, widespread financial illiteracy, and aggressive marketing targeting young earners. A visual breakdown: Betting burns capital, Trading requires intense skill, while Investing grows wealth like a tree over time. However, beneath the superficial similarities lies a fundamental structural difference. Be...