Advice on Managing a Part-Time Academy and Tax Implications for Udemy Instructors in India

Dear Indian Instructor Community,

I hope this message finds you well. My friends and I have recently created an academy, which we are running part-time while managing our full-time jobs. We're utilizing our time productively by teaching on Udemy, and I wanted to ask for your insights and advice .Do you think running this academy alongside our jobs could pose any issues in the future, particularly from a regulatory or compliance perspective?

Additionally, I would appreciate any guidance on the tax structure in India for Udemy instructors. Specifically, when receiving payments in USD through Payoneer and converting them to INR, are there any tax deductions or reductions applied by the Indian government?

Thank you in advance for your help and support. Your experiences and suggestions would be invaluable to us as we navigate this new journey.

Best regards,

THE TOPPER-B646

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Answers

  • ScottDuffy
    ScottDuffy Posts: 897 rolemodel rank

    For the first question: what industry are you in that would restrict you from earning income outside your job? I think the answer to the question is that "generally" there is not an issue. But if you are a Certified Accountant and you are teaching a Financial course on Udemy, there might be an issue. Your certification board might consider your activities to be professional advice and you can expose yourself to their oversight.

    For the second question: the US government withholds taxes for foreign instructors unless there is a tax treaty between the two countries. I believe Indian instructors are subject to 30% US withholding tax. You'll have to speak to your accountant about if you need to declare that income to the government of India and/or pay tax on it.