💻 IT & Software Industry Payroll

Payroll, ESOPs, and Variable Pay
Built for India's
Tech Workforce.

Compute ESOP and RSU perquisite tax at exercise run, variable pay and performance bonuses inside the regular cycle; apply the correct Professional Tax for employees working remotely across states, and keep contractors and full-time employees on separate, correctly taxed tracks without a finance team reconciling it by hand every appraisal cycle.

ESOP & RSU TDS handled
Multi-state PT for remote teams
Contractors + FTEs, one system
ISO-aligned data security
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1,000+
Businesses Trust TankhaPay
99.8%
Payroll Accuracy Rate
All 28
States - PT & Compliance Covered
26+
Years of India Payroll Expertise
Trusted across India's Leading Organisations
Industry Challenges

IT & Software Payroll Is Not Generic Payroll.

A 250-person SaaS company with employees across six cities, 30% of headcount on variable pay, and a mix of full-time staff and contractors faces payroll complexity that general-purpose software was never designed to handle.

ESOP & RSU Perquisite Tax

Every exercise event creates a taxable perquisite under Section 17(2), and TDS under Section 192 must be deducted correctly the same month. Get it wrong and Form 16 is wrong for every employee who exercised.

✓ Perquisite and TDS computed automatically at exercise

Variable Pay & Performance Bonus

Bonuses like joining, retention, and quarterly or annual performance payouts are tied to appraisal cycles. These are usually processed manually, outside of the regular payroll cycle, with TDS recalculated by hand.

✓ Variable components run inside the same payroll cycle

Multi-City Remote Workforce PT

Engineers that are located in Pune, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Mumbai, and Delhi NCR sit on the same team but fall under different professional tax slabs and state rules, even though when payroll runs from a single office.

✓ PT auto-applied by each employee's work state

Contractor vs FTE Classification

Freelance developers and consultants need TDS under Section 194J, not PF or ESIC. Misclassifying a contractor as an employee or the reverse is a real, penalty-bearing compliance risk.

✓ Contractors and employees processed on separate, correct tracks

High-Velocity Hiring & F&F

Attrition and tech hiring usually move faster than other industries. Onboarding 40 engineers in a quarter and processing F&F for departing employees within the statutory window strains a manual payroll process.

✓ Onboarding and F&F processed without a payroll backlog

Annual Appraisal Cycle Revisions

Salary revision in mid-cycle and after appraisals directs to recalculating TDS, updating CTC structures, and reissuing payslips for hundreds of employees within a couple of days, often within the busiest month for HR.

✓ Revisions applied with automatic TDS recalculation
Complete Workforce Coverage

Every Type of Tech Workforce. One Payroll System.

IT and software companies run four to six distinct workforce categories at once. Each with different pay structures, tax treatment, and compliance obligations. TankhaPay is built to handle all of them from one login.

Full-Time Employees

PF on basic salary, CTC-based salary, TDS under the chosen regime, LTA structuring, HRA, and gratuity are computed correctly every cycle.

Full PF + TDS + Gratuity

Contractors & Consultants

Under section 194J TDS on professional fees, there is no PF or ESIC obligation, and GST applicability is tracked and invoiced separately from employee payroll.

Section 194J TDS

ESOP / RSU Holders

The value of perquisites is calculated on exercise or vesting, TDS is deducted as per Section 192, and it is correctly shown in Form 16 and Form 12BA.

Perquisite Tax Computed

Remote & Hybrid Employees

A professional tax is levied by each employee's state of registration for work irrespective of office city, and attendance is monitored digitally without any biometric requirements.

State-Wise PT, No Biometric

Interns & Apprentices

Payroll is based on stipend, PF voluntary, and smooth transition when an intern joins as a regular employee, ensuring compliance with NATS/BOAT, wherever applicable.

Stipend + Conversion Workflow

Global & Expat Hires

When you have an international workforce or the overseas parent company is giving you equity, payroll takes care of all your cross-border elements.

Cross-Border Aware
How It Works in Detail

IT & Software Payroll Processing - From Appraisal Cycle to Bank Account.

Running payroll for a tech company means handling ESOP events, variable pay, and a multi-state remote workforce all in the same cycle. Here is how TankhaPay simplifies every step.

Step 1

Centralised Workforce Data - Employees, Contractors, ESOP Holders

Gather FTE, contractor, intern, and remote worker information in one place. Record ESOP grants and vesting periods, salaries, and work state registration – all in real time as your company grows.

  • Employee master for FTEs, contractors, and interns on one platform
  • ESOP grant and vesting period tracking for each individual
  • Work state registration for precise multiple state PT
  • Bulk joiner uploading for hiring marathons, without manually entering each individual
01
Every Employee. One Hub.
Step 2

Automated ESOP Perquisite and Variable Pay Calculation

TankhaPay uses the FMV & exercise price to calculate ESOP perquisite value, deducts TDS as per Section 192, and executes variable pay which is included in join bonus, retention bonus, quarterly payments all together in one cycle. Off-cycle processing for such a task is not required.

  • Perquisite valuation established on FMV at each exercise event
  • RSU vesting date taxable separately from ESOP exercise
  • Variable Pay and bonus paid during the normal payroll cycle
  • Automatic TDS calculation at each salary change mid-cycle
02
Computed. Not Estimated.
Step 3

Statutory Deductions and Multi-State Compliance

Each and every mandatory deduction is done with utmost accuracy - PF at the right basic, TDS as per the relevant scheme, PT as per each employee's state of employment, and maintenance of Shops & Establishments Act register for your registered companies.

  • PF ECR prepared for all full-time employees who qualify
  • Correct PT calculation and filing in all states that your employees hail from
  • Contractor TDS under Section 194J done separately from the payroll of FTEs
  • Shops & Establishments Act register automatically maintained
03
Compliant. Every State.
Step 4

Digital Payslips and Same-Day Salary Disbursement

Once payroll is approved, salaries are disbursed directly to bank accounts for the entire team, wherever they're working from. Digital payslips, Form 16, and Form 12BA are generated instantly in the employee app - no separate filing step

  • Credit of salary to all employees and all cities in one bulk payment
  • View of payslips and tax documents in the TankhaPay employee app instantly
  • Creation and filing of PF ECR, PT, and TDS returns
  • Unchangeable audit log for all transactions and compliance actions
04
Paid. Filed. Done.
Why TankhaPay

Not Just Another Payroll Tool. India's Most Certified Payroll Partner.

CMMI Level 5 is a certification held by fewer than 1% of Indian tech companies. It means the quality standard your ESOP and statutory filings are processed under is the same standard trusted by the Government of India.

CMMI Level 5 - Unique in India

There is no payroll software in India that has this certification. If your investors/auditors ask you who does your payroll processing, you win with this line.

26+ Years - Every Tax Change

We have processed payroll through every significant Indian tax and labour law change since 1998. New ESOP rules under the Income Tax Act 2025 are not a new challenge for us.

Data Security You Can Show Investors

Encrypted storage, role-based access, and full audit logs on every payroll record - built for the security diligence tech companies face during fundraising and audits.

Software + Managed Outsourcing

Run it in-house while you're 50 people. When you cross 500 and need a dedicated payroll team, switch to managed services on the same platform - no migration, no data loss.

Platform Capabilities

Built for IT & Software's Specific Payroll Complexity.

From ESOP perquisite tax to multi-state remote workforce compliance - every tech-industry requirement handled by the system, not reconciled manually by your finance team.

Perquisite Tax and TDS Handled at Every Exercise Event

FMV basis for determining perquisites, tax on salary (Section 192) TDS collected during the same month, and valuation of shares on vesting date. TankhaPay manages ESOPs taxation so that your employees don’t get any surprises on Form 16.

FMV-based perquisite calculation TDS under Section 192 RSU vesting-date taxation Sell-to-cover coordination Form 16 / 12BA reporting Foreign ESOP tracking
⚡ ESOP perquisite reflected correctly in Form 16, every time

Performance Bonus and Variable Pay Inside the Same Payroll Run

Joining Bonus, Retention Bonus, Quarterly/Annual Performance Bonus depending on the appraisal cycle – all these bonuses are calculated and paid within the cycle and not as an off-cycle process which the finance department of every organization dreads each quarter.

Joining & retention bonus Quarterly variable payout Annual appraisal revisions Mid-cycle salary changes Clawback handling TDS recalculation on revision
✓ No more manual off-cycle bonus runs

One Engineering Team, Six Cities, Correct PT Every Time

Employee registration across different states, either remote or hybrid, will have different Professional Tax rates. TankhaPay automatically calculates the PT amount as per the state the employee works in, without the need for any lookup table in HR.

State-wise PT slabs applied automatically No biometric dependency Digital leave & attendance Multi-city onboarding Remote employee self-service Geo-agnostic payroll runs
↓ Eliminates manual state-wise PT lookup

Contractors and Employees, Correctly Separated

Section 194J TDS for Consultants, No PF & ESIC liability, and Invoice-based Payment Tracking – maintained completely independent of FTE payroll so there is always zero chance of misclassification, even as you build up your pool of contractors.

Section 194J TDS Invoice-based payment tracking GST applicability flagging FTE vs contractor segregation Conversion-to-FTE workflow Audit-ready documentation
✓ Zero misclassification risk between FTEs and contractors

Hire Fast, Exit Clean - Payroll That Keeps Up With Tech Hiring Cycles

Tech hiring and attrition happen quicker than most industries. TankhaPay boards new employees into payroll within a day and takes care of F&F within the statutory period, so no hiring rush or attrition spike ever creates any backlog.

Same-day payroll onboarding Bulk joiner uploads F&F within Labour Code window Gratuity & leave encashment Notice period recovery Exit-to-payslip in one flow
↓ No payroll backlog during hiring sprints or attrition spikes
How It Works

From Appraisal Cycle to Salary Bank - Automated.

Four steps. No manual ESOP calculation. No spreadsheet for variable pay. No payroll errors on the night before disbursement.

1

Workforce Sync

Employee, contractor, and ESOP data syncs automatically. Work-state, salary structure, and vesting schedules updated without manual entry.

Zero data entry effort
2

Salary Computation

ESOP perquisite, variable pay, PF, TDS, and multi-state PT calculation is automatic using the latest statutory rates.

Per employee, per state, per cycle
3

Review & Approve

Finance reviews and HR head approves via maker-checker. Anomalies flagged before disbursal - not discovered after payslips go out.

Anomalies flagged pre-run
4

Disburse + File

Salaries credited across every city your team works from. PF, PT, TDS - all filed. Payslips and tax forms sent. Done before the deadline.

Full compliance in one click
Features

Every Feature an IT & Software Payroll Team Actually Needs.

Built for India's tech-industry payroll complexity - not general-purpose payroll software with an IT industry label added to the header.

ESOP & RSU Perquisite Engine

FMV-based perquisite calculation, Section 192 TDS, and RSU vesting taxation - handled correctly at every exercise event.

↓ Zero manual ESOP tax calculation

Variable Pay & Bonus Automation

Joining bonus, retention bonus, and performance payouts run inside the standard payroll cycle, with TDS recalculated on every revision.

↓ No off-cycle manual bonus runs

Multi-State PT for Remote Teams

PT applied per employee's registered work state automatically, even when your whole team reports to one office on paper.

↓ Eliminates state-wise PT lookup

Contractor Payment & 194J TDS

Consultants and freelancers processed on a separate track with correct TDS, kept fully segregated from FTE payroll.

↓ Zero misclassification risk

Fast Onboarding

The bulk joining tool ensures that new employees are on the payroll on the very first day itself, with a process made for hiring campaigns rather than adding individual records.

↓ No backlog during scaling phases

F&F Within the Statutory Window

Calculation of gratuity, leave encashment, notice pay recovery, and final TDS is done automatically within the prescribed time as per the Labor Code.

↓ Compliant exits, no manual chase

Employee Self-Service

Form 16, ESOP statement, payslip, and PF balance are available through the mobile app-minimizing HR support calls drastically.

↓ HR focuses on people, not payslip queries

Data Security & Audit Logs

Role-based access on every payroll record and encrypted storage and role-based access on every payroll record are built for the security diligence tech companies face during fundraising.

↓ Audit-ready for investors and SOC reviews

Workforce Cost Analytics

Variable pay spend, FTE vs contractor cost split, and real-time payroll cost – CFO-ready dashboards, not month-end extracts.

↓ CFO sees live workforce cost

Every Statutory Obligation an IT & Software Business Carries.

Updated for the Income Tax Act 2025's ESOP provisions, Labour Code changes, and PT notifications - before the deadline, not after the notice.

Book a Compliance Demo →
ESOP / RSU - Section 17(2) & 192 Contractor TDS - Section 194J Shops & Establishments Act Professional Tax - all 28 states EPF / PF - ECR filing TDS - Old and new regime ESIC - where applicable Labour Welfare Fund Gratuity provisioning Labour Code 2025 - 50% basic wage F&F statutory-window settlement Digital establishment registers

Highlighted pills are IT and software-specific compliance requirements that generic payroll tools frequently get wrong or omit entirely.

Hiring 30 engineers this quarter?

Bulk onboarding means payroll never becomes the bottleneck in your hiring plan.

"ESOP exercise was taking place every quarter, and our finance team was calculating perquisite tax manually in Excel. TankhaPay automated everything – exercise to Form 16, nothing in between."
⚡ Result: Zero ESOP tax errors across two consecutive exercise windows
VP
VP of People
Mid-size SaaS company, Bengaluru
6 cities
PT compliance handled automatically
1 day
To onboard a hiring sprint into payroll
Zero
Misclassified contractor incidents
IT & Software Payroll Insights

Payroll and HR Tech Guidance for India's Tech Sector in 2026.

Practical guidance for HR and finance leaders running payroll for distributed, fast-scaling tech teams.

View All Payroll Articles →
FAQs

IT & Software Payroll Questions - Answered.

The questions tech company HR heads and finance leaders ask before committing to a payroll system.

How does TankhaPay calculate TDS on ESOP perquisite at exercise?
The perquisite value for TankhaPay is calculated as the difference between the FMV on the date of exercise and the exercise price, and is multiplied by the number of shares that have been exercised. This value is included in the total salary and tax deduction is done at the relevant slab rate through Section 192 of the Income Tax Act. There is no need for any separate reconciliation as the perquisite values will be recorded in the Form 16 and Form 12BA as well. In case of RSUs, taxation needs to be done on the total FMV at the date of vesting.
Can TankhaPay handle variable pay and performance bonus inside the regular payroll cycle?
Yes, bonuses like joining, retention, and quarterly or annual performance payouts are configured as standard payroll components rather than off-cycle manual transactions. When a salary revision happens mid-cycle following an appraisal, TDS is recalculated automatically for the remaining months of the financial year, so employees don't see an unexpected tax surprise later in the year.
How does Professional Tax work for employees working remotely across different states?
TankhaPay applies PT based on each employee's registered work state, not the company's head office location. If your engineering team has people in Karnataka, Maharashtra, Telangana, and Delhi NCR, each employee's PT slab and filing is calculated and remitted correctly for their specific state, with no manual lookup table maintained by HR.
Does TankhaPay distinguish between contractors and full-time employees for tax purposes?
Yes, consultants and contractors are done through an entirely different channel than the FTE payroll. For consultants and contractors, taxes are deducted as per section 194J for professional charges, but no PF or ESIC is applicable. It is done with complete auditing proof just in case your contractor status is questioned later.
How fast can a new hire be added to payroll?
New joiners can be added to the active payroll run the same day, including via bulk upload when you're onboarding multiple hires at once during a hiring sprint. This means a fast-scaling quarter never creates a payroll backlog or delays a new employee's first salary.
Is TankhaPay compliant with Shops & Establishments Act requirements for IT companies?
Yes. Most IT and software companies register under the Shops & Establishments Act rather than the Factories Act, and TankhaPay's compliance engine is configured for that framework - covering working hours, leave entitlements, and the digital establishment registers your state's Act requires.
Is employee payroll data secure on TankhaPay?
Payroll data is protected through encryption both while at rest and in motion with access control using roles and full audit trails per record. This is meant to withstand scrutiny that technology companies go through in raising funds, SOC audits, and customer security questionnaires.

Still have questions? Call 989-198-8811 →

Ready to Simplify IT & Software Payroll?

Join 1,000+ businesses running accurate, compliant payroll for full-time employees, contractors, and ESOP holders on one platform - with multi-state PT and Section 192 TDS built in.

CMMI Level 5 Certified 1,000+ Businesses Trust TankhaPay All 28 States Covered