Freelancer tax calculator Sri Lanka
If you work for clients outside Sri Lanka and bring the money in through a bank, the Inland Revenue Act taxes those profits at a maximum rate of 15%.
Enter your profits from that work for the year of assessment.
How it's calculated
- The personal relief of Rs. 1,800,000 comes off first.
- The rest goes through the normal bands, starting at 6%, but no band can go above 15%.
- The calculator also shows how much less you pay than at the normal rates, which reach 36%.
An example
Profits of Rs. 6,000,000 leave Rs. 4,200,000 taxable. The first Rs. 1,000,000 pays 6% and the rest 15%, so Rs. 540,000 for the year.
Frequently asked questions
Which income gets the lower rate?
Profits from services given in or outside Sri Lanka to be used outside Sri Lanka, paid in foreign currency and remitted through a bank. Foreign source income earned in foreign currency and remitted through a bank also qualifies.
What if the money stays in an account abroad?
The rule requires the payment to be remitted to Sri Lanka through a bank. Income that is not brought in that way does not get the 15% cap.
I also have a salary in Sri Lanka. Can I use this?
This calculator covers foreign income alone. With a local salary the relief and the bands are shared between both, so the result changes.
Key terms
- Remitted through a bank
- Brought into Sri Lanka through a bank transfer, not in cash.
- Maximum rate
- The highest rate any slice of this income can pay.
Up-to-date official data
Data checked against the official source on .
We check the official sources automatically, every day.
- Inland Revenue DepartmentInland Revenue (Amendment) Act, No. 2 of 2025
- Inland Revenue DepartmentIncome Tax (IT): personal relief