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Stop deferring India employment risk. Versatile is your legal answer: compliant employment framework, auditable documentation, clear liability allocation, and zero misclassification exposure. $149/mo EOR with first month free. Built for legal teams.
Employment risk in India is real. Contractors misclassified as employees. PE exposure created by local hiring. IP assignment gaps. Audit failures. Versatile eliminates each one.
Classifying an employee as a contractor to avoid PF/ESI violates Indian law. Employees can claim statutory benefits retroactively, creating liability. Versatile uses legally-binding employment classification.
If you establish local control or economic presence in India, you trigger PE tax liability. Your company becomes subject to India corporate taxation. Versatile's EOR structure mitigates PE exposure entirely.
Manual payroll, inconsistent tax deductions, missed statutory deadlines create audit liability. Versatile's compliance framework automates payroll, tax filings, statutory registrations, and monthly reconciliation.
Employment agreements without explicit IP assignment leave work product ownership ambiguous. Indian courts require written assignment to enforce ownership. Versatile contracts include enforceable IP clauses.
Missing Labour Code registration, inadequate gratuity provisions, POSH compliance gaps expose you to government penalties and employee claims. Versatile implements all statutory requirements proactively.
External auditors require complete documentation: contracts, registrations, filings, payroll proof, tax reconciliation. Missing pieces create audit failures. Versatile maintains audit-ready documentation always.
As your Employer of Record, Versatile bears statutory and compliance liability. You retain complete control over work direction, deliverables, and strategic decisions. This liability boundary is documented in your service agreement and auditable.
Employment law compliance. Statutory registrations (PF, ESI, TDS). Payroll processing. Tax deductions and filings. Labour Code requirements. Gratuity, benefits, professional tax. Monthly reconciliation. Audit readiness.
Work allocation. Deliverables. Performance feedback. Termination decisions. Strategic direction. IP assignment (pre-agreed in contract). Confidentiality enforcement.
Legal teams choose Versatile for unique capabilities competitors can't replicate.
Your invoice is in fixed USD (or GBP). Zero FX complexity. No rupee exposure. Clean accounting. Versatile handles currency conversion and all INR filings internally.
HQ in Bangalore. Direct EPFO/ESIC filings. New Labour Code 2025-26 compliance native. Not an adapter. Gratuity, PF 12%, ESI 3.25%, professional tax, POSH. Core product.
Risk reversal. EOR fee ($149) and Managed Payroll ($49) are free in month 1. You only pay if we deliver. This is not a discount. It's a confidence statement.
Day 1: Agreement. Day 2: Offer. Day 3: Contract. Day 4: PF/ESI registration. Day 5: Payroll live. Documented guarantee. Faster than any competitor.
Zero setup cost. Zero exit penalty. Month-to-month. No lock-in. Transparent pricing. The number on the website is what you pay, always.
Sagar Chainani: Bangalore-based, 10+ years India hiring. Personal brand on the line. This isn't a faceless vendor. It's a founder who understands your compliance anxiety.
| Responsibility | Versatile Handles | You Manage |
|---|---|---|
| Employment Classification | ✓ | |
| Employment Agreement Drafting | ✓ | |
| PF / ESI Registration | ✓ | |
| Payroll Processing | ✓ | |
| TDS / Tax Deductions | ✓ | |
| Labour Code Compliance | ✓ | |
| Statutory Filings | ✓ | |
| Work Direction / Deliverables | ✓ | |
| Performance Management | ✓ | |
| IP Enforcement | Contract drafted | Manage work product |
Drafted under Indian Contract Act, aligned with New Labour Code 2025-26. Wage structure, roles, termination terms, statutory obligations, duty of care. Enforceable in Indian courts.
Explicit assignment of all work product to you or your client. Compliant with Indian IP law. Confidentiality and non-compete provisions included. Pre-agreed in contract.
Liability allocation clearly documented. Confidentiality terms. Dispute resolution clause. Audit rights. Termination provisions. Enforceable under Indian law.
The problem: Many companies classify employees as contractors to avoid PF/ESI obligations. Indian labour law considers this misclassification. Employees can retroactively claim statutory benefits, creating liability exposure and financial penalties.
All hires are classified as employees under Indian law. Employment agreements are legally binding. PF, ESI, and all statutory benefits are registered and funded from Day 1. This eliminates misclassification risk entirely.
If you need contract specialists, we offer a separate Contractor of Record service. Clear distinction. No grey areas. No retroactive liability.
PE exposure is mitigated by our EOR structure. Versatile is the legal employer, not you. Your company retains work direction control without triggering permanent establishment liability.
External auditors require complete documentation. Versatile maintains audit trails, statutory filings, and compliance proof month after month.
All employment agreements, contracts, and amendments are versioned and time-stamped. Changes are tracked. Audit trail is complete and searchable.
EPFO PF registration. ESIC registration. TDS filing confirmations. Professional tax receipts. All filed dates documented. Government responses kept on file.
Detailed payroll records. Salary breakdowns. Tax deductions. Statutory deductions. Monthly reconciliation. Ready for auditor review.
Monthly tax calculations verified. Annual reconciliation. Compliance proof. Ready for external auditor. No gaps, no surprises.
Annual compliance certification. Labour Law compliance statement. Statutory registration proof. All audit-ready.
All documentation accessible via secure portal. Download-ready. Searchable. Organized by employee and date. Zero retrieval friction.
12% employee contribution. 3.67% employer contribution. Monthly EPFO filings. Annual reconciliation complete.
3.25% employer contribution. 0.75% employee contribution. Monthly ESIC filings. Continuous coverage.
State-level filing aligned with employee location. Quarterly/monthly deductions. All state variants covered.
Section 192 TDS calculations. Quarterly deductions. Annual returns (ITR) filed. Compliance proof maintained.
4.81% monthly accrual for 5+ year employees. Payment on exit calculated and disbursed. Statutory compliant.
Full alignment. Wage structure compliance. Termination procedures. Statutory compliance updated proactively.
Prevention of Sexual Harassment policies implemented. Training records maintained. Complaints handled.
Factory Act, Shops and Establishment Act, state labour authority approvals. All completed before Day 1 payroll.
Payroll audit. Tax reconciliation. Statutory filing cross-checks. Zero surprises. Monthly verification.
First month free on all services. No setup fees, no exit fees, ever.
No hidden fees: No setup fees. No compliance surcharges. No "professional service fees." No exit penalties. The price on the website is the price you pay, month after month.
Schedule 30 minutes with our team. We'll map your legal requirements, review your current exposure, and build a compliance roadmap.
Schedule Compliance Review"In-house counsel at global companies tell me the same thing: India employment is a blind spot. Contractor misclassification risk. PE exposure. No audit trail. We built Versatile to be the legal framework you can trust. Clear contracts. Clear liability. Clear enforcement. Your legal team should sleep at night knowing India compliance is not a risk vector anymore. That's what we do."
LinkedIn needed 50+ specialized designers in India. The compliance challenge: Indian contractor law requires specific agreements, TDS deductions, IP assignment, and careful misclassification avoidance. Getting this wrong at LinkedIn's scale creates regulatory exposure and employee claims.
Sourced and vetted top 1% candidates. Drafted legally robust agreements under Indian law. Structured as employees (not contractors) to eliminate misclassification risk. Set up TDS registration and monthly deductions. Created IP assignment clauses ensuring all work product belongs to LinkedIn. Handled GST invoicing. 50+ designers onboarded compliant and productive within the SLA.
Designers managed through Versatile. Monthly statutory filings happen automatically. Contract renewals tracked. Regulatory changes applied proactively. LinkedIn manages the design work. Versatile manages India employment law compliance. External auditors have approved the legal structure.
"Versatile's legal framework eliminated the India employment risk we've been deferring. Clear liability. Auditable documentation. Our compliance officer approves."
"Working with Versatile meant our external auditor had no questions about India compliance. Documentation was complete. Liability was clear. That's the confidence we needed."
"Versatile's approach to liability allocation is exactly what we needed. Clear split between what they handle and what we manage. No ambiguity. No surprises. Exactly what legal teams want."
If you classify an employee as a contractor to avoid PF/ESI obligations, Indian labour law considers this misclassification. The employee can claim statutory benefits retroactively, creating liability and financial penalties. Versatile uses legally-binding employment classification under Indian law, eliminating this risk entirely.
As the employer of record, Versatile bears statutory and compliance liability. You retain control over work direction and deliverables. This liability split is documented in your service agreement. You manage the employee, Versatile manages India employment law obligations.
Yes. All employment agreements are drafted under Indian Contract Act and aligned with New Labour Code 2025-26. MSAs and IP assignment clauses are reviewed by our in-house counsel. Contracts are fully enforceable in Indian courts.
IP assignment clauses in employment agreements explicitly assign all work product to you or your client. Confidentiality agreements are embedded. Both are compliant with Indian IP law. Documentation is audit-ready.
Yes. We implement all New Labour Code requirements: statutory registration, wage structure compliance (Basic + DA), PF 12%, ESI 3.25%, gratuity 4.81%, professional tax, and all state-level amendments. Our compliance roadmap covers pending code amendments.
If you have sufficient economic presence or control over India operations, you may trigger PE tax liability. This makes your company subject to India corporate taxation. Versatile's EOR structure mitigates PE exposure - we are the employer, not you. Tax implications are documented with your accountant.
Yes. You invoice in fixed USD (or GBP). Versatile handles INR conversion and statutory filings in India. Your accounting is clean - one line item, no FX complexity. All statutory filings and documentation are maintained in INR and auditable.
Complete audit-ready documentation: employment agreements, statutory filings (PF, ESI, TDS, professional tax), monthly payroll reports, tax reconciliation, GST invoices, compliance proof, regulatory filing confirmations. Annual audit trail tracking. Ready for your external auditor anytime.
Our excellent customer support team is ready to help.
This invite-only discussion is only for agency owners with 50-200 employees.