Mumbai: Zomato and Blinkit have helped more than 2.10 lakh delivery partners file income tax returns for FY25-26, facilitating refunds totalling Rs 33.6 crore, parent company Eternal said Thursday.
Around 75 percent of the applicants were filing returns for the first time, underlining the initiative’s role in bringing gig workers into the formal financial system.
Each delivery partner received an average refund of approximately Rs 1,600. The tax deducted at source rate was 1 percent, according to the company.
“For many delivery partners, this may be their first experience with formal financial services,” Zomato Chief Executive Officer Aditya Mangla said.
He said the programme sought to make that experience useful and accessible, while helping partners secure easier access to credit and improve their financial security.
Digital Filing
The tax-filing facility was offered at a subsidised rate through a third-party service provider. The process is digital and self-service, allowing partners to begin filing through the Zomato or Blinkit Delivery Partner App.
Both apps are integrated with a chatbot. Delivery partners can verify their details, authenticate their identity through a one-time password and submit information within minutes.
Instant assistance is available through the chatbot, while partners needing clarification can contact a helpline.
Wider Support
The filing service forms part of a wider set of initiatives aimed at improving the financial and social wellbeing of delivery partners.
These benefits include outpatient healthcare cover, medical and accident insurance, maternity insurance and paid period rest days for women delivery partners. Financial tools include fixed deposits, recurring deposits and pension accounts under the gig-worker variant of the National Pension System.
Founded in 2008, Eternal operates food delivery platform Zomato, quick-commerce service Blinkit, going-out platform District and business-to-business supplies venture Hyperpure.
Eternal describes itself as India’s largest new-age technology company by market capitalisation and the first technology company to enter the 30-share BSE Sensex. The company said its businesses generate millions of direct and indirect earning opportunities across India.
