HRMS for media and advertising

HR problems unique to media and advertising

• Freelancers, retainers, and stringers paid under section 194J, with TDS and Form 16A tracked separate from salaried staff
• Shoot and edit teams working night shifts and split shifts, with overtime that nobody logs cleanly
• Project crews assembled and disbanded every few weeks, so onboarding and full-and-final keep piling up
• Timesheets that have to map to client and campaign for billing, not just to attendance
• Staff spread across head office, client sites, edit suites, and outdoor shoots, each in a different state for PT and Shops Act

What we built for media and advertising

Freelancer and Retainer Register

Hold salaried staff, monthly retainers, and per-project freelancers in one system. Each gets the right pay logic, TDS section, and document set. No spreadsheet on the side.

Shift and Overtime Tracking

Night shoots, split shifts, and weekend edits logged with start and end. Overtime computed per policy. Comp-off granted for shoot days that run long.

TDS on Professional Fees

Section 194J and 194C handled per vendor. TDS deducted, Form 16A generated, 26Q quarterly returns prepared. Salaried payroll runs in the same close.

Project-Based Onboarding

Spin up a crew for a campaign, assign them, and offboard when it wraps. Templated joining and exit so a six-week project does not become six weeks of paperwork.

Timesheets to Client Billing

Staff log hours against client and campaign. Roll up by account or project to see effort versus retainer. Export feeds your billing without re-keying.

Multi-Site Attendance

Punch from head office, client site, edit suite, or location shoot via mobile with geo-tag. State-wise PT and Shops Act applied by work location.

Why media and advertising pick Indian HRM

• Freelancer and salaried payroll close in a single monthly run
• TDS and Form 16A for professional fees filed on time, no year-end scramble
• Project onboarding and full-and-final cut from days to hours
• Timesheets map to client and campaign so utilisation is visible per account
• Overtime and comp-off for shoot teams tracked instead of forgotten

Media and Advertising in action

Crewing up for a three-week shoot

Producer needs eight freelancers and four salaried crew for a campaign. Each freelancer onboards with PAN and a 194J contract, salaried staff get assigned. When the shoot wraps, exit and final payment run from the same record.

Month-end with mixed staff

Payroll runs once. Salaried team gets TDS under 192, retainers and freelancers get TDS under 194J, vendors under 194C. Form 16 and 16A both come out. Finance does not reconcile three systems.

Client asks where the retainer went

Account head pulls timesheets for the quarter by campaign. Hours logged against the client roll up against the retainer value. The conversation is about numbers, not guesses.

Editor works a 14-hour cut night

Edit suite punch shows the long shift. Overtime applies per policy, or comp-off is granted for the next light week. The editor sees the balance on the app. Nothing is argued at appraisal time.

Regulatory and compliance coverage

Covers TDS under sections 192, 194J, and 194C with Form 16, 16A, and 24Q/26Q returns; PF and ESI for eligible salaried staff; state-wise Professional Tax and Shops and Establishments Act registration per work location; and overtime and night-shift rules under the relevant state Shops Act. Freelancer contracts are kept distinct from employment to support a clear contractor-versus-employee position.

FAQs about HRMS for media and advertising

Can it handle freelancers and salaried staff in one payroll?

Yes. Each person carries their own pay logic and TDS section, so salaried staff deduct under 192 and freelancers under 194J. One monthly close produces Form 16, Form 16A, and the matching returns.

How do you track overtime for shoot and edit teams?

Shifts are logged with actual start and end, including night and split shifts. Overtime is computed against your policy, and you can grant comp-off instead of pay. Balances show on the employee mobile app.

Do timesheets connect to client billing?

Staff log hours against a client and campaign, not just a date. You can roll up effort by account or project and export it to your billing process, so retainer value and actual hours sit side by side.

What about staff in different states and at client sites?

Attendance is geo-tagged by location, whether head office, a client site, an edit suite, or an outdoor shoot. Professional Tax and Shops Act rules apply based on where the person works, and one pay run covers every state.