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What happens to your RSUs and ESPP when you leave a US job
Unvested RSUs are assumed lost on your last working day, and an ESPP purchase after it costs you the discount. What the Wind-Down Planner assumes, what to check in your plan, and what to do with the shares you keep.
The sailing permit (Form 2063 or 1040-C) before you leave the US
A departing alien usually has to show the IRS that they have complied with US income tax law before leaving. When to book the appointment, which form you file, what to bring, and why the permit does not replace your final return.
Selling your US home before moving to India: the exclusion window and FIRPTA timing
Two dates decide the tax on a US home you leave behind: how long you lived in it, and whether the sale closes before you stop being a US tax resident. How each works, with a worked example.
US Social Security after moving to India: the 40-credit and 10-year rule
Indian citizens can keep US Social Security abroad if the worker earned 40 credits or lived in the US 10 years. How to count your credits before a departure date, and what you lose if you fall short.
US Accounts After Moving Back: Keep, Close or Convert
Organise US bank, brokerage, 401(k) and IRA questions before returning to India. Separate provider rules, tax status and continuing US reporting obligations.
LRS June 2026 Surge: A Primer for NRIs, Returnees, and First-Year Residents
Outward remittances under the Liberalised Remittance Scheme touched about 2.5 billion dollars in June 2026, roughly a fifth higher than a year earlier. Here is what LRS is, who can use it, what the TCS bite looks like under Section 206C(1G), and where NRIs sit in this picture — grounded in RBI, CBDT, and Income-tax Act primary sources.
NRI ITR filing: mapping each investment class to an ITR schedule and TDS section
For an NRI filing ITR-2 or ITR-3 in AY 2026-27, every rupee of India-source income lands in a specific ITR schedule and comes with a specific TDS section. Here is the plain map (equity MF, debt MF, listed shares, FDs, property, RSU/ESOP) schedule by schedule, section by section.
Draft Foreign Investment Rules, 2026: What RBI Actually Placed for Public Comment (and What NRIs/OCIs Should Not Assume Yet)
On July 21, 2026, RBI released a draft rationalisation of the NDI Rules, 2019 for public comment. Media headlines are already calling this an 'easing' of NRI/OCI investment rules. Here is what the primary source actually says, and what is not in it.
ITR Filing for NRIs: The Mistakes That Trigger a Scrutiny Notice
Miscounted days in India, undeclared NRO interest, and a Section 87A rebate that does not apply to non-residents are the three items most likely to convert a routine ITR into a scrutiny file. Here is what the primary sources actually say for FY 2025-26 (AY 2026-27).
When an NRI Pays Zero India Tax on Mutual Fund Gains: The DTAA Article 13 Carve-Outs Explained
Some NRIs redeem Indian equity mutual fund units and pay no India tax on the gain. The mechanism is not a loophole. It is Section 90 of the Income-tax Act reading down to Article 13 of the applicable DTAA, together with grandfathering rules that still matter.
NRI Property Purchase in India: FEMA-Compliant Funding, Documents, Tax on Rent and Sale, Home Loans, and Common Mistakes
When an NRI or OCI cardholder buys residential or commercial property in India, the transaction is a FEMA event, a tax event, and a bank event at the same time. Payment must flow through banking channels or NRE/NRO/FCNR(B), agricultural land is off-limits, PAN is required for registration, and the funding source you use today determines what you can repatriate later. The article walks through the primary-source rules and the mistakes that most often force a compounding application under FEMA.
Can NRIs Buy RBI Floating Rate Bonds Before Returning?
Check the residency eligibility for RBI Floating Rate Savings Bonds (Taxable), what changes on return and why NRI status alone does not qualify a new investment.
Gifting Overseas Property After Moving Back to India: What Section 6(4) FEMA and the OI Rules 2022 Actually Say
The condo in Jersey City, the flat in Dubai, the semi-detached in Reading, bought while you were an NRI, still standing while you settle back in India. What happens when you want to gift it, and to whom you can gift it, is governed by Section 6(4) of FEMA read with the OI Rules, Regulations, and Directions of 2022, not by the LRS.
FEMA 395(4): LEC, FC-GPR and FC-TRS Reporting in 2026
The 2026 reporting obligations under FEMA 395(4) - which of LEC(FII), FC-GPR and FC-TRS applies to your transaction, who files, and the deadlines that carry penalties.
NRE vs NRO Fixed Deposit Interest: How the Tax Treatment Actually Works
NRE FD interest is exempt while you are FEMA-non-resident. NRO FD interest is taxed at 30% plus surcharge and cess unless a DTAA-based lower-rate certificate is in place. The mechanics, the statute, and what changes the day you become resident.
Schedule XI Under FEMA 395(4)/2026-RB: The International Exchanges Listing Route, Mode of Payment, and Sale Proceeds
FEMA 395(4)/2026-RB rewrote not just Schedule III (the NRI/OCI repatriable basket) but also Schedule XI of the Mode of Payment and Reporting of Non-Debt Instruments Regulations, 2019. Schedule XI governs the lesser-known Direct Listing of Equity Shares of Companies Incorporated in India on International Exchanges Scheme, operated through IFSC exchanges in GIFT City. This explainer walks through who the scheme is for, what a Permissible Holder is, what counts as a recognised International Exchange today, and how the substituted Schedule XI language defines mode of payment and remittance of sale proceeds.
Buying property from an NRI seller: Section 195 TDS, the TAN trap, and the Section 197 certificate
When an Indian resident buys immovable property from a non-resident seller, the TDS provision is Section 195 of the Income-tax Act, not the 1 percent Section 194-IA that applies to resident-to-resident sales. The buyer needs a TAN and files Form 27Q. Tax is deducted on sums chargeable under the Act; in the absence of an Assessing Officer determination under Section 195(2) or a Section 197 lower-deduction certificate, buyers commonly deduct conservatively on the gross consideration.
FEMA 395(4) 2026: NRI & OCI Mode of Payment Rules
How the 2026 FEMA 395(4) rules change permitted modes of payment for NRI and OCI investment - which accounts qualify, what is no longer allowed, and the reporting that follows.
Delayed the India return by a decade? The US-side clock has been ticking too
When NRIs talk about delaying the move to India, the focus stays on India-side residency. Sitting in parallel is a US-side ladder of year-thresholds (SPT, the 8-of-15 long-term-resident rule for exit-tax, US estate-tax domicile) that quietly compounds the longer the stay. Here is what the primary US sources actually say.
Delayed your India return by a decade? The residency clock has been running the whole time
When NRIs talk about delaying the return to India, the discussion stays at the emotional layer: judgment, kids, parents, career. Sitting underneath is a quieter clock that controls residency, RNOR eligibility, FEMA redesignation, and US tax tail. Here is what the primary sources actually say about how time abroad changes the math.
FCNR(B) vs NRE vs NRO: Which Account Does What
Three NRI account types, three different jobs. Where the money sits depends on currency, repatriation need, and what counts as your income source.
India-Thailand DTAA Has No FTS Article
The India-Thailand tax treaty has no specific Fees for Technical Services article. Recent ITAT authority — East West Seeds (ITAT Pune, 2025) following Bangkok Glass (Madras HC) and Denso Thailand (Delhi ITAT) — has rejected the default Article 22 bucket for business-related FTS and routed the analysis through Article 7 read with Permanent Establishment. Walk the structure with primary sources.
NRI ITR filing: slabs, surcharge, rebate and marginal relief explained (AY 2026-27)
If you are an NRI filing an Indian return for FY 2025-26, here is how the slabs, surcharge bands, the 87A rebate question, and marginal relief actually play out — straight from the Income-tax Act and Finance Act 2025.
FEMA Compounding Explained for NRIs and Returnees
RBI compounding orders make news when corporates pay crores. The same regime applies to individuals who tripped FEMA — late filings, redesignation gaps, property paperwork. Here is how compounding actually works.
DTAA explained: How NRIs actually claim relief from double taxation
A plain-English walk-through of how India's Double Taxation Avoidance Agreements work in practice — credit vs exemption method, Form 67, Rule 128, and what NRIs and returnees need to file.
How Much Money Is Enough to Move Back to India?
No universal return corpus fits every family. Start with spending, commitments, taxes and withdrawal assumptions; compare scenarios, not a promised retirement number.
Return to India Checklist: Before and After Landing
Plan your India return through seven phases: residency, bank accounts, school, moving costs and first-year tax records. Use 45 linked actions with saved progress.
How to File Form 10F Online Without a PAN
Filing Form 10F on the income tax portal without a PAN - the non-resident registration route, documents required, and the errors that get filings rejected.
FBAR and FATCA on EPF, PPF and NPS: What H-1B Holders Actually Need to File
If your Indian EPF, PPF, or NPS balances cross the FinCEN aggregate threshold at any point in a calendar year, the US filing layer kicks in regardless of whether you contributed that year. What FBAR and Form 8938 actually require, and where the classification of these accounts is still unsettled.
H-1B 401(k) vs Roth: The Returnee Lens
Most H-1B contribution guides assume you retire in the US. If a return to India is on the table, the 401(k) vs Roth math reads differently — here is the returnee-lens version, grounded in IRC and the Income-tax Act.
UK to India: Split Year, RNOR and Capital Gains
Review the UK's residence and split-year rules alongside India's RNOR income scope. Share-sale timing, temporary non-residence and treaty limits all need separate checks.
First ITR After Returning to India: Forms and Schedules
Map your return-year residency and income to the Indian return, foreign-income schedules and Form 67. Check the applicable year's forms before claiming treaty relief.
OCI Card Renewal 2026: When It Is Required and How
When an OCI card must be re-issued, the age-based rules, the online process and documents, current fees, and how long renewal actually takes.
India-US Gift Tax for Returnees
India taxes the recipient under Section 56(2)(x); the US taxes the donor and adds Form 3520 on foreign-person receipts. Map both rule sets for a returnee.
Indian Mutual Fund Tax for Returnees
Finance (No. 2) Act 2024 rewrote STCG, LTCG, and Section 50AA for Indian mutual funds. For US-person returnees, three rule sets touch the same redemption.
RNOR Capital Gains Harvesting Window
Why a real RNOR-window sale and repurchase of foreign holdings can approximate a cost-basis reset, where it breaks, and the Section 5 and 6(6) limits.
HUF for Returnees: Tax Math vs Paperwork
A Hindu Undivided Family gets its own PAN and exemption, but Section 64 clubbing, partition, and corpus build-up complicate the saving. Working math inside.
EPF After Moving Back to India
Working sequence for an old EPF account on return: transfer via UAN, withdraw, or let it sit—plus the contested tax treatment of post-exit interest credits.
Roth IRA After Returning to India: Is It Still Tax-Free?
A US tax-free Roth distribution is not automatically exempt in India. Review residency, receipt, treaty uncertainty and withdrawal timing with a cross-border adviser.
401(k) After Moving Back to India: Tax on Both Sides
You can leave a 401(k) in the US. Review US withdrawals, Indian tax residence, treaty relief and the Section 89A election before making an irreversible choice.
NPS Tier-1 Account for Returnees
Your NPS Tier-1 PRAN survives the residency flip, but the contribution route, employer-match question, and annuity tax treatment all change the day you return.
Keep the Flat or Sell? Indian Rental Yield After Costs
Compare rent after maintenance, vacancy, tax and management costs with the value tied up in an Indian flat. Returnee scenarios and assumptions, not a yield guarantee.
Schools for Returning NRI Kids: Fees and Admissions
Compare CBSE, ICSE, IGCSE and IB for children returning to India. Plan for fees, admission costs, timing and curriculum fit; confirm current quotes with each school.
What a Returning Family Spends in India's Major Cities
Build an India budget from rent, schools, household help, transport and utilities. Compare returnee lifestyle assumptions across cities, not a generic headline index.
FIRE Scenarios: Return at 35 vs 45
Two returnees, same 1.5 crore corpus, same Bangalore lifestyle—one lands at 35, the other at 45. The RNOR window, withdrawal rate, and runway diverge sharply.
PPF Account After Returning to India
After the 2019 reversal of the 2017 amendment, an NRI PPF runs to maturity but cannot extend. What your dormant account becomes the day residency flips.
RSU Cost Basis Step-Up Myth for NRIs
Indian law does not reset the cost basis of vested US RSUs on return. RNOR narrows what India taxes; it does not rewrite the acquisition price. The actual rule.
India-US DTAA Tie-Breaker Rules
When both India and the US claim you as resident in the move year, Article 4(2) of the India-US DTAA sets the order. Walk the hierarchy with worked examples.
NRE/NRO After Return to India: When to Redesignate
RBI calls for immediate NRE/NRO redesignation on a qualifying return. Check the trigger, resident-account options, bank steps and consequences of delay.
What Happens to an FCNR FD After You Return to India?
You need not break an existing FCNR(B) deposit on return. RBI allows it to run to maturity; compare RFC or rupees, interest treatment and the bank steps.
FEMA Resident vs Income-Tax Resident: Two Different Tests
FEMA section 2(v) governs account residence; Income-tax section 6 governs tax residence. Understand why purpose, days and earlier years can produce different answers.
RNOR Explained: Who Qualifies and How Long It Lasts
RNOR is not an automatic two-year exemption. Review the residence tests, preceding-year history, special visitor rules and income-scope limits before your return.
H-1B Plan B: The Return-to-India Financial Playbook
If the US visa path changes, put liquidity, 401(k), RSUs and Indian accounts in order. A return-to-India financial checklist with timing assumptions made explicit.