How Do You Receive Money from Canada to India in 2026?

A Canadian client paying an Indian freelancer uses either a domestic Canadian rail or an international wire. Domestic rails include Lynx for CAD wires and the ACSS for electronic funds transfers. These work only between Canadian accounts. To reach India directly, the client sends a SWIFT wire.

• Rails: Lynx is Canada's high-value wire system with real-time settlement. The ACSS and USBE clear direct deposits and other electronic payments, settling net balances the next morning.
• Details entered: For local CAD details, the client enters an institution number, a branch transit number and an account number. Payments Canada keeps these routing numbers for Canadian institutions. For a SWIFT wire, the client enters your Indian bank's SWIFT code and account number.
• Client cost: Canadian banks set their own wire and electronic transfer fees. A domestic electronic transfer usually costs the client less than an international wire. Ask the client to check their bank's fee schedule.
• Speed: Lynx payments settle in real time on business days. ACSS payments settle the next morning. A SWIFT wire to India depends on correspondent banks and cut-off times.
• Not cross-border: An Interac e-Transfer needs both people to hold an account at a participating Canadian institution. The Real-Time Rail launches in Q4 2026 for domestic payments. Neither can pay an Indian account directly.

The table ranks platforms with full published pricing for CAD by the INR received on CAD 5,000, then lists other business platforms that accept CAD, unranked. Fees were checked on 30 Sept 2026 or later.

You receive less than the CAD amount shown online because providers convert at a rate below the mid-market rate and some deduct fees. For example, if the mid-market rate were ₹61.00 per CAD and your rate were ₹60.20, a CAD 2,000 invoice would bring ₹1,20,400 instead of ₹1,22,000. These rates are illustrative only.

Each row applies the platform's published fee, FX markup and 18% GST on the fee to the mid-market rate of ₹67.92 per CAD for 4 Nov 2026.

• Total cost: Add the sender's fee, any intermediary deduction, the receiving fee and the gap from the mid-market rate. Compare the final rupee amount, since a low fee can hide a wide rate margin.
• Local rail coverage: Check whether the method lets your Canadian client pay as a domestic payee by electronic funds transfer or a CAD wire. Domestic payment is usually simpler for the client's accounts team.
• Settlement speed: Look at how long CAD takes to reach your Indian account as rupees, including any hold for document checks. Payments made after Canadian or Indian cut-off times move to the next business day.
• FIRA: Confirm that you get an inward remittance advice or certificate for each payment, with the purpose code. It is your record of the foreign exchange receipt for GST refunds and for matching EDPMS entries.
• Client experience: A Canadian client may prefer a method that its bank or accounting software already supports. Fewer form fields and a domestic payee usually mean fewer failed payments.
• Support: Check how you can reach the provider or bank if a payment is held, returned or credited with the wrong purpose code. Ask how long a trace or recall takes.

Payments from Canada for exports must meet RBI rules under the FEMA (Export and Import of Goods and Services) Regulations, 2026, in force from 1 October 2026. You file an EDF, realise payment within nine months, carry the right purpose code and keep the bank's inward remittance record.

• FIRA or e-FIRA: FIRA is not a term defined in FEMA or the GST law. CGST Rule 89 refers to a foreign inward remittance certificate issued by an AD bank. Banks and payment aggregators issue an advice or certificate for each credit. See our FIRA guide.
• Purpose code: Your AD bank reports each receipt in FETERS under Reg 18(2) with a code from the purpose code list. For example, P0802 is "Software consultancy/implementation (other than those covered in SOFTEX form)". See the purpose codes list.
• EDF for services: Under Reg 3(2), file an EDF within 30 days from the end of the month in which you raised the invoice. One EDF can cover all exports in a month. SOFTEX was superseded by Circular No. 20 from 1 October 2026.
• EDF for goods: Under Reg 3(1), a goods exporter declares the full export value in an EDF at the time of export. At an EDI port, the EDF is deemed part of the shipping bill.
• EDPMS: Your AD bank closes each export entry in EDPMS when payment arrives. Under Reg 4(2), an invoice up to ₹10 lakh can be closed on your declaration that payment was realised. Read our EDPMS guide for service exporters.
• PA-CB fund safety: A cross-border payment aggregator keeps collected funds in an Inward Collection Account, an escrow account with a scheduled commercial bank, under RBI's Master Direction on Payment Aggregators. You can check whether a PA is RBI-authorised.

Income from Canadian clients is taxable in India, and services exported to Canada are zero-rated for GST. With an LUT in FORM GST RFD-11 you invoice without IGST. The India-Canada tax agreement limits when Canada can tax the same income. Canadian withholding applies only to services rendered in Canada.

• GST zero-rating: Services to a Canadian client are an export of services when the place of supply is outside India and payment comes in convertible foreign exchange. Exports are zero-rated. File an LUT to supply without paying IGST.
• GST on fees: Fees that a bank or provider charges you are a separate supply to you and are not covered by your export zero-rating. Section 5(3) of the IGST Act lets the government notify services taxed under reverse charge. Check the GST treatment of each fee with your tax adviser.
• Income tax: The Income-tax Act, 2025 replaced the 1961 Act on 1 April 2026. The presumptive schemes, including old section 44ADA for professionals, are now consolidated in section 58. Section 44ADA applied to income up to financial year 2025-26.
• India-Canada DTAA: Under the India-Canada tax agreement, Article 7 taxes business profits only in India unless you have a permanent establishment in Canada. Article 14 covers independent professional services. Article 12 caps Canadian tax on fees for included services at 15% of the gross amount after the first five years.
• Canadian withholding: Canada's Regulation 105 requires a 15% withholding on fees for services rendered in Canada. Payments for services performed outside Canada are not subject to it. Where it applies, the payer reports the amount on a T4A-NR slip.
• GST/HST: A non-resident vendor selling taxable digital products or services to Canadian recipients who are not GST/HST registered may need to register once revenue exceeds CAD 30,000 over 12 months.

Rules and rails are linked to official sources below with the dates they were checked. Platform figures come from each platform's own pages, checked on 30 Sept 2026 or later, and RBI authorisation was checked against RBI's published list. Rates are XE live mid-market rates, dated 4 Nov 2026. The method is on the methodology page.

1. RBI: Foreign Exchange Management (Export and Import of Goods and Services) Regulations, 2026 (FEMA 23(R)/2026-RB, amended 22 September 2026), Reg 3(1) EDF for goods at time of export, deemed part of shipping bill at EDI ports; Reg 3(2) EDF for services within 30 days from end of invoice month, single EDF per month; Reg 4(2) EDPMS closure on declaration up to Rs 10 lakh; Reg 5(1) nine months, twelve months if invoiced or settled in INR; Reg 18(2) FETERS reporting. (checked 8 Oct 2026)
2. RBI A.P. (DIR Series) Circular No. 20 dated 16 January 2026: Export and Import of Goods and Services, Supersedes the Master Direction on Export of Goods and Services and listed circulars, including SOFTEX circulars, from 1 October 2026. (checked 8 Oct 2026)
3. RBI: Foreign Exchange Management (Manner of Receipt and Payment) Regulations, 2023, Reg 3(2)(I)(a)(iii): for countries other than ACU members, receipt in INR or any foreign currency through an Authorised Bank or Authorised Person. (checked 8 Oct 2026)
4. RBI A.P. (DIR Series) Circular No. 84 dated 29 February 2012: FETERS purpose codes, P0802: Software consultancy/implementation (other than those covered in SOFTEX form). Wording checked against the Annexure II purpose code list to the circular. (checked 8 Oct 2026)
5. RBI Master Direction on Regulation of Payment Aggregator (PA), 15 September 2025, Para 11(d): maximum value per PA-CB transaction Rs 25 lakh; para 16(a): non-bank PA keeps funds in a separate escrow account with a Scheduled Commercial Bank, called the Inward Collection Account (InCA) for inward PA-CB transactions. (checked 8 Oct 2026)
6. RBI Master Direction - Deposits and Accounts, Para 3.1: EEFC credit of 100 percent of foreign exchange earnings; non-interest bearing; monthly accruals converted by the last day of the succeeding month after approved uses or forward commitments. (checked 8 Oct 2026)
7. IGST Act, 2017, Section 2 (Definitions), s.2(6) export of services: recipient outside India, place of supply outside India, payment in convertible foreign exchange or INR where permitted by RBI. (checked 8 Oct 2026)
8. IGST Act, 2017, Section 5 (Levy and collection), s.5(3): Government may notify categories of supply on which tax is paid on reverse charge basis by the recipient. (checked 8 Oct 2026)
9. IGST Act, 2017, Section 16 (Zero rated supply), s.16(1): export of goods or services is a zero rated supply. (checked 8 Oct 2026)
10. CGST Rules, 2017, Rule 96A (Export under bond or Letter of Undertaking), LUT in FORM GST RFD-11; tax with interest payable if payment not received within the specified period. (checked 8 Oct 2026)
11. CGST Rules, 2017, Rule 89 (Application for refund), Refers to Bank Realisation Certificate or foreign inward remittance certificate issued by Authorised Dealer-I Bank. (checked 8 Oct 2026)
12. Income Tax Department: Objective and scope of the Income Tax Act, 2025 (FAQs), FAQ 2: the 1961 Act stands repealed on 01.04.2026; FAQ 25: presumptive schemes under sections 44AD, 44ADA and 44AE are consolidated into section 58 of the Income Tax Act, 2025. (checked 8 Oct 2026)
13. Global Affairs Canada Treaty Law: Canada-India Income Tax Agreement, signed 11 January 1996, Article 7 business profits taxable only in the state of residence unless carried on through a permanent establishment; Article 12(2) fees for included services capped at 20% (most payers) in the first five taxable years and 15% in subsequent years; Article 12(5)(e) excludes professional services under Article 14; Article 14 independent personal services taxable only in state of residence unless fixed base, 183 days, or remuneration for services in the other state over CAD 2,500. (checked 8 Oct 2026)
14. Canada Revenue Agency IC75-6R2: Required Withholding from Amounts Paid to Non-Residents Providing Services in Canada, Para 2: Regulation 105 requires 15% withholding on amounts for services rendered in Canada; para 32: payments for services performed outside Canada are not subject to Regulation 105 withholding; para 42: T4A-NR reporting of amounts paid to non-residents for services provided in Canada. (checked 8 Oct 2026)
15. Canada Revenue Agency: Cross-border digital products and services threshold amounts, Non-resident vendors selling taxable digital products or services to specified Canadian recipients may need to register for GST/HST if revenues exceed CAD 30,000 over any 12-month period. (checked 8 Oct 2026)
16. Payments Canada: High-value payment system Lynx, Lynx is Canada's high-value payment system used by participating financial institutions to send wire payments in Canadian dollars, with real-time settlement finality; systems operate Monday to Friday except statutory holidays. (checked 8 Oct 2026)
17. Payments Canada: Retail batch payment system (ACSS and USBE), ACSS and USBE clear payments drawn on CAD or USD accounts at financial institutions domiciled in Canada, including direct deposits; settlement of the previous day's net balances occurs the morning of each business day. (checked 8 Oct 2026)
18. Payments Canada: Real-Time Rail payment system, The Real-Time Rail, launching in Q4 of 2026, is Canada's new real-time exchange and clearing and settlement payment system. (checked 8 Oct 2026)
19. Payments Canada: Financial institutions file, Electronic directory containing routing numbers to facilitate payments to deposit-taking institutions in Canada. (checked 8 Oct 2026)
20. Interac: Interac e-Transfer, You and the recipient each need your own account with a participating bank or credit union. (checked 8 Oct 2026)
21. FINTRAC: Reporting electronic funds transfers to FINTRAC, A financial entity must submit an Electronic Funds Transfer Report when it initiates an international electronic funds transfer of $10,000 or more in a single transaction. (checked 8 Oct 2026)
22. FINTRAC: Money services businesses (MSBs), Canadian money services businesses and foreign money services businesses must register with FINTRAC; criteria for who is an MSB. (checked 8 Oct 2026)
23. Skydo homepage (pricing and fee calculator), Know what you pay; calculator showing GST 18% of transaction fee (checked 6 Oct 2026)
24. Razorpay MoneySaver Export Account (International Bank Transfers) pricing, Standard Plan: 0% FX markup, 1% fee, FlashLinks 2%, GST applicable, flat fee of INR 1,000 on transactions below INR 1,00,000, setup and AMC INR 0 (checked 6 Oct 2026)
25. Stripe India pricing, International cards with USD/other currency presentment 4.3% + 2% if currency conversion is required; Mastercard and Visa cards issued outside India 3% + 2%; American Express outside India 3.5% + 2%; dispute received INR 1,000.00 (checked 7 Oct 2026)
26. HDFC Bank: Remittance Services Fees & Charges, Inward Remittance Charge: No Charge; FIRC Charge for Inward Remittance & FCY Cheque Collection INR 200 per FIRC; GST slabs on amount of currency exchanged (checked 6 Oct 2026)
27. Kotak Everyday Savings Account fees and charges, Foreign Inward Remittance certificate (Branch Request) INR 100/Request; GST on Foreign Currency Conversion; fees exclusive of GST (checked 6 Oct 2026)
28. PayPal India Merchant Fees, Receiving international transactions; Currency Conversions (3.0% converting balance and payments received; 4.00% all other cases); Withdrawals Out of PayPal; Dispute Fees; Other Fees (Last Updated 28 March 2024) (checked 6 Oct 2026)
29. Wise India: Fees for receiving money (Business), Conversion fee depends on the currency; eFIRC for every transfer; GST 18% of (conversion fee + eFIRC fee); calculator (checked 6 Oct 2026)
30. Airwallex Help: Eligible Countries and Territories, INDIA IN - AWX Legal Entity SINGAPORE (checked 7 Oct 2026)