How Do You Receive Money from the United States to India in 2026?

US clients pay vendors mainly through ACH and Fedwire. ACH is a batch network that reaches all US bank and credit union accounts and settles four times a day. Fedwire is a real-time gross settlement system run by the Federal Reserve Banks. Both are domestic, so they reach India only through local USD account details or an international wire.

• Rails: ACH handles direct deposits and vendor payments, with Same Day ACH limited to $1 million per payment. The Fedwire Funds Service moves funds that are immediate, final and irrevocable once processed. International payments go out as SWIFT wires.
• Client enters: For local USD details: your name, the account number, the 9-digit ABA routing number and the account type. For a SWIFT wire: your name, your Indian bank's SWIFT code, your account number and your bank's address.
• Client cost: Fees for domestic ACH and wire payments depend on the client's US bank and account type. US banks often charge a fee for an outgoing international wire. With card checkout, the processing fee is usually deducted from your payout.
• Speed: Nacha says ACH payments can process in hours on the same business day or be scheduled one or two business days away. The Federal Reserve settlement service is closed on weekends and federal holidays.
• Limits: A US client cannot send ACH straight to an Indian bank account number, because ACH reaches US accounts. An Indian IFSC code does not work in a US domestic transfer form. Use local USD details or a SWIFT wire instead.

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

You receive less than the invoice because fees and exchange rate margins are taken along the way. Banks and providers convert at a rate below the mid-market rate, and SWIFT intermediaries may deduct charges. For example, if the mid-market rate were ₹88.00 and your rate ₹87.10, a $1,000 invoice would lose ₹900 before any fee. This rate is an example.

Each row applies the platform's published fee, FX markup and 18% GST on the fee to the mid-market rate of ₹94.69 per USD for 3 Nov 2026.

• Total cost: Add the fee, the exchange rate margin, any intermediary deduction and GST on fees. Compare the final rupee amount you receive per $1,000.
• Local rail coverage: Check whether the method gives your client ACH and Fedwire details, or only a SWIFT route. US clients pay domestic ACH details with less effort.
• Settlement speed: Look at the full time from the client's payment to rupees in your account, including weekends and US federal holidays.
• FIRA: Make sure you get an inward remittance document with the correct purpose code for every receipt. GST refund claims under CGST Rule 89(2)(c) need a Bank Realisation Certificate or Foreign Inward Remittance Certificate.
• Client experience: US accounts payable teams often prefer to pay a US account number and routing number, and many will ask for a Form W-8BEN or W-8BEN-E before the first payment.
• Support: Check how you reach a person if a payment is held, returned or tagged with the wrong purpose code, and how long a fix takes.

Money received from US clients for services is an export receipt under FEMA. Each receipt needs a purpose code and an inward remittance document from your AD bank or payment aggregator. Services exporters file an EDF within 30 days of the invoice month end, and the payment must be realised within nine months of the invoice.

• FIRA or e-FIRA: FIRA is a term used by banks and platforms and is not defined in the FEMA regulations. GST rules refer to a Foreign Inward Remittance Certificate or a Bank Realisation Certificate. Exporters can also self-generate an e-BRC on the DGFT portal under the DGFT self-certified eBRC guidelines. See FIRC vs FIRA vs e-BRC.
• Purpose code: Pick the code that matches the service, such as P0802 "Software consultancy/implementation (other than those covered in SOFTEX form)" or P1006 "Business and management consultancy and public relations services" from the RBI purpose code list. See purpose code for freelancers.
• EDF: Under Regulation 3 of the FEMA Export and Import Regulations, 2026, in force from 1 October 2026, services exporters, including software exporters, file an EDF within 30 days from the end of the invoice month, and one EDF can cover a month. A.P. (DIR Series) Circular No. 20 superseded the earlier SOFTEX circulars from the same date. Goods exporters file the EDF at shipment. See EDF form for exports.
• Realisation: Export value must be realised within nine months of the invoice for services or shipment for goods, or twelve months if invoiced or settled in rupees, under Regulation 5 as amended on 22 September 2026. Your AD bank may extend the period.
• EDPMS: Your AD bank closes the EDPMS entry when the payment arrives. For invoices up to ₹10 lakh, the entry may be closed on your declaration, including a quarterly bulk declaration. See EDPMS for service exporters.
• PA-CB safety: Cross-border payment aggregators must hold collected funds in an Inward Collection Account with an AD Category-I bank, and each transaction is capped at ₹25 lakh under the RBI Master Direction on Payment Aggregators. See how to check an RBI-authorised payment aggregator.

Services billed to US clients are usually zero-rated exports under GST, so with an LUT you charge no IGST. The income is taxed in India under the Income-tax Act, 2025. Under the India-US tax treaty, fees for included services may also be taxed in the US at up to 15 percent, with credit in India.

• GST and LUT: A service is an export when all five conditions in IGST Act section 2(6) are met, and exports are zero-rated under section 16. Registered exporters file an LUT in Form GST RFD-11 under CGST Rule 96A to export without paying IGST. See LUT filing.
• GST on fees: Fees charged by an Indian bank, gateway or payment aggregator are a domestic service and generally attract GST. Currency conversion is also a taxable service. Under CGST Rule 32(2), its value is the gap from the RBI reference rate or, at the supplier\'s option, a set percentage of the amount exchanged. See GST on payment gateway charges.
• Income tax: The Income-tax Act, 2025 replaced the 1961 Act from 1 April 2026. The presumptive schemes under old sections 44AD and 44ADA now sit in section 58 of the 2025 Act. Income earned before 1 April 2026 stays under the 1961 Act, including section 44ADA. See section 44ADA for freelancers.
• India-US DTAA: The India-US tax treaty, in force from 18 December 1990, taxes business profits only in India unless there is a US permanent establishment (Article 7). Fees for included services that make available technical knowledge may be taxed in the US at up to 15 percent (Article 12). Professional services by individuals are taxed only in India unless there is a US fixed base or a stay of 90 days or more (Article 15). See DTAA for Indian exporters.
• Client forms: A US client may ask an individual for Form W-8BEN and a company for Form W-8BEN-E to confirm foreign status. IRS Publication 515 says the place where personal services are performed determines their source. See W-8BEN for Indian freelancers.

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 3 Nov 2026. The method is on the methodology page.

1. Foreign Exchange Management (Export and Import of Goods and Services) Regulations, 2026, Notification No. FEMA 23(R)/2026-RB (as amended up to 22 September 2026), Reg 3(2): services exporter files EDF within 30 days from the end of the month in which the invoice was raised; single EDF per month allowed. Reg 4(2): AD bank closes EDPMS entry; invoices up to ₹10 lakh may be closed on exporter's declaration, also quarterly in bulk. Reg 5(1): realisation within nine months from invoice date for services. (checked 8 Oct 2026)
2. Foreign Exchange Management (Export and Import of Goods and Services) (Amendment) Regulations, 2026, Notification No. FEMA 23(R)/(1)/2026-RB (22 September 2026), Para 2: in regulation 5(1), 'fifteen months' replaced by 'nine months' and, in the first proviso (INR invoicing or settlement), 'eighteen months' replaced by 'twelve months'. (checked 8 Oct 2026)
3. RBI A.P. (DIR Series) Circular No. 20, RBI/2025-26/194: Export and Import of Goods and Services (16 January 2026), From 1 October 2026 the Master Directions on export and import and the listed circulars, including the SOFTEX circulars (e.g. A.P. (DIR Series) Circular No. 9 of 2001 and No. 47 of 2012), stand superseded. (checked 8 Oct 2026)
4. RBI circular RBI/2026-27/08: Guidelines to facilitate faster cross-border inward payments (9 April 2026), Banks shall endeavour to credit the inward payments received during the foreign exchange market hours within the same business day to the beneficiary's account, and credit the inward payments received after market hours on the next business day. (checked 8 Oct 2026)
5. RBI Master Direction on Regulation of Payment Aggregator (PA), RBI/DPSS/2025-26/141 (15 September 2025), Para 11(d): maximum value per transaction processed by a PA-CB shall be ₹25 lakh. Para 11(h): PA-CB shall provide documents to the exporter's AD bank for EDPMS closure. Para 16(a): funds held in an escrow account called Inward Collection Account (InCA) with a Scheduled Commercial Bank that is an AD Category-I bank. (checked 8 Oct 2026)
6. RBI Master Direction: Deposits and Accounts (paragraph 3.1, EEFC account), A person resident in India may open an EEFC account with an AD in India. Credits permitted: 100 percent of the foreign exchange earnings by way of inward remittance through normal banking channel (other than loans or investments), including professional earnings such as consultancy fees. (checked 8 Oct 2026)
7. RBI A.P. (DIR Series) Circular No. 84 (2012), FETERS purpose codes for receipts, P0802 Software consultancy/implementation (other than those covered in SOFTEX form); P0803 Data base, data processing charges; P1006 Business and management consultancy and public relations services. (checked 8 Oct 2026)
8. DGFT Self-Certified eBRC Generation Guidelines, Version 1.0 (10 November 2023), Rule 10: For Services > IT, only these four purpose codes are applicable - P0802, P0803, P0807, and P0103. (checked 8 Oct 2026)
9. Integrated Goods and Services Tax Act, 2017, section 2 (CBIC tax information portal), Section 2(6): five conditions for export of services. (checked 8 Oct 2026)
10. Integrated Goods and Services Tax Act, 2017, section 16: Zero rated supply (CBIC tax information portal), Section 16(1)(a): export of goods or services is a zero rated supply. (checked 8 Oct 2026)
11. Central Goods and Services Tax Rules, 2017, Rule 96A (CBIC tax information portal), Rule 96A(1): export without payment of integrated tax under a bond or Letter of Undertaking in FORM GST RFD-11. (checked 8 Oct 2026)
12. Central Goods and Services Tax Rules, 2017, Rule 89: Application for refund (CBIC tax information portal), Rule 89(2)(c): statement of invoices and the relevant Bank Realisation Certificates or Foreign Inward Remittance Certificates for refunds on export of services. (checked 8 Oct 2026)
13. Central Goods and Services Tax Rules, 2017, Rule 32 (CBIC tax information portal), Rule 32(2)(a): value equals the difference between the buying or selling rate and the RBI reference rate, multiplied by the units of currency. Rule 32(2)(b): at the supplier's option, a deemed value of a set percentage of the gross amount exchanged. (checked 8 Oct 2026)
14. Income Tax Department: Objective and scope of the new Act (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 consolidated into section 58 of the 2025 Act. (checked 8 Oct 2026)
15. Convention between the United States of America and the Republic of India for the Avoidance of Double Taxation (IRS treaty text), Signed 12 September 1989, entered into force 18 December 1990. Article 7(1) business profits taxable only in the state of residence unless a permanent establishment exists. Article 12(2)(a)(ii) and 12(4): fees for included services, 15 percent of gross after the first five years. Article 15(1): independent personal services taxable only in the state of residence unless a fixed base or a stay of 90 days or more. Article 25(2): India allows a deduction for US tax paid. (checked 8 Oct 2026)
16. IRS: About Form W-8 BEN, Certificate of Foreign Status of Beneficial Owner for United States Tax Withholding and Reporting (Individuals), Give Form W-8 BEN to the withholding agent or payer if you are a foreign person and the beneficial owner of an amount subject to withholding; submit it when requested. Related form W-8BEN-E for entities. (checked 8 Oct 2026)
17. IRS Publication 515, Withholding of Tax on Nonresident Aliens and Foreign Entities, Personal service income: the place where the services are performed determines the source of the income, regardless of where the contract was made, the place of payment, or the residence of the payer. (checked 8 Oct 2026)
18. Nacha: What is ACH (The ABCs of ACH), ACH Network reaches all U.S. bank and credit union accounts; payments can be processed in hours on the same business day or scheduled one or two business days away; Same Day ACH $1 million per payment limit; network settles four times a day; Federal Reserve settlement closed on federal holidays and weekends. (checked 8 Oct 2026)
19. Federal Reserve Board: Fedwire Funds Services, The Federal Reserve Banks provide the Fedwire Funds Service, a real-time gross settlement system that enables participants to initiate funds transfers that are immediate, final, and irrevocable once processed. (checked 8 Oct 2026)
20. Federal Reserve Board: Automated Clearinghouse Services, The ACH system is a nationwide network through which depository institutions send each other batches of electronic credit and debit transfers. (checked 8 Oct 2026)
21. Skydo homepage (pricing and fee calculator), Know what you pay; calculator showing GST 18% of transaction fee (checked 6 Oct 2026)
22. 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)
23. 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)
24. 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)
25. 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)
26. 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)
27. 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)
28. Airwallex Help: Eligible Countries and Territories, INDIA IN - AWX Legal Entity SINGAPORE (checked 7 Oct 2026)