Fee-only financial planning · SEBI Registered Investment Adviser

Financial Planning for NRIs

Nearly one in three SahajMoney clients lives outside India, from the Gulf and Singapore to the US, Europe and ships at sea. Planning for an NRI is the same discipline with a different rulebook: two tax systems, two currencies, accounts that behave differently and a decision, sooner or later, about where to retire.

What is different when you live abroad

NRE, NRO and FCNR money behave differently

Interest on NRE and FCNR deposits is tax-free in India; NRO interest is taxed, with tax deducted at source. Which account an investment is made from decides how freely the money can be taken out again. The plan maps every rupee asset to the right account before it chooses where it goes.

Not every Indian product is open to you

NRIs cannot open new PPF accounts or invest in small-savings schemes such as SCSS, and some mutual fund houses do not accept investors resident in the US or Canada because of FATCA reporting. NPS is open to NRIs and OCIs. We check eligibility fund by fund rather than assume.

Two tax systems and a treaty between them

Indian income is taxed in India; your country of residence may tax it again. Double taxation avoidance agreements and foreign tax credits can reduce the overlap, with the right paperwork. We plan for the tax; a chartered accountant files the returns.

Repatriation and currency

Money in an NRO account can be repatriated up to USD 1 million a financial year with a CA's certificate; NRE money moves freely. Goals priced in rupees and goals priced in dollars, dirhams or pounds need different asset mixes, and the plan keeps them apart.

Coming back, or not

Returning NRIs can qualify for Resident but Not Ordinarily Resident status for a transition period, during which most foreign income stays outside Indian tax. The plan sets out what to do with foreign retirement accounts, NRE deposits and property before and after the move, and the same questions in reverse if you decide to stay.

How we plan for NRIs

  1. Everything is over email and video, in your time zone; most NRI clients never meet us in person.
  2. The data sheet captures assets and income in each country and currency, and the goals in the currency they will be spent in.
  3. Each Indian investment is made from the right account, NRE or NRO, and the plan only recommends options open to your residency.
  4. Insurance is sized for a family that may be in two countries: life cover, health cover for dependants in India, and the gaps your employer's cover abroad leaves.
  5. Retirement is planned for both scenarios, returning to India and staying abroad, so the decision can be made later without undoing the plan.
  6. Renewal each year keeps the plan current as residency, exchange rates and rules change.

See what a finished plan looks like, section by section

What the engagement includes

₹15,000 for the first year, including GST, per couple with dependent children and parents. Renewal is ₹7,500 a year, including GST.

  • A free 30-minute discovery call, then a data sheet and risk-profile questionnaire.
  • A written financial plan, usually within two weeks of the data being complete, walked through on a video call.
  • A review after six months and email support for the whole 12 months.
  • Advice only: you keep control of your accounts and investments. No commissions, no percentage of assets, no products sold.
  • Not included: income-tax return filing, direct stock tips, cryptocurrency, PMS or other complex products, or holding your money.

The plan and the fee in detail · How the engagement runs · All questions

Questions nris ask us

Can an NRI be a SahajMoney client?

Yes. About one in three clients is an NRI, including seafarers. The engagement runs over email and video calls scheduled in your time zone, and the fee is paid in rupees to an Indian account.

Do you advise on investments outside India?

We advise on your Indian investments and on how your assets abroad fit the overall plan: how much to keep where, in which currency, and for which goal. We do not recommend specific foreign securities.

Which Indian mutual funds can I invest in from the US or Canada?

Some fund houses accept US and Canada residents, often with extra declarations, and some do not. The plan lists the funds that accept your residency, so you are not left with a recommendation you cannot act on.

Will you file my Indian tax return?

No. The plan includes tax planning for your Indian income and investments; filing is done by a chartered accountant, and we work with yours if you have one.

What does it cost for an NRI couple?

The same fixed fee as everyone: ₹15,000 for the first year and ₹7,500 a year to renew, both including GST, per couple with dependent children and parents. There is no percentage of assets and no commission.

Related reading

Other guides

Investment in securities is subject to market risk. The rules described here are general and change; the plan applies the rules in force to your situation. SahajMoney does not file tax returns or give legal advice.

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