Repatriation Readiness Tool
Answer 9 quick questions and find out whether your NRO or NRE money is ready to move to the US, which route it takes, which forms you need, and how long the wire should take.
What this repatriation readiness check tells you
Most repatriations do not fail because the rules are hard. They fail because one piece is missing when the bank opens the file: a resident savings account that was never converted to NRO, a tax return that was never filed, a Form 15CB nobody ordered, or a name that reads differently on the PAN and the passport. The bank sends the packet back while the year's USD 1 million headroom ticks down.
This tool asks 9 questions about where the money is, where it came from, how much you want to move this financial year, and whether the Indian and US paperwork is in place. It returns a readiness score out of 100, a band from Ready to remit down to Not ready, the route your money takes, the forms you need (Form 15CA/15CB, known as Forms 145/146 from 1 April 2026, or just the bank Form A2), an estimated time to remit, and the dimension to fix first. It also states the dates that matter: when this year's USD 1 million cap resets and, if your return is outstanding, when it is due.
It is a readiness check for moving money out of India, not a guide to NRO and NRE accounts themselves. For the background, read our guide to repatriation of funds for NRIs and our NRO account explainer. If you are weighing a move back to India rather than a transfer out, use the Return to India calculator instead.
How to use the tool
Step 1: Answer the 9 questions
Tap one option per screen. The first three questions (account type, source of funds, amount this financial year) decide your route and forms. The rest check tax compliance, documentation, and US reporting. Two questions are conditional: the Form 15CB question is skipped when the money is in NRE or FCNR only, and the probate question appears only for inherited or gifted money.
Step 2: Read the verdict and the four cards
The dark card gives your percentage and band. The four cards under it name your recommended route, the exact forms, the typical time from first document to wire, and your biggest gap. If a dimension is under 70%, the tool lists up to three actions to close it before anything else.
Step 3: Follow the numbered route
The step list is generated from your account, source, and amount answers, in the order a bank will ask for things. The share link restores your answers for your CA or spouse without any personal details.
How the readiness score works
Each answer carries points across five dimensions, for a maximum of 20 points. The score is your points divided by 20, shown as a percentage. Questions that do not apply to your route are awarded full marks, so an NRE only holder is not penalised for not having a Form 15CB they do not need.
| Dimension | Questions | Max points | What a low score means |
|---|---|---|---|
| Account setup | Where the money is (Q1) | 4 | Money is in a resident account or you do not know the account type. Nothing can move until this is fixed. |
| Source of funds | Origin and amount this year (Q2, Q3) | 4 | Inherited or unclear origin, or more than the USD 1 million the cap allows in one financial year. |
| Tax compliance | TDS proof and the Indian return (Q4, Q5) | 4 | No TDS certificate or no ITR for the year. The bank checklist and your TDS refund both depend on these. |
| Documentation | Form 15CB and probate (Q6, Q7) | 4 | No CA engaged, or inherited money without probate or a legal heir certificate. |
| US reporting | FBAR and PAN/KYC match (Q8, Q9) | 4 | Unfiled FBAR, or a PAN and KYC mismatch that stalls the wire at the bank. |
Bands: 85 to 100 is Ready to remit, 60 to 84 is Nearly ready, 35 to 59 is Gaps to close, and 0 to 34 is Not ready. Worked example: NRO only (2), current income (3), under ₹5 lakh (1), TDS proof in hand (2), return filed (2), no CA engaged yet (0), FBAR filed (2), PAN active and matching (2), plus full marks for the probate question that does not apply (2) gives 16 of 20, or 80%, Nearly ready, with Documentation as the gap.
Which route your money takes
The route comes from your first three answers, not from the score. The USD 1 million per financial year limit applies to NRO capital balances, sale proceeds, inherited assets, and NRO to NRE transfers. Current income and NRE or FCNR balances sit outside it. LRS, and the TCS collected on LRS, apply to resident individuals only and do not touch an NRI repatriating from NRO. The rules used are those in force for India FY 2026-27 under the Income-tax Act 2025, and US tax year 2026 for FBAR and Form 8938.
| Route | Cap | India forms | Typical time |
|---|---|---|---|
| NRE or FCNR balance | None | Bank Form A2 only | 1 to 3 business days |
| NRO current income (rent, dividends, pension, interest) | Outside the USD 1 million cap, net of tax | 15CA Part A under ₹5 lakh taxable in the year; Part C plus 15CB above it | 1 to 2 weeks |
| NRO capital (property, shares, mutual funds, balances) | USD 1 million per financial year, all NRO accounts combined | 15CA Part C plus 15CB; property sale proceeds always | 3 to 6 weeks |
| Inherited or gifted assets via NRO | USD 1 million per financial year | 15CA Part C plus 15CB, or Part D if not chargeable to tax, plus will, probate, or legal heir certificate | 3 to 6 weeks once succession is settled; several months if not |
The tax gate behind every NRO route is Section 195 (now Section 393(2)) TDS and the Form 15CA/15CB certification under Rule 37BB (now Rule 220). Our Form 15CA and 15CB guide walks through the parts and who signs what.
What to do with your result
- Ready to remit: take the step list to your bank in that order. Confirm the bank classifies current income as outside the cap and books capital remittances against the right financial year.
- Nearly ready: the biggest gap card names the one thing to fix. It is usually Form 15CB or a missing TDS certificate. Allow 3 to 7 business days for the CA certificate once documents are in hand.
- Gaps to close or Not ready: do not approach the bank yet. Convert the account, file the return, and start probate first. Rerun the tool as each item closes; the share link keeps your answers.
The account that sent the money still counts toward FBAR and Form 8938 for the year, so run the FBAR filing requirements checker if you answered Not sure. And if you are moving back to India yourself, check your RNOR status, because the tax treatment of NRE and FCNR interest changes once you are resident again. The full picture is in our repatriation service.
Common reasons a repatriation gets stuck
- The account was never converted. A resident savings account operated after you became an NRI is a FEMA breach, and no bank will remit from it. Convert it to NRO first. See our FEMA rules for NRIs.
- No tax return for the year of the sale. TDS on a property sale is deducted on the gross price, not the gain. Without an ITR you cannot recover the excess, and most banks will not accept the packet.
- The bank lumps current income into the cap. Rent, dividends, pension, and interest are repatriable outside USD 1 million. Ask for that classification in writing.
- Inherited property with no probate. This is the single largest source of multi month delays. Start the succession paperwork in parallel with everything else.
- PAN not linked to Aadhaar, or a name mismatch. An inoperative PAN attracts a higher TDS rate on Indian income, and a KYC mismatch stops the wire at the bank desk.
- Crossing the cap in one year. Anything above USD 1 million in a financial year needs prior RBI approval. Splitting across 31 March and 1 April is often the simpler path.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the maximum amount of money I can repatriate from India?
It depends on which account the money sits in. NRE and FCNR balances have no limit: principal and interest are freely repatriable by bank wire. NRO money is split in two. Current income such as rent, dividends, pension, and interest can be remitted net of tax with no cap. Everything else in NRO (account balances, sale proceeds of property or investments, inherited assets, and transfers from NRO to NRE) is limited to USD 1 million per financial year, April to March, across all your NRO accounts, under the RBI Remittance of Assets rules. Amounts above that need prior RBI approval through your bank. The cap does not carry forward, so unused headroom is lost on 31 March.
How much money can you transfer from India to the USA without tax?
There is no tax on the transfer itself. India taxes the income or gain behind the money (rent, interest, capital gains) through TDS and your tax return, and the remittance goes out net of that tax. The US does not tax you for moving your own money into your own account. Two caveats. LRS and the TCS collected on LRS remittances apply only to resident individuals, so they do not apply to an NRI repatriating from NRO. And the bank still wants proof that Indian tax was handled: a TDS certificate or challan, the ITR acknowledgment, and for taxable amounts above ₹5 lakh in a year, Form 15CB (Form 146 from 1 April 2026) from a CA.
Can I transfer money from my Indian bank account to my US bank account?
Yes, if the Indian account is the right type. An NRE or FCNR account can wire to your US account with the bank Form A2 and nothing else. An NRO account can remit under the USD 1 million scheme once you give the bank Form 15CA (Form 145) and, where required, Form 15CB (Form 146), plus source of funds and tax paid proof. An ordinary resident savings account cannot remit abroad at all; it has to be converted to NRO first, which FEMA requires anyway once you become an NRI. The tool tells you which of these three situations you are in and what to do about it.
Do wire transfers over $10,000 get reported to the IRS?
A wire of your own money into your US account is not income and is not taxed. US banks file currency transaction reports for cash transactions over $10,000 and may ask for source of funds documents on a large inbound international wire, so keep your Indian paperwork handy. Your real reporting obligation is about the accounts, not the wire. If your foreign accounts together exceeded $10,000 at any point in the year, file FBAR (FinCEN Form 114) by April 15, with an automatic extension to October 15. Form 8938 applies at higher thresholds: $50,000 at year end or $75,000 at any time for single filers living in the US, and $100,000 or $150,000 if married filing jointly.
Can I transfer money from my NRO to my NRE account?
Yes, with two conditions. The money must be tax paid, so the bank will ask for Form 15CA (Form 145) and Form 15CB (Form 146) the same way it would for a remittance abroad, along with proof of where the funds came from. And the transfer counts against your USD 1 million per financial year limit; it does not bypass it. Once the money is in NRE it can go out to the US at any time with only Form A2, which is why many NRIs clean up NRO balances into NRE first and wire later.
Do I need Form 15CB for an NRE to US transfer?
No. Form 15CB (Form 146 from 1 April 2026) is a CA certificate that the Indian tax on a remittance has been handled, and it is tied to money leaving an NRO account. NRE and FCNR balances are foreign currency money held in India, their interest is exempt from Indian tax while you are an NRI, and the RBI treats them as freely repatriable. Your bank will ask for its own Form A2 purpose declaration and your US account details, and the wire usually lands in 1 to 3 business days. If the money passed through NRO on the way to NRE, the 15CB was needed at that earlier step, not now.
Ready to bring your money home? Get the paperwork right the first time.
Our US-based NRI team prepares the 15CA/15CB packet, checks the USD 1 million headroom, and works with your bank until the wire lands.