Income Tax · 15CA-15CB

Form 15CA & 15CB Filing — foreign remittances, properly certified.

Form 15CA declaration and Form 15CB Chartered Accountant certificate for all foreign remittances from India — correct tax liability determination, DTAA analysis, and bank-ready documentation by CAs in Mumbai.

Form 15CA and Form 15CB are the compliance gateway for every significant foreign remittance out of India. Before a bank executes an outward international transfer — whether it is a salary repatriation by an expatriate, a payment to a foreign vendor, a royalty to an overseas licensor, a loan repayment to a foreign lender, or a dividend to a non-resident shareholder — it demands Form 15CA from the remitter and, in most cases, Form 15CB from a Chartered Accountant. These are not optional formalities; they are statutory requirements under Section 195 of the Income Tax Act and Rule 37BB, and a bank that remits without them faces regulatory consequences.

Form 15CB is the more demanding of the two documents. The CA must certify the nature of the remittance, the applicable provision of the Income Tax Act or DTAA, the tax rate used, the amount of TDS deducted, and whether the remittance is taxable in India. Getting it wrong — over-deducting TDS where a DTAA exempts the payment, or under-deducting where the domestic rate applies — creates either a tax demand or a refund process that takes months. The CA's certification carries personal responsibility, so it must be grounded in the correct treaty analysis.

NDS Advisors prepares Form 15CB and files Form 15CA for a wide range of remittance types — salary repatriations, software payments, professional fees, dividends, interest, royalties, loan repayments, education remittances, and property purchase payments abroad. We analyse the DTAA applicable to the recipient's country of residence, determine the correct TDS rate, prepare the certificate, and file Form 15CA on the income tax portal so your bank can process the transfer without delay.

Our 15CA-15CB Filing Services

Form 15CB Certificate — CA Sign-off

Preparation and signing of Form 15CB by a Chartered Accountant — certifying nature of remittance, DTAA provision, applicable tax rate, and TDS amount.

Form 15CA — Portal Filing

Filing of Form 15CA (Part A, B, C, or D as applicable) on the Income Tax portal; generating the unique acknowledgement number required by the bank.

DTAA Rate Analysis

Identification of the applicable India-country Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement; determination of exemption or reduced rate applicable to the specific payment.

TDS on Foreign Payments (Sec 195)

Computation of TDS obligation on payments to non-residents under Section 195 — salary, interest, royalties, FTS, dividends, and capital gains.

Lower TDS Certificate (Sec 197)

Application for reduced or nil TDS certificate under Section 197 for recurring high-value remittances to the same non-resident payee.

Salary & Expat Remittances

Form 15CB/15CA for expatriate salary repatriations, including residential status analysis and applicable salary tax treatment.

Import & Vendor Payments

Analysis of whether trade payments for goods and services are taxable in India; Form 15CB where required by the AD bank.

FEMA & RBI Compliance

Guidance on LRS limits, AD category bank requirements, and FEMA documentation for permissible capital and current account remittances.

Our Process

Remittance Details Review

Understand the nature of payment, recipient's country, residential status, and applicable treaty.

DTAA & Tax Analysis

Identify applicable DTAA article and tax rate; determine whether TDS applies at standard rate, treaty rate, or nil.

Form 15CB Preparation

Draft and sign Form 15CB as Chartered Accountant; retain workings and supporting documents on file.

Form 15CA Filing

File Form 15CA on the income tax portal with the correct Part; generate and share the portal acknowledgement number.

Bank Submission

Provide you with Form 15CB (signed CA certificate) and Form 15CA acknowledgement for submission to your AD bank for release of the remittance.

Why It Matters

✓Correct DTAA rate applied — no over or under TDS

✓Form 15CB signed by CA — bank processes transfer

✓Form 15CA filed on portal — acknowledgement number ready

✓Nil TDS claimed correctly where treaty exempts payment

✓TRC and Form 10F verified before treaty benefit claimed

✓LRS and FEMA compliance checked alongside tax rules

✓Lower TDS certificate obtained for recurring payments

✓Full audit trail retained for Section 195 assessment

Frequently Asked Questions

Form 15CA is an online declaration filed by the person making a foreign remittance, confirming to the Income Tax Department whether the payment is taxable in India and whether TDS has been deducted. It must be filed on the income tax portal before the bank executes the transfer, and the acknowledgement number is submitted to the bank.

Form 15CB is a certificate issued by a Chartered Accountant certifying the nature of the remittance, the applicable provision of the Income Tax Act or the relevant DTAA, the rate of TDS, and the amount deducted. Only a practicing Chartered Accountant can issue Form 15CB. It is required for remittances above Rs 5 lakh in a financial year where the income is chargeable to tax in India.

Not all remittances require Form 15CB. Rule 37BB lists 33 categories of payments — such as trade payments for import of goods, shipping freight, and dividends paid out of taxable income — that are exempt from Form 15CB but still require Form 15CA. Payments below Rs 5 lakh in a financial year require only a simplified Form 15CA (Part A) without a CA certificate.

If a remittance is made without Form 15CA/15CB where required, the bank faces regulatory action and the remitter faces penalty under Section 271-I of the Income Tax Act. Additionally, if TDS was not deducted correctly, the remitter is treated as an assessee in default and is liable for the tax, interest under Section 201, and penalty under Section 271C.

Form 15CA can be withdrawn within 7 days of filing if the remittance has not been made. Form 15CB, once issued and used, cannot be revised — a fresh certificate is required if the remittance details change. If TDS was wrongly deducted, a refund claim can be filed by the non-resident.

Foreign remittances processed without delay.

Our Chartered Accountants prepare Form 15CB and file Form 15CA for any foreign payment — DTAA analysed, TDS correctly determined, bank documentation ready.