When it comes to international remittances, the first thing that comes to mind is Form 15CA and Form 15CB compliance. Most users find it difficult and time-consuming to comply with Forms 15CA and 15CB. Many of them are uninformed of the existing requirements and methods of compliance. As a result, today I'll go over some crucial points about Form 15CA and Form 15CB, as well as the compliance procedure.
The income tax department has revised the rules relating to preparation & submission of Form 15CA and Form 15CB.
The Revised Rules became effective from 1st April 2016.
The significant changes are as follows –
A person responsible for making a payment to a non-resident or to a foreign company has to provide the following details:
When payment made is below Rs 5 lakh: For such payments information is required to be submitted in Part A of Form 15CA
When payment made exceeds Rs 5 lakh:
Following documents is required to be submitted:
When the payment made is not chargeable to tax under IT Act: Part D of Form 15CA is required to be submitted.
Overall list of payments where no forms 15CA and 15CB are required are as follows (Rule 37BB):
Sl. No. | Nature of Payment |
1 | Indian investment abroad -in equity capital (shares) |
2 | Indian investment abroad -in debt securities |
3 | Indian investment abroad-in branches and wholly owned subsidiaries |
4 | Indian investment abroad -in subsidiaries and associates |
5 | Indian investment abroad -in real estate |
6 | Loans extended to Non-Residents |
7 | Advance payment against imports |
8 | Payment towards imports-settlement of invoice |
9 | Imports by diplomatic missions |
10 | Intermediary trade |
11 | Imports below Rs.5,00,000-(For use by ECD offices) |
12 | Payment- for operating expenses of Indian shipping companies operating abroad. |
13 | Operating expenses of Indian Airlines companies operating abroad |
14 | Booking of passages abroad -Airlines companies |
15 | Remittance towards business travel. |
16 | Travel under basic travel quota (BTQ) |
17 | Travel for pilgrimage |
18 | Travel for medical treatment |
19 | Travel for education (including fees, hostel expenses etc.) |
20 | Postal Services |
21 | Construction of projects abroad by Indian companies including import of goods at project site |
22 | Freight insurance – relating to import and export of goods |
23 | Payments for maintenance of offices abroad |
24 | Maintenance of Indian embassies abroad |
25 | Remittances by foreign embassies in India |
26 | Remittance by non-residents towards family maintenance and savings |
27 | Remittance towards personal gifts and donations |
28 | Remittance towards donations to religious and charitable institutions abroad |
29 | Remittance towards grants and donations to other Governments and charitable institutions established by the Governments. |
30 | Contributions or donations by the Government to international institutions |
31 | Remittance towards payment or refund of taxes. |
32 | Refunds or rebates or reduction in invoice value on account of exports |
33 | Payments by residents for international bidding. |
To know more about Form 15CA and 15CB in detail and how to file online, click here.
Form 15CA and 15CB compliance for international remittances can be complex. Revised rules from April 1, 2016, exempt certain payments from these forms, list expanded from 28 to 33. For payments exceeding Rs.5 lakh to non-residents or foreign companies, Form 15CB is mandatory along with other documentation. Filing these forms online is also an option.