What is the tax on NRO deposit?
Only the interest earned on NRO Deposit is taxable in India: 30% tax + surcharge + education cess* is deducted at the source of interest earned in India. The repatriation of the money in the account can be done up to a maximum of 1 million USD per financial year.
*(Cess: A cess is a tax on tax that you pay to the government for purposes set by the government. The cess is charged till the objective set by the government is fulfilled. Eg: Krishi Kalyan Cess, Swachh Bharat Cess etc.)
Comparison between NRO Deposit, NRE & FCNR Fixed Deposits:
Factors to consider | Non Resident Ordinary (NRO) Account | |||
Purpose | For income earned outside India | For income earned from India (pension, rent etc.) | Foreign Currency Investment in India | |
Currency | INR | INR | USD, GBP, EUR, JPY, CAD, AUD, SGD, HKD and CHF | |
Tenure of Deposits | 1 year to 10 years | 7 days to 10 years | 1 year to 5 years | |
Interest | Up to 6.80%* | Up to 7.30%* | Up to 4.05%* | |
Repatriation (transfer of money from Indian bank account to foreign bank account) | Both Principal (money invested initially) and Interest completely repatriable | Up to a maximum of 1 million USD per financial year | Both Principal and Interest completely repatriable | |
Tax Deductions | No tax | Tax on Interest earned (not on principal amount): 30% tax + surcharge + education cess will be deducted at the source of interest earned in India | No tax |