When an NRI sells property in India, Section 195 makes the buyer deduct tax on the entire consideration — not on profit. The overpayment is not a penalty. It is a refund that nobody claims on your behalf.
Enter your figures to see the gap.
Indicative only. Section 195 TDS is applied to the full consideration at the long-term rate of 12.5% plus surcharge and 4% cess; short-term gains are taxed at slab rates, shown here at 30%. Your actual liability depends on indexation elections, other Indian income, treaty relief and any exemption under Section 54 or 54EC. Send us the sale deed for an exact figure.
Residency elsewhere does not end your Indian obligation. Income arising in India stays taxable in India — and in almost every case below, tax has already been deducted at a rate higher than you owe.
Calculated on gross sale value, not on gain. On an older property this is routinely three to four times the tax genuinely due. A return is the only route back.
Deducted: 12.5% + surcharge + cess on the full priceYour tenant deducts before the 30% standard deduction, municipal taxes and home loan interest you are entitled to claim against that rent.
Deducted: 30% + cessThe bank cuts the full non-resident rate on NRO interest. Under most treaties the correct rate is far lower, and the difference is claimable.
Deducted: 30% + cess · treaty rate often 10–15%Capital gains with grandfathering on pre-2018 holdings, losses carried forward, and Schedule FA where your residency for the year requires it.
Varies · frequently over-deducted at sourceMost NRIs discover the over-deduction after the cheque has cleared. If your sale has not closed yet, there is a better route — and it is the one worth knowing about first.
| Refund route — after the sale | Form 13 route — before the sale | |
|---|---|---|
| When you start | Any time after the deduction | Six to eight weeks before closing |
| What the buyer deducts | Full rate on the entire sale price | Only on your actual gain |
| Money out of your hands | Typically ₹15–25 lakh, for months | Nothing beyond the tax genuinely due |
| When you see it again | After filing and processing — often the following year | Never leaves you |
| What we do | File the return, claim the refund, follow it to your NRO account | Apply under Form 13, follow up with the Assessing Officer, hand the certificate to your buyer |
| Our fee | $349 | $499 |
If your sale has already closed, the refund route is not a worse outcome — it is simply slower. If it has not, message us before you sign anything.
Quoted in US dollars, payable by card, PayPal or Wise. You see the computation and approve it before we file — and before you pay.
Rental income, NRO or FD interest, no capital gains. Files ITR-2.
ITR-2
Shares, mutual funds, bonds or ESOPs sold during the year. Files ITR-2.
ITR-2
You sold a flat, house or plot and the buyer deducted under Section 195.
ITR-2 · SECTION 195 RECOVERY
Your sale has not closed yet and you would rather not lose the money at all.
LOWER DEDUCTION CERTIFICATE
Nothing here needs you awake at 3am. You send documents when it suits you, and we work while your side of the world is asleep.
Sale deed, PAN, passport pages showing your days in India, and the TDS certificate from your buyer. Photos are fine. WhatsApp or secure upload, your choice.
Your income is matched against AIS and Form 26AS, treaty relief is applied, exemptions are tested, and the correct form is chosen — before anything is drafted.
A plain computation sheet, on a call at your hour, not ours. The refund figure, what we claimed and what we deliberately did not. You pay once you say yes.
We file, help you e-verify within 30 days, send the ITR-V, and stay with the refund until it lands in your NRO account.
You are eight thousand kilometres away, about to send your PAN to someone you found online. That deserves a straight answer rather than a reassuring sentence.
Fill this in and it opens WhatsApp with your details already typed. You get back an exact fee, a document list, and a call slot in your timezone — usually within one working day.
We use your details only to prepare and file your Indian return. We never ask for your net banking password or OTP.
No, though on paper it can look that way. India taxes the gain because the property is here; your country of residence taxes your worldwide income. The double taxation avoidance agreement resolves the overlap — you claim a foreign tax credit at home for the Indian tax actually paid, supported by Form 67 and your Indian assessment. Filing in India is what produces the evidence your local accountant needs.
That deduction is an advance, not a settlement. Section 195 requires it on the entire sale consideration at the long-term rate plus surcharge and cess, which on a property bought years ago is usually several times the tax genuinely due. The excess stays with the department until a return claims it. There is no automatic refund and nobody writes to tell you.
Usually yes, because the tenant or the bank deducted before any of your deductions were applied. Against rental income you are entitled to a 30% standard deduction, municipal taxes paid, and home loan interest. On NRO interest, most treaties cap the rate well below what was withheld. Send us the figures and we will tell you plainly if it is not worth it — we would rather say so than take the work.
Less than you probably think. An updated return under ITR-U can be filed within 48 months of the end of the assessment year, with additional tax. Where refunds were due and never claimed, some years may still be recoverable through a condonation request. Send us the years and the income type and we will tell you which are worth pursuing and which are closed.
Yes, and it is the better route if you have time. An application under Form 13 asks the Assessing Officer for a Lower Deduction Certificate directing the buyer to deduct on your actual gain instead of the sale price. Start it six to eight weeks before the transaction. The money then never leaves your hands, which beats waiting a year for a refund.
No. We prepare and file Indian returns only. Filing in those jurisdictions requires local registration we do not hold, and we would rather tell you that than take work we cannot properly finish. We do coordinate with your local accountant and give them the Indian computation, tax paid certificate and treaty documentation they need to claim your credit.
Card, PayPal or Wise, in US dollars, against an invoice from the registered entity. Not UPI, and never into a personal account. Payment is collected after you have seen the computation and approved it — not before.