Inheriting property or money in India — where does doing it myself start to cost money?
Some of it, yes — and we will say so on the call if that is the honest answer. The parts that are worth paying for are the ones where a missed election, a missed deadline or an unverified threshold costs more than the fee: the heir inherits the original cost and holding period for capital gains purposes, rent is taxable in India with deduction at source, and moving proceeds abroad needs certification.
What if I have already filed and got it wrong?
That is a common starting point. We re-derive the position, identify whether an amendment or a disclosure route is the right vehicle, and tell you which one preserves the relief that is still available. The order matters more than the speed.
How long will it take?
It depends on the documents rather than on us. Once the pack is complete most filings turn around inside a fortnight; anything that needs a certificate from a tax authority runs on that authority's timetable, which we tell you at the start rather than at the end.
Do I pay Indian inheritance tax on property left to me in India?
India has no inheritance tax, so the inheritance itself is not a taxable event and nothing falls due because the property changed hands on a death. What follows is where the tax sits. Rent from the property is taxable in India with deduction at source, a later sale produces a capital gain, and moving the proceeds out of India needs certification. So the real question is almost never what is owed on inheriting, and almost always what is owed on holding, selling and remitting.
What cost do I use when I sell property I inherited in India?
You step into the position of the person you inherited from. The original cost and the original holding period carry over to you rather than resetting at the date of death. That cuts both ways. The gain is measured from a cost that may be very old, which can make it larger than expected, while the inherited holding period can place the sale in the long-term category from the outset. Reconstructing the original acquisition records is usually the first real piece of work in an inherited sale.
Can I sell inherited Indian property without succession documents in place?
In practice, no. A buyer and the registrar need to see that the person signing has the right to sell, and the property record has to name that person. The succession documents, the mutation of the record into the heir's name and the title history all have to line up before a sale can complete, and this is where most inherited sales stall. The work is slow and largely administrative, so it is worth starting before a buyer is found rather than after one is waiting.
How do I transfer money from an inherited Indian property abroad?
Remittance out of India is a certified process rather than a decision the bank makes on the day. The bank requires certification that the tax position on the underlying income or gain has been dealt with, and it will look for the chain of documents behind the money: the succession, the sale, or the estate account. The practical consequence is that the filing and the certification drive the timing of the remittance, so leaving both until the money is wanted abroad is what creates the delay people complain about.
Is rent from my inherited Indian flat taxable if I live in Canada?
Yes. Rent from Indian property is Indian-sourced income and taxable in India whatever your own residence, and the tenant is required to deduct at source when paying a non-resident landlord. The deduction is not the end of it. The Indian return is where the actual liability is computed, after the expenses allowable against rental income, and the deduction already made is credited against that. The same rent is also reportable where you live, with credit for the Indian tax properly payable on it.
I inherited money in an Indian bank account rather than property — what now?
The receipt itself is not taxed, but the account is. Once it stands in your name, the interest it earns is your Indian income, deducted at source and reportable both in India and where you live. The designation of the account also has to reflect your own residence rather than the deceased holder's. And moving the balance abroad follows the same certified route as any other remittance, so the succession documents and the bank's requirements still have to be worked through even where no tax is owed.
Is the sale of foreign property taxable where I live?
For a resident, yes — worldwide gains are taxable, and the gain is computed in your own currency, so the exchange rate at purchase and at sale changes the number even when the local-currency price did not move. The country where the property sits usually taxes it too, often with a withholding or clearance step before closing, and that tax becomes a credit. A principal residence relief may apply to a home abroad on the same terms as one at home. See principal residence and foreign property.
What are Forms 15CA and 15CB for?
They clear a payment out of India. Form 15CA is the remitter's declaration of the payment and the tax withheld on it; Form 15CB is an accountant's certificate on the taxability of the amount, the treaty article relied on and the correct withholding rate. The bank generally will not execute the transfer without them, in the categories where they are required. The work is deciding the rate correctly, because the certificate is the record of that decision. See 15CA and 15CB certification.
