Returning to India after years abroad — what part of this actually needs a professional?
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: residency is determined by day-count tests that can be planned around, the transitional status limits what foreign income India taxes for a period, and foreign-asset disclosure applies from the first year of full residency with no value threshold at all.
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.
When do I become a resident of India again after returning?
Indian residency is decided by day-count tests applied to the year, not by intention or by the date you gave your employer. Because the tests count days, the outcome for the year of return depends heavily on the month you arrive in, and that is something you can plan before you travel. The year of return often falls into the transitional status rather than full residency, which matters a great deal for foreign income. Work the count out in advance and keep the travel record, passport stamps and boarding passes included, because it is the only evidence of it.
Do I have to declare my foreign bank accounts on an Indian return?
Once you are a full resident, yes. Foreign assets are disclosable on the Indian return, and that reaches accounts, investments, employer plans and property held outside India. It is a disclosure obligation, separate from the question of whether any tax is due on them. It commonly catches people who assume that an account they no longer use, or one holding only a small balance, falls outside it. Disclosure begins with the first year of full residency, so the question of when that year starts is also the question of when this begins.
Is there a minimum balance below which foreign assets need not be disclosed?
No. The foreign-asset disclosure applies with no value threshold at all, so a dormant account holding very little is reportable on the same footing as a substantial portfolio. That is the single point most returning NRIs get wrong, usually in good faith, because most reporting regimes elsewhere do have a floor. Before the first year of full residency, make a complete list of everything held outside India — accounts, brokerage holdings, employer plans, insurance with an investment element, property — and keep it updated. It is far easier to maintain than to reconstruct.
Does my overseas salary become taxable in India the year I return?
It depends on your status for that year rather than on where the work was done. During the transitional window that usually follows a return, India's claim on foreign income is limited, which is why the status matters more than the sums involved. Once full residency begins, worldwide income comes into charge and relief for tax already paid abroad is claimed rather than assumed. The order of events in the year of return — when the employment ended, when you arrived, when the final payments were made — is worth recording carefully at the time.
Should I close my foreign accounts before moving back to India?
Think it through before the move rather than after. Closing an account does not erase the year in which it existed, and an account closed part-way through a reportable year is still part of that year's picture. Equally, keeping accounts open is not a problem in itself; it simply has to be disclosed. What is worth reviewing in advance is where the gains sit, what would happen if they were realised before full residency began, and whether any plan abroad has a withdrawal treatment that changes once you are resident.
Which month should I return to India to protect my status?
There is no universally right month, but there is usually a better and a worse one for your particular history, and the difference is decided by day counts. Your residency record for the preceding years feeds into the test, so the calculation can be done before you book anything. Where flexibility exists — a notice period, a school term, a handover — moving the arrival by a few weeks can change the status for the year, and with it the treatment of foreign income and the point at which disclosure starts.
Do I have to file in both countries?
Frequently yes, and the two filings do different jobs. The country where the income arises taxes it at source; the country where you are resident taxes your worldwide income and then gives credit for the tax already paid. Filing only one side is what leaves relief unclaimed — the credit has to be asked for on a return. We prepare both sides so the numbers agree. See dual filing.
I have not filed for several years while living abroad — what are my options?
Both countries have routes back, and using one before they contact you is what preserves the relief. On the US side there are procedures aimed at taxpayers whose failure was not wilful, including one designed for people living outside the country, and separate procedures for late account reports and information returns alone. Canada has its voluntary disclosures programme and taxpayer relief for penalties and interest. Filing quietly and hoping is the one approach with no protection attached to it. See catch-up filing.
