NRI Playbook

A plan for moving back to India

Three sessions over six weeks to plan your RNOR years, your 401(k) drawdown, any property sale, and your final FBAR.

Moving back to India changes how both countries tax you, and the order you do things in matters. Most people get a few years as Resident but Not Ordinarily Resident (RNOR), when India generally does not tax income you earn and receive outside India. What you sell, convert, or withdraw during those years, and what you do before you leave the US, can make a large difference to the tax you pay.

What we cover

  • Your RNOR years. When they start and end, based on your travel history, and what to do in each one.
  • Your 401(k) and IRAs. Whether to leave them, roll them over, or withdraw, and in what order.
  • RSUs and other shares. Which sales to make before you move and which to hold.
  • Property. When to sell a US home or Indian property, and what each sale means in both countries.
  • Your final-year FBAR and other US filings for the year you leave.

How it works

  1. Step 1Email us your move dateTell us when you plan to move and what you most want help with. We suggest dates for the first session.
  2. Step 2Three sessions over six weeksThe first covers your accounts and timeline. The second goes through your options. The third agrees the plan.
  3. Step 3A plan with datesYou finish with an agreed plan: what to sell, convert or withdraw, and when, before and after the move.

You can try the free RNOR calculator and RSU planner first to see where you stand.

Our recommendation

Start before the tax year in which you move. Several of the most useful steps, such as Roth conversions and RSU sales, have December 31 deadlines and are harder or impossible once you have left.

Common questions

As early as you can, and ideally before the tax year in which you move. Roth conversions, RSU sales, and 401(k) decisions have December 31 deadlines, and some choices are much harder to make after you have left the US.

No. This is planning and advice. Your US and Indian returns are prepared separately, by your own preparer or through our FBAR filing service for the FBAR.

The Returning NRI Planning Package is an advisory engagement and is not a substitute for return preparation, legal advice, or formal IRS representation. Positions discussed are subject to changes in law and to the accuracy of facts provided. Engagement does not create an attorney-client relationship.