Choosing an NRI CA
Most NRIs don't need a bigger firm. They need a CA who actually works on NRI cases — one who is on the ICAI register, claims your treaty rate without being asked, handles everything remotely, and puts the fee in writing before any work starts. Below is how to check each of those, and an honest account of where we stand on them.
ICAI-registered CA · Section 288 representation · NRI cases from 31 countries
What makes a CA right for NRI work
A long client list and a glossy website tell you little. These four are what decide whether your refund lands and your filing clears the first time.
Only a Chartered Accountant on the ICAI register can sign Form 15CB, represent you under Section 288, or stand behind a filing if the assessing officer pushes back. Ask for the membership number and check it yourself on the ICAI portal before you share a single document.
An NRI return is not a resident return with a foreign address. It turns on residential status (Section 6), the right treaty article, Form 10F, a TRC from your country, and Schedule FA. A generalist who files mostly resident returns will miss the DTAA claim that is the whole point.
You should never need to fly down or post originals. Documents move over a secure channel, drafts come to you for approval, and you e-verify from wherever you live. The right CA has done this from 31 countries and treats remote as the default, not a favour.
The honest pattern is a complete written quote before you commit — everything included, pass-through costs (government fees, courier) shown separately at cost. Be wary of a low headline number that grows into documentation, follow-up, and rework fees once the work is underway.
Side by side
Same letters after the name. A very different filing. This is the gap NRIs feel only after a refund is missed or a notice arrives — so it's worth checking before you hire, not after.
A CA who specialises in NRIs
What you want
A generalist treating you as a resident
What most NRIs end up with
Asks your country first, then claims the DTAA rate (Article 11 / 10 / 13) automatically
Files at the default 30% / 20% TDS and never mentions the treaty
Confirms residential status under Section 6 before deciding which return applies
Treats you like a resident client with an overseas address
Files Form 10F + collects your TRC and cites the correct treaty article
Skips Form 10F, so the lower rate is disallowed at the portal
Offers to recover past years (Section 119(2)(b) condonation) where eligible
Only looks at the current year, leaves past refunds on the table
Discloses foreign assets in Schedule FA where required
Omits Schedule FA — a Black Money Act exposure that surfaces years later
Gives a complete written quote before starting, rework on us
Low headline fee, then documentation + follow-up + refile charges
Tracks the case on WhatsApp with dates in writing
Messages read, replies eventually, no committed timeline
This is a criteria-based comparison, not a swipe at any particular firm. Plenty of good CAs work mainly with resident clients — they're simply not set up for the treaty mechanics an NRI return turns on.
Who you'd be working with
We're a small, deliberate setup: a founder who built TrustNRI for NRIs, and a Chartered Accountant who handles every filing. No call-centre layer between you and the person doing the work.
Preetesh Maloo
Chartered Accountant, NRI Tax Partner
Preetesh is the ICAI-registered Chartered Accountant who handles TrustNRI's execution side — DTAA filings, Section 197 lower-deduction certificates, Section 148 notice responses, and Section 119(2)(b) condonation petitions for past-year refunds. He works directly on every NRI engagement.
Vipul Sharma
Founder
Vipul founded TrustNRI after seeing how many NRIs quietly overpay the TDS India deducts on their investments — a structural gap most don't know exists. He set the firm up around NRI cases specifically, working directly with the CA on every engagement.
See full profile31-country coverage
We've handled the TRC route and treaty position for NRIs across the US, UK, UAE, Singapore, Canada, Australia, the Gulf, Europe and more — so your country isn't a first for us.
Interests aligned
On recovery work, our fee is tied to what you actually get back — so we have every reason to chase the full refund, not just file and move on.
Section 288 representation
If a notice or query comes up, the CA can represent you before the assessing officer as your Authorised Representative (Section 288) — you don't have to be in India.
Want a read on your case before you decide anything?
Free 15-min call with the CA who'd handle it. You get a written quote before you commit.
Senior CA who specialises in NRI tax · we deal with the tax officer, you don't
Anonymised recoveries. Remote filings from 31 countries.
How engagement works
You can stop after the first call with no obligation. Most NRIs engage because the quote is in writing and the plan is specific to their case.
Tell us your country, your Indian income, and what's outstanding. Our CA tells you what's recoverable, what isn't, and the realistic timeline. No commitment, no script.
You get the complete fee in writing — case-to-case, because a ₹50L flat is not a ₹5cr property and an ITR-2 with a 401(k) is not one without. Pass-through costs are shown separately at cost. You decide with the number in front of you.
Once you engage, you get a filing date and an expected-closure date, both in writing, both tracked on WhatsApp. You approve drafts remotely and e-verify from where you live. If anything slips, you hear it from us first.
Don't take anyone's word for it. Ask for the ICAI membership number, then look it up on the institute's public "Find a Member" / Member Directory. If a name isn't on the register, that person cannot sign a Form 15CB or represent you under Section 288 — no matter what the website says.
Open the ICAI websiteWritten by Vipul Sharma, Founder. Reviewed by Preetesh Maloo, CA (ICAI-registered). We update this page as filing rules and forms change — most recently the Form 10F to Form 41 transition (FY 2026-27, Income-tax Act 2025).
Comparing CAs for your Indian tax work?
Start with a free 15-min call. You get a written quote before you commit a rupee.
Senior CA who specialises in NRI tax · we deal with the tax officer, you don't
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