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Income type guide

NRO Account Interest TDS

Your NRO savings and FD interest hit 30% TDS, even the small balance your salary lands in each month. DTAA Article 11 drops that to 10–15%. Most NRIs miss that even NRO savings interest qualifies for the treaty rate.

For Gulf NRI on NRO Interest

Default at-source TDS in India: 30%. Treaty rate (after Form 10F / Form 41 + TRC): 12.5%. Saving = 17.5 percentage points.

Article 11

How it works

What happens to your nro interest as an

Banks deduct 30% under Section 195 on all NRO interest, savings, FDs, RDs. Unlike NRE, NRO is taxable both under FEMA and the Income-tax Act. DTAA Article 11 applies identically to NRO savings and NRO FD; file Form 10F + TRC with the bank to lock in the treaty rate at source, or recover in the ITR.

30%

Default rate

Varies

rate by country

Gulf NRI — what changes for you

Country-specific overlay on NRO Interest

Indian tax IS your only tax

UAE has no personal income tax on individual savings interest, dividends, or capital gains. So the India-side rate (after DTAA reduction) is the FULL tax bite — no further drag in your country. NRE / FCNR exempt-in-India income flows through tax-free both sides. NRO / dividend income gets reduced via DTAA where treaty caps apply (UAE 12.5% on interest; Saudi 5% on dividends; etc.), and that reduced rate is your only cost.

NRO Interest rates by country

What each country's treaty says

Sorted by savings potential. 29 countries with a DTAA benefit, 2 with the same rate.

Mauritius

Article 11 — 7.5% with TRC + Form 10F. The lowest GENERAL interest cap in any India DTAA. (UAE has a 5% sub-rate for interest paid on a loan granted by a bank/financial institution under Article 11(3); Mauritius's 7.5% applies universally on post-31-March-2017 debt-claims.)

Default → DTAA

30%7.5%

Save 22.5%

Oman

Article 11 — 10% cap, unchanged by the 2025 protocol. Better than UAE's 12.5%.

Default → DTAA

30%10%

Save 20%

Saudi Arabia

Article 11

Default → DTAA

30%10%

Save 20%

Qatar

Article 11 — 10% cap retained in the 2025 revised treaty

Default → DTAA

30%10%

Save 20%

Germany

Article 11 — 10% treaty cap on Indian-source interest

Default → DTAA

30%10%

Save 20%

Netherlands

Article 11 — 10% treaty cap on Indian-source interest

Default → DTAA

30%10%

Save 20%

Kuwait

Article 11

Default → DTAA

30%10%

Save 20%

France

Article 12 — 10% treaty cap on Indian-source interest

Default → DTAA

30%10%

Save 20%

Ireland

Article 11 — 10% treaty cap on Indian-source interest

Default → DTAA

30%10%

Save 20%

Switzerland

Article 11 — 10% treaty cap on Indian-source interest

Default → DTAA

30%10%

Save 20%

Malaysia

Article 11 — 10% with TRC + Form 10F

Default → DTAA

30%10%

Save 20%

Japan

Article 11 — 10% with TRC + Form 10F

Default → DTAA

30%10%

Save 20%

South Korea

Article 11 of the 2015 revised treaty — 10% with TRC + Form 10F

Default → DTAA

30%10%

Save 20%

Hong Kong

Article 11 of the 2018 India-HK CDTA — 10% with TRC + Form 10F

Default → DTAA

30%10%

Save 20%

New Zealand

Article 11 — 10% with TRC + Form 10F

Default → DTAA

30%10%

Save 20%

South Africa

Article 11

Default → DTAA

30%10%

Save 20%

Kenya

Article 11

Default → DTAA

30%10%

Save 20%

Sweden

Article 11 — 10% treaty cap on Indian-source interest

Default → DTAA

30%10%

Save 20%

Norway

Article 11 — 10% treaty cap on Indian-source interest

Default → DTAA

30%10%

Save 20%

Thailand

Article 11 — 10% with TRC + Form 10F

Default → DTAA

30%10%

Save 20%

Indonesia

Article 11 — 10% with TRC + Form 10F

Default → DTAA

30%10%

Save 20%

Philippines

Article 11 — 10% if paid in respect of a loan granted by a bank, 15% in other cases. Most NRO interest qualifies for the 10% rate via Indian banks.

Default → DTAA

30%10%

Save 20%

UAE

Article 11

Default → DTAA

30%12.5%

Save 17.5%

US

Article 11, caps Indian interest withholding at 15% for US-resident beneficial owners. Applies to NRO FDs, NRO savings, Indian bonds. NRE FD interest is exempt in India but still 100% taxable on your US 1040 as worldwide income, the treaty does not change that, and there is no FTC because India levied no tax.

Default → DTAA

30%15%

Save 15%

UK

Interest article (post-2013 protocol numbering: Article 12; pre-protocol: Article 11) — 15% general treaty cap; 10% sub-cap for interest paid to a bona fide bank; 0% (exempt) for interest paid to governments / RBI. India-UK is one of the few major Indian treaties where general interest is capped at 15%, not 10%.

Default → DTAA

30%15%

Save 15%

Singapore

Article 11. DBS/UOB/Citi NRO interest TDS drops from 30% to 15% with TRC + Form 10F

Default → DTAA

30%15%

Save 15%

Canada

Article 11, caps interest withholding at 15% for Canadian-resident beneficial owners.

Default → DTAA

30%15%

Save 15%

Australia

Article 11, capped at 15% with TRC + Form 10F

Default → DTAA

30%15%

Save 15%

Denmark

Article 11 — 15% treaty cap for individuals. Article 11(3)(a) carves out a 10% rate ONLY where the beneficial owner of the interest is a bank or similar financial institution, not when an Indian bank pays interest to an individual. For an NRO FD paid to you as an individual NRI, the 15% rate applies.

Default → DTAA

30%15%

Save 15%

Same rate under DTAA (2 countries)

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