How should an architect in India receive payments from foreign clients?

Indian architects design for sites around the world: an Ahmedabad practice designing a residence in Muscat, a Chennai studio producing construction drawings and BIM models for a Texas architecture firm, and a Delhi urban designer preparing a masterplan for a township in Kenya. Foreign clients also commission Indian architects for sites in India, such as a US developer's office campus in Gurugram or an NRI family's home in Kochi. For GST these two groups are treated completely differently, because GST follows the site.

This page covers payment routes and limits, platforms, the place of supply rule, the purpose code, the bank reporting rules from 1 October 2026, income tax and foreign withholding.⁸ Fee structures on large projects vary, so confirm anything material with a chartered accountant (CA).

How do international clients pay Indian architects?

International clients usually pay Indian architects by SWIFT wire against stage invoices. Smaller residential clients and overseas architecture firms buying drafting hours may pay through a payment provider's local receiving account or a card link.

• Stage invoices: Concept, schematic design, design development, construction drawings and site supervision are each billed when due.
• Drafting hours: Overseas architecture firms buying BIM or drafting time may pay monthly through a receiving account.
• Small residential clients: May pay by card link.

For example, the Chennai studio above bills its Texas client for construction drawings by wire, while a smaller drafting job for the same firm may go through local USD account details. See milestone payments in export contracts.

Where does the money go between a foreign client and an Indian architect's bank?

Money from a foreign client reaches an Indian architect either through the banking network or through a platform that collects it abroad and pays out in rupees. The route decides who converts the currency and who issues the Foreign Inward Remittance Advice (FIRA).

• SWIFT wire: The client's bank sends the payment to your Indian bank, sometimes through correspondent banks. Your bank converts it to INR and reports it under a purpose code from RBI's list.⁵
• Payment platform: The client pays into local account details or a payment link in its own country, and the platform converts the money and pays INR into your Indian bank account.
• Payment aggregator limit: An RBI-authorised Payment Aggregator - Cross Border (PA-CB) can process export transactions of up to ₹25 lakh per transaction.¹⁵

For example, a large stage fee from the Muscat client above may exceed that limit and go by wire, while smaller payments can use a platform. Whichever route you use, each invoice from 1 October 2026 needs an Export Declaration Form (EDF).⁸

What are the ways for Indian architects to receive international payments?

Indian architects can receive international payments through local account details from a payment platform, a card or payment link, or a SWIFT wire to an Indian bank. Larger stage payments usually need a bank wire or a route without the PA-CB limit of ₹25 lakh per transaction.¹⁵

How do Indian architects get paid through local account details from a payment platform?

Local account details let a foreign client pay Indian architects with an ordinary domestic transfer in the client's own country, such as ACH in the US. The platform then converts the money and pays INR into your Indian bank account.

• How it works: You open an account with the platform, receive account details in the client's currency, and put them on your invoice.
• Pros: The client pays the way it pays a local supplier, with no international wire to set up.
• Cons: Each platform sets its own sign-up rules, limits and supported currencies.
• Cost: About 0.68% to 4.00% of a USD 5,000 receipt on published fees, for platforms that publish full pricing.^{161718192021222324}
• Settlement: From the same day to weekly, depending on the platform.²⁵²⁶
• FIRA: Terms differ by platform; see the FIRA column in the platform table below.
• Ideal for: Clients who pay by bank transfer in USD, GBP, EUR and other major currencies.

How do Indian architects get paid by card, PayPal or a payment link?

A card, PayPal or payment link lets a foreign client pay Indian architects online from an invoice or link, and the platform settles INR to your Indian bank account.

• How it works: You send a link or invoice; the client pays by card, PayPal balance or a bank debit such as US ACH.
• Pros: Easy for small clients and one-off jobs that do not want to set up a bank transfer.
• Cons: Published fees on these routes reach 8.23% of a USD 5,000 receipt,.^22242728
• Cost: About 1.99% to 8.23% of a USD 5,000 receipt on published fees.^22242728
• Settlement: Depends on the platform; see the platform table below.
• FIRA: Depends on the platform; see the platform table below.
• Ideal for: Small or one-off clients who prefer to pay by card.

How do Indian architects get paid by SWIFT wire to an Indian bank?

A SWIFT wire sends the client's payment from its bank to the Indian bank account of Indian architects, with no payment platform in between.

• How it works: You give the client your bank's SWIFT code and account details; your bank converts the credit to INR and asks you to confirm the purpose code.
• Pros: No platform account is needed, and the payment stays inside the banking system from end to end.
• Cons: The sending bank, any correspondent bank and your own bank can each charge, and your bank's conversion rate applies.
• Cost: Set by the banks involved; ask your bank for its charges. See bank wire vs payment platform.
• Settlement: Depends on the banks involved.
• FIRA: Ask your bank for a FIRA or FIRC for each credit.
• Ideal for: Large invoices and clients whose procurement teams pay only by wire.

Which platforms are best for Indian architects?

The best platform for Indian architects depends on how clients pay, because each platform suits a different kind of payment. The table lists platforms by estimated cost on a USD 5,000 receipt on their published fees, cheapest first, then platforms without full published pricing, A to Z.^{161718192021222324}

Each platform name links to its full review.

How much INR do Indian architects receive on $2,000, $5,000 and $10,000?

The INR that Indian architects receive on each invoice size depends on the platform's published fee, its currency conversion and the day's exchange rate. The table below works it out from published fees at today's rate.

Bank wires are not in the table because each bank sets its own charges and conversion rate. Use the platform cost comparison for other amounts.

What should Indian architects look for beyond cost?

Beyond cost, Indian architects should check that a payment route can take their largest stage invoice and produces the documents the bank needs. Use the same checks for every route.

• FIRA: A FIRA or e-FIRC issued for each payment.
• Purpose code: P1009 recorded as the purpose code.⁶
• Wire charges: Published fees, FX markup and correspondent bank charges on wires.
• Transaction limits: Per-transaction limits against your largest stage invoice; the PA-CB limit is ₹25 lakh per transaction.¹⁵
• Regulatory status: Settlement time and whether the provider is on RBI's list (check RBI's payment aggregator list).

See the compare hub, bank wire vs payment platform and receiving large international payments.

What compliance documents do Indian architects need?

Indian architects need a FIRA for each payment, purpose code P1009, a Letter of Undertaking (LUT) if GST registered, and an EDF for each month's export invoices from 1 October 2026.³⁶⁸ Before any of these, the site location decides whether the work is an export at all.²

Is architectural work for a foreign client an export of services?

Architectural work for a foreign client is an export of services only if the site is outside India and all the conditions in section 2(6) of the Integrated Goods and Services Tax (IGST) Act are met: supplier in India, recipient outside India, place of supply outside India, payment in convertible foreign exchange (or rupees where RBI permits), and supplier and recipient not merely establishments of the same person.¹

Section 13(4) of the IGST Act sets the place of supply for "services supplied directly in relation to an immovable property", including "services for carrying out or co-ordination of construction work, including that of architects or interior decorators", as "the place where the immovable property is located or intended to be located".² The client's location does not matter for these services. An export is a zero-rated supply, so a registered practice invoices it without IGST under an LUT.³

Which architecture projects count as exports under the site rule?

Section 13(4) and 13(6) decide these common cases:²

Design competitions and concept work for a site that is "intended to be located" in India are still caught by section 13(4).² Under rule 96A, IGST becomes payable on an LUT invoice not paid within one year of the invoice date, or the FEMA period including extensions, whichever is later.⁴ See the place of supply guide and the export of services checker.

Which RBI purpose code fits architectural services?

The RBI receipt purpose code for architecture is P1009, described as "Architectural services".⁵⁶ DGFT's purpose code to SAC mapping links architectural advisory services and architectural services for residential and non-residential projects (SAC 998321 to 998323) to P1009, and urban planning, landscape architecture and site master planning to P1009 or P1099.⁷

The third column is our reading of the RBI descriptions and the DGFT mapping.⁶⁷ See P1009 purpose code and the purpose code finder.

What does the bank need from an Indian architect from 1 October 2026?

From 1 October 2026, the Foreign Exchange Management (Export and Import of Goods and Services) Regulations, 2026 require every exporter of services to give an EDF to the bank within 30 days from the end of the month of invoicing, or for services other than software, on or before the date payment is received.⁸ Payment must be realised within nine months from the invoice date, or twelve months if the invoice is in rupees.⁹

Architecture fees often stall when a project is put on hold. For example, if the Ahmedabad practice raises its construction drawings invoice on 10 December 2026, the rials are due by 10 September 2027; the bank can extend the period, so ask before the deadline passes.⁸⁹ Raise stage invoices only when each stage is due. See extension of the realisation period and EDF for service exporters.

What should an Indian architect check before invoicing a foreign client?

• Site: Where the site is. A site in India means no export, whoever pays.²
• Mixed sites: Whether one contract covers sites in India and abroad.²
• LUT: An LUT for the financial year, if the practice is GST registered.³⁴
• Purpose code: P1009 recorded as the purpose code.⁶
• EDF: Stage invoices dated when due, covered by an EDF, with each payment matched.⁸

What tax applies to international income for Indian architects?

Indian architects pay income tax in India on foreign fees, and architecture is a specified profession named in section 62(4) of the Income-tax Act, 2025, which applies from 1 April 2026.¹¹¹² A resident individual or partnership firm (not an LLP) can therefore use the professional presumptive scheme in section 58(2), Table row 3: 50% of gross receipts is treated as income, where gross receipts are up to ₹50 lakh, or ₹75 lakh if cash receipts are within 5%.¹⁰

• Larger practices: Many practices exceed those limits or are LLPs or companies, which cannot use the scheme, and they are taxed on actual profits.¹⁰
• Solo architects: For example, a solo architect with ₹60 lakh of receipts, all by bank transfer, is within the ₹75 lakh limit.¹⁰
• US clients: Personal services are sourced where they are performed, so design work done in India is generally not US-source income, while days spent on site in the US are.¹³
• Foreign tax credit: If tax is withheld, claim foreign tax credit in India in Form 44 under rule 76 of the Income-tax Rules, 2026 from tax year 2026-27; a tax residency certificate and Form 41, which replaced Form 10F, support treaty claims abroad.¹⁴

Some countries require clients to withhold tax on professional fees paid abroad, and the treaty with India may reduce or remove it. Site visits can also raise questions of a taxable presence abroad; see permanent establishment risk, foreign withholding tax, DTAA for Indian exporters, section 62 specified professions and the presumptive tax calculator. Model both tax routes with a CA.