Payments

Wise, Remitly or Western Union: Which Can Receive British Pound Export Payments in India, and at What Cost?

Author:: Editorial team, serviceexportguide.com
Verified by:: Editorial team
Published: 31 October 2026
Last modified: 31 October 2026
Fees checked on: 28 October 2026
Reading time: 6 min read

Short answer

In 2026 Remitly's UK service is for consumers using it for personal reasons and bars business-related use.¹ Western Union pays out in India under RBI's Money Transfer Service Scheme, which excludes trade-related remittances.²³ Wise lets Indian businesses receive GBP.⁴ On published fees for GBP 3,800, Skydo costs about 0.68% and Razorpay 1.00 to 1.18%.⁵⁶

Applies to	Rules involved	Platforms compared	Last verified
Indian freelancers and businesses invoicing UK clients in GBP⁷	RBI Money Transfer Service Scheme; 2026 FEMA Regulations; Payment Aggregator Master Direction³⁸⁹	Skydo, Razorpay, Karbon Business, Remitly, Western Union, Wise⁵⁶¹⁰¹¹¹⁴	31 October 2026

Invoice amountCurrencyHow the client pays

760 GBP = ₹94,735 at the reference rate for 13 November 2026 (European Central Bank data).

Estimated rupees received, on published fees

Sorted by estimated rupees received, highest first. Only providers that publish both their fee and their conversion markup for this currency and method can be estimated.

#	Provider and route	Best for	Fee (+GST)	Markup	You receive	Cost
1	Karbon BusinessLowest estimated costBank transfer to a Karbon virtual USD account	US bank transfers and marketplace payouts	₹947plus GST, rate not stated	0%	₹93,617 to ₹93,788	1.00 to 1.18%
2	RazorpayMoneySaver Export Account: bank transfer to virtual account details (Standard plan)	Local transfers from the US, UK and eurozone	₹1,000plus GST, rate not stated	0%	₹93,555 to ₹93,735	1.06 to 1.25%
3	WinvestaGlobal Collections Account, standard plan (up to 2,000 a month per currency)	Local transfers with a published per-payment fee	₹1,842	0%	₹92,893	1.94%
4	SkydoTransfer to Skydo local account details or international SWIFT account	Local bank transfers from major markets	₹2,113	0%	₹92,622	2.23%
5	PayoneerLocal bank transfer to Payoneer receiving account details	Marketplace payouts such as Amazon or Upwork	₹0no GST stated	1 to 4%	₹90,946 to ₹93,788	1.00 to 4.00%
6	PayPalInternational commercial transaction received into a PayPal account (PayPal checkout or invoice)	Clients paying by card or PayPal balance	₹4,193no GST stated	3 to 4%	₹86,920 to ₹87,826	7.29 to 8.25%

Not estimated because pricing is not fully published: Cashfree Payments, Dodo Payments, PingPong, Tazapay, TransFi, Wise.

Where a provider says GST applies to its fee but not at what rate, the range runs from no GST to 18%, the rate Skydo, Stripe and Winvesta state on their pages. Estimates use each provider's published fee, conversion markup, GST on fees and FIRA charge, checked 2026-10-28, against the reference rate. They exclude charges taken by intermediary banks and your own bank, and the rate a provider actually applies at the time of conversion. Check the provider's pricing page before you choose. The order is calculated only from these published numbers; no provider can pay to change its position, and there are no affiliate links.

Wise, Remitly and Western Union all send British pounds to India, but Remitly and Western Union restrict their services to personal transfers.¹¹¹ This page corrects the framing that the three are equal choices for export receipts, then compares the providers that can take GBP invoice payments. The full GBP guide is at receiving GBP payments in India.

Why are Remitly and Western Union not export payment routes from the UK?

Remitly and Western Union are consumer remittance services, so their terms and RBI's MTSS rules keep them to personal transfers.¹¹¹³ The original title, "the cheapest way to get British pounds into India", has been corrected for that reason.

Remitly UK: the user agreement says the services are only available to consumers using them for personal reasons and must not be used for any business-related purposes.¹
Remitly UK transaction terms: a money transfer must not be made on behalf of someone else or for any commercial purposes.¹
Western Union: its terms say it sends money only to accounts used for personal, not business, purposes.¹¹
RBI scheme: Western Union Financial Services is authorised for inbound cross-border money transfer under MTSS.² MTSS limits remitters and beneficiaries to individuals, caps each remittance at USD 2,500, and excludes trade-related remittances.³

Personal money from family in the UK is outside the scope of this page.

How do Wise, Remitly and Western Union compare for British pound payments to India?

Wise publishes an Indian business receiving product for GBP, and the three lowest-cost GBP providers on published fees are Skydo, Razorpay and Karbon Business.⁴⁵⁶¹⁰ The table lists ranked providers by estimated cost on GBP 3,800, cheapest first, then the rest A to Z.

Platform	Best for	Fee	FX markup	Settlement	FIRA	RBI PA-CB status	Source
Skydo	Local bank transfers from major markets¹⁴	USD 29 plus GST from USD 2,001 to USD 10,000. Estimated cost on GBP 3,800: 0.68%⁵¹⁸	0% markup on the mid-market rate (product page); retail rate set by Skydo or its partner banks (terms)¹⁹³⁴	Within 24 hours (product page); T+1 to T+3 business days (terms)¹⁹³⁴	Free FIRA on every payment¹⁹	PA-CB-I & O²	Skydo fee FAQ⁵
Razorpay	Local transfers from the US, UK and eurozone¹³	1% plus GST; GBP by FPS. Estimated cost: 1.00 to 1.18%⁶¹³	0% markup⁶	T+1 for push bank transfers¹³	FIRS within 24 hours of settlement¹³	PA-CB I & O²	Razorpay MoneySaver page⁶
Karbon Business	US bank transfers and marketplace payouts²⁰	1%. Estimated cost: 1.00 to 1.18%¹⁰	0% (freelancer page); 0.5% to 1.0% (PayPal alternative page)²⁰¹⁰	24 to 48 hours²⁰	FIRA for every transaction²⁰	Not on the RBI list itself; its terms run export receipts under a partner the RBI lists as a PA-CB²¹²	Karbon pages²⁰¹⁰
Remitly	US business clients already using Remitly²²²³	No fee for the receiver in India; the sender pays²⁴	Rate shown to the sender; no markup published²⁵	Not published for the UK	Not published²⁴	Not on the RBI PA-CB list²	Remitly UK agreement¹
Western Union	Personal transfers between individuals¹¹³	Transfer fee shown before the sender authorises¹¹	Margin added to interbank rates¹¹	Not published on the India receive page²⁶	Not mentioned on the India receive page²⁶	Authorised under MTSS, inbound only²	Western Union terms¹¹
Wise	Bank transfers to local account details⁴	2 USD equivalent per transfer to INR (help article); free e-FIRC (receive pricing page); 2.16 GBP per GBP Swift payment. Cost not estimated⁴¹⁵²⁷	Currency-dependent fee; no INR percentage published²⁷	INR within 1 to 2 days⁴	e-FIRC per transfer within 3 working days⁴	PA-CB-I²	Wise India help article⁴

Which RBI rule governs money from the UK in GBP?

The 2026 FEMA Regulations govern GBP payments for exported services, and the Money Transfer Service Scheme governs personal transfers through operators such as Western Union.⁸³

Rule	Best for	Plain meaning	Source
2026 Regulations, regulations 3 to 5	GBP invoices for services	EDF to your bank and realisation within nine months of the invoice	⁸²⁸
Payment Aggregator Master Direction, paragraph 11(d)	Receipts through a PA-CB	₹25 lakh maximum per transaction	⁹
MTSS Master Direction, paragraphs 1.1 and 3.4	Personal money from family	Individuals only; USD 2,500 per remittance; trade-related remittances excluded	³
Deposits and Accounts Master Direction, paragraph 3.1	Exporters who want to hold GBP	EEFC account for up to 100% of foreign exchange earnings	¹⁷

What does each option charge for GBP?

Each GBP option charges a fixed fee, a percentage or an exchange margin.⁵⁶¹¹

Option	Best for	Published charge	Source
Skydo	Local bank transfers from major markets¹⁴	USD 19 plus GST up to USD 2,000; USD 29 plus GST to USD 10,000; 0.3% plus GST above	⁵
Razorpay	Local transfers from the US, UK and eurozone¹³	1% plus GST, flat fee below ₹1,00,000	⁶
Karbon Business	US bank transfers and marketplace payouts²⁰	1% transaction fee	¹⁰
Remitly	US business clients already using Remitly²²²³	Sender pays; no receiver fee	²⁴
Western Union	Personal transfers between individuals¹¹³	Transfer fee plus a margin on the exchange rate	¹¹
Wise	Bank transfers to local account details⁴	2 USD equivalent per transfer to INR (help article) plus a conversion fee; free e-FIRC (receive pricing page)	⁴²⁷

Which option is cheapest at GBP 1,500, GBP 3,800 and GBP 7,500?

The cheapest GBP option changes with invoice size: Razorpay and Karbon Business lead on GBP 1,500, and Skydo leads on GBP 3,800 and GBP 7,500.⁶¹⁰⁵ The table works out the rupees from published fees at today's rate.

Platform	Best for	INR on GBP 1,500	INR on GBP 3,800	INR on GBP 7,600	Cost on GBP 3,800
SkydoMost INRTransfer to Skydo local account details or international SWIFT account	Local bank transfers from major markets	₹1,84,864	₹4,70,450	₹9,43,997	0.68%
Karbon BusinessBank transfer to a Karbon virtual USD account	US bank transfers and marketplace payouts	₹1,84,771 to ₹1,85,107	₹4,68,086 to ₹4,68,939	₹9,36,172 to ₹9,37,877	1.00 to 1.18%
RazorpayMoneySaver Export Account: bank transfer to virtual account details (Standard plan)	Local transfers from the US, UK and eurozone	₹1,84,771 to ₹1,85,107	₹4,68,086 to ₹4,68,939	₹9,36,172 to ₹9,37,877	1.00 to 1.18%

Not estimated because pricing for GBP is not fully published: Wise.

Ranked by INR received on GBP 3,800. Reference rate: European Central Bank data for 13 November 2026. Fees, conversion markup, GST on fees and FIRA charges as published by each provider, checked 28 October 2026. Ranges appear where a provider publishes a range or does not state its GST rate. Intermediary bank charges are excluded. See the methodology.

For example, on GBP 1,500 the estimated cost is 1.00 to 1.18% with Razorpay or Karbon Business and 1.12% with Skydo; on GBP 7,500 it is 0.34% with Skydo.⁶¹⁰⁵

What documents and GST apply to GBP payments from the UK?

GBP payments from the UK need the same documents as any service export.⁸²⁹

Document	Best for	Who issues it	Source
FIRA, e-FIRC or FIRS	Each GBP receipt	Platform partner bank or your bank	¹⁹⁴³⁰
Export Declaration Form	Every service export from 1 October 2026	You, to your AD bank	⁸
LUT (FORM GST RFD-11)	Invoicing without IGST	You, on the GST portal	²⁹
e-BRC	GST refund records	You, on the DGFT portal	³¹

Export status: work for a UK client is an export of services only when all five conditions in section 2(6) of the IGST Act are met.⁷
GST: an export of services is zero-rated under section 16 of the IGST Act.³²
Treaty: the India-UK DTAA covers fees for technical services in Article 13.¹⁶ See receiving money from the UK.

What changes in 2026 for GBP payments from the UK to India?

Several 2026 changes apply to GBP payments for services.⁸²⁸²

EDF for all services: from 1 October 2026 under the 2026 Regulations.⁸
Nine-month realisation: from the invoice date, from 1 October 2026.²⁸
New PA-CB authorisations: RBI lists Skydo as PA-CB-I & O from 8 January 2026 and Wise as PA-CB-I from 12 March 2026.²
Income-tax Act, 2025: in force from 1 April 2026, with tax year 2026-27 running from 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027.³³

How did we verify this?

We checked this page against the sources below on 31 October 2026. Provider fees, conversion markups and RBI payment aggregator (PA-CB) status were checked on 28 October 2026. Rupee amounts use European Central Bank reference rates for 13 November 2026. Read our methodology or report an error.

Frequently asked questions

What is the cheapest way to receive GBP in India from a UK client?+

On published fees for GBP 3,800, Skydo costs about 0.68%, and Razorpay and Karbon Business 1.00 to 1.18%.⁵⁶¹⁰ On GBP 1,500 the order changes, with Razorpay and Karbon Business at 1.00 to 1.18% and Skydo at 1.12%.⁶¹⁰⁵ Check your own invoice size in the calculator.

Can a UK company pay an Indian freelancer through Remitly?+

Remitly's UK user agreement says its services are only available to consumers using them for personal reasons and must not be used for business-related purposes.¹ Its transaction terms also rule out transfers for commercial purposes.¹ A UK company would pay by bank transfer instead.

Is Western Union a legal way to receive client payments from the UK in India?+

Western Union's India payout runs under RBI's Money Transfer Service Scheme, which permits only inward personal remittances between individuals, capped at USD 2,500 each, and excludes trade-related remittances.²³ Client payments for services fall outside that scheme, so use a bank wire or an authorised payment aggregator that issues a FIRA.

How do UK clients pay GBP to Indian freelancers by local transfer?+

UK payers use Faster Payments, Bacs or CHAPS for domestic sterling payments.¹² Razorpay accepts GBP through FPS to virtual account details, and Skydo and Wise also offer GBP account details to Indian users.¹³¹⁴⁴ The client then pays you exactly as it would pay a UK supplier.

What does Wise charge to receive GBP into India?+

Wise's India help article says it charges an equivalent of 2 USD in the received currency for the transfer to the INR bank account that issues the e-FIRC, and its India receive pricing page describes the e-FIRC as free.⁴²⁷ Its business fee table lists 2.16 GBP per GBP Swift payment and free domestic receipts, and 18% GST applies to Wise fees.¹⁵

Does the UK withhold tax on payments to Indian freelancers?+

The India-UK tax treaty covers fees for technical services in Article 13, at 15% of the gross amount after its first five years, or 10% for fees ancillary to equipment rentals.¹⁶ Whether a fee qualifies depends on the service, so confirm with a chartered accountant.

Can I hold British pounds in an Indian bank account?+

An EEFC account with an Indian bank can hold up to 100% of foreign exchange earnings received by inward remittance, with each month's accruals converted to rupees by the last day of the following month.¹⁷ Wise converts each payment to INR instead.⁴

This page is general information for Indian service exporters, not tax or legal advice. Rules change and outcomes depend on your facts, so confirm with a chartered accountant before acting.

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