Getting Paid by Foreign Clients: The Complete Guide for Indian Freelancers
Everything you need — from onboarding an international client, to receiving payment through Wise or Skydo, to maintaining FIRC/FIRA documentation, to filing GST and income tax — organised as a single navigable workflow. Not a blog post. A learning centre.
Jump to your stage
The complete workflow
Every foreign-client engagement flows through these seven stages. Each stage links to the deepest resource we have today; missing stages are marked Coming Soon and will fill in over the next weeks.
Choose your payment platform
Detailed comparisons for each platform are landing over the coming weeks. Until then, the FIRC guide covers how to obtain documentation from Wise, PayPal and Indian banks.
Documentation
The paperwork that proves foreign money entered India through authorised channels.
GST
Foreign-client revenue is usually zero-rated as export of services — but registration, LUT and the ₹20 lakh threshold still apply.
Export of Services Under GST
The five conditions that decide whether your transaction is actually an export.
OpenGST Registration for Freelancers
When registration is mandatory, when it isn't, and the step-by-step process.
OpenLUT Filing Guide
Export without charging IGST — the annual LUT filing walkthrough.
OpenThe ₹20 Lakh GST Myth
Why the threshold is more nuanced than every WhatsApp group tells you.
OpenGST on Foreign Clients
Should you charge GST to a US client? Usually not — here's why, and the exceptions.
OpenIncome Tax
Presumptive schemes, advance tax and ITR filing for freelancers earning from abroad.
Free tools & resources
GST Decision Assistant
A guided assessment that shows whether GST is likely to apply to your setup.
OpenExport Invoice Builder
Generate a compliant export invoice with GST-safe defaults.
OpenFree Compliance Checklist
A one-page checklist covering GST, FIRC, LUT and invoicing.
OpenSurvival Guide
The complete book — GST, LUT, FIRC/FIRA, 44ADA, invoicing and record-keeping.
OpenFrequently asked questions
Record keeping is the last mile
A dedicated record-keeping guide is on the way. Until then, the Survival Guide covers the folder structure and invoice-to-FIRC mapping that experienced freelancers use.
Open the Survival Guide