easylancing

EDF for freelancers paid via Upwork, Deel, Wise, PayPal or Payoneer

Getting paid through a platform or payment provider doesn't change the rule: if you need to file the Export Declaration Form, you file it yourself, not the platform. What changes is which bank gets it, who appears as the payer, and which proof you keep.

Last updated 09 Oct 2026 · Not legal or tax advice

Detailed guides: Deel, Upwork, Wise, Payoneer, PayPal, Skydo, Razorpay, Xflow, Stripe India, Fiverr.

The short version

  • Individuals may not need to file at all. On 7 October 2026 RBI said individuals don't have to report transactions of a personal nature; its FAQ is awaited, so ask your bank (who files). Companies, LLPs and firms file.
  • You file, not the platform. No platform or payment provider files the EDF on your behalf.
  • Confirm which AD bank takes the EDF. The regulations make an Authorised Dealer bank the "specified authority" (Regulation 2(1)(f)) but don't say which one. Common practice is the bank where the rupees land, but for payment-aggregator receipts this isn't settled, so confirm with your bank or provider. One known exception: Razorpay says merchants settled through ICICI need an EDF number before the payment is captured.
  • Name the platform as third-party payer when it pays you instead of your client (Deel, Upwork, Remote…), and state the relationship, e.g. "Payment platform engaged by the service recipient". Your bank decides whether to accept it.
  • Keep the proof for each payment: the FIRA, e-FIRC, payment advice or NOC from the provider, matched to your invoices.
  • Platform payouts that arrive as a domestic INR transfer may not show up as a foreign inward remittance at your bank. If you file, they still go on the EDF. For invoices up to ₹10 lakh, the bank can close the entry on your declaration.

Providers move money through different routes. A payment aggregator (PA-CB) licensed by RBI must give "the AD bank of the exporter" the documents needed to close your export entry (RBI Master Direction on Payment Aggregators, para 11(d), para 11), and can carry up to ₹25 lakh per transaction.

Provider by provider

From each provider's published terms and help pages, checked 09 Oct 2026. Providers change their banking partners; check before you rely on this.

Wise Business

  • Money arrives: As an INR payout from the provider's partner bank
  • Bank behind it: Undisclosed AD Category-I bank holding Wise's 'Export Collection Account' (TOU, updated 24 Jul 2026)
  • Proof to keep: Wise e-FIRC per transfer (emailed 2-3 days after the transfer completes; fee equivalent to USD 2 per transfer + GST)
  • Where the EDF goes: Not settled: your own bank by default; confirm with your bank
  • File the monthly EDF with your own bank (where the Wise INR credit lands) unless your bank says otherwise; attach or list Wise e-FIRCs against invoices.
  • Keep invoice numbers identical in Wise 'payment requests' and in the EDF so the bank can reconcile e-FIRC to EDF.
  • Ask Wise support which AD bank issues the e-FIRC/IRM. If your bank cannot see an IRM, ask Wise for the para 11(h) closure data, or use the <= INR 10 lakh self-declaration closure.

Skydo

  • Money arrives: As an INR payout from the provider's partner bank
  • Bank behind it: HDFC Bank - Skydo: 'In India, Skydo partners with HDFC Bank ... to reconcile the rupees on the exporter's side'
  • Proof to keep: Skydo instant FIRA per transaction (free); Skydo says 'eBRC closure is processed by Skydo'
  • Where the EDF goes: Your own bank, where the rupees land (as the provider advises)
  • File the EDF with your own bank (the final INR settlement bank), not HDFC (unless HDFC is your own bank).
  • Use Skydo's EDF-generation assist when available; export Skydo FIRAs with invoice numbers for EDPMS matching.
  • If you also receive via other routes, combine all invoices of the month into one EDF at your bank.

Razorpay MoneySaver Export Account

  • Money arrives: As an INR payout from the provider's partner bank
  • Bank behind it: ICICI Bank - named by Razorpay as an EDF-integrated 'settlement bank'
  • Proof to keep: Razorpay FIRA/e-FIRS 'provided free of cost by Razorpay'
  • Where the EDF goes: Not settled: your own bank by default; confirm with your bank
  • If your Razorpay settlement account is at ICICI: get the EDF number from ICICI BEFORE the month's first capture (Razorpay requires it).
  • If not ICICI: file the EDF with your own bank after funds arrive, within 30 days of month end; give the bank Razorpay's FIRAs.
  • Ask Razorpay support to confirm in writing which bank is your 'settlement bank' for EDF purposes.

Xflow

  • Money arrives: As an INR payout from the provider's partner bank
  • Bank behind it: JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. (India) - 'our partner AD Category I bank, JPMorgan Chase'
  • Proof to keep: FIRA from JPMorgan Chase, downloadable on the Xflow Dashboard Payout page
  • Where the EDF goes: Your own bank, where the rupees land (as the provider advises)
  • File the EDF with your own payout bank; put that bank's AD code and branch in the EDF.
  • Download JPMorgan FIRAs from the Xflow Payout page and send them to your bank with invoice numbers for EDPMS closure.

BRISKPE

  • Money arrives: As an INR payout from the provider's partner bank
  • Bank behind it: Unnamed AD Category-I bank(s) holding BriskPe's export/import collection accounts
  • Proof to keep: BriskPe free digital e-FIRA per transaction (reported, ~24 h)
  • Where the EDF goes: Not settled: your own bank by default; confirm with your bank
  • File the EDF with your own bank; keep BriskPe e-FIRAs mapped to invoice numbers.
  • Ask BriskPe support which AD bank issues the e-FIRA/IRM and whether it can share para 11(h) closure data with your bank.

Cashfree Payments

  • Money arrives: As an INR payout from the provider's partner bank
  • Bank behind it: YES BANK - 2023 partnership: Global Collections for YES BANK account holders, 'Payment will be settled in INR to exporter's YES BANK account'
  • Proof to keep: Auto-generated e-FIRA within ~24 h (Cashfree pages)
  • Where the EDF goes: Not settled: your own bank by default; confirm with your bank
  • If your settlement account is at YES BANK via the Cashfree-YES Global Collections product, file the EDF with YES BANK.
  • Otherwise file with your own bank and attach Cashfree e-FIRAs; confirm with Cashfree.

EximPe

  • Money arrives: As an INR payout from the provider's partner bank
  • Bank behind it: DBS Bank India - 'DBS Bank Partner' badge on AD1 Trade Accounts page; YES BANK - 'Yes Bank Partner' badge
  • Proof to keep: e-FIRA generated on receipt of funds
  • Where the EDF goes: Not settled: your own bank by default; confirm with your bank
  • Check which EximPe product you use: AD-1 Trade Account (EDF filed with that DBS/YES account through EximPe's digital submission) or PA-CB collection (EDF with your own bank).

PayU Payments Pvt Ltd

  • Money arrives: As an INR payout from the provider's partner bank
  • Bank behind it: not disclosed
  • Proof to keep: not published (competitor notes PayU does not document FIRA handling publicly)
  • Where the EDF goes: Not settled: your own bank by default; confirm with your bank
  • Low priority for freelancers. If used, file the EDF with your own bank and ask PayU for per-transaction FIRA/remittance data.

PayPal

  • Money arrives: As a domestic INR transfer
  • Bank behind it: Citibank N.A. India - custom FIRA issued by Citibank FIRA team; NEFT to Citibank transit account (IFSC CITI0100000)
  • Proof to keep: PayPal free Weekly Digital FIRA (from Feb 2026); custom FIRA from Citibank at INR 100 + GST per txn (bulk >20: INR 2,000 + GST), printed and dispatched to the beneficiary bank
  • Where the EDF goes: Your own bank, where the rupees land (as the provider advises)
  • File the EDF with your own bank; use the weekly FIRA (or Citi custom FIRA) as realisation evidence.
  • Make sure your PayPal purpose code matches your service (e.g. P0802 for software consultancy); it is a single code per account.

Payoneer

  • Money arrives: As an INR payout from the provider's partner bank
  • Bank behind it: Unnamed 'remittance converting bank (intermediary bank)'
  • Proof to keep: FIRA/FIRS/NOC, free, in Payoneer Reports & Statements 24-72 h after deposit. NOC lets the beneficiary's bank issue e-FIRC/e-BRC.
  • Where the EDF goes: Your own bank, where the rupees land (as the provider advises)
  • File the EDF with your own bank; take the Payoneer NOC/FIRA to your bank so it raises the IRM against your EDF.
  • Expect friction: your bank sees an INR credit and may refuse e-FIRC. Use the <= INR 10 lakh declaration route where it applies.

Stripe India Pvt Ltd

  • Money arrives: As an INR payout from the provider's partner bank
  • Bank behind it: Standard Chartered Bank - 'issues payment advice ... the same day your export payout is processed'
  • Proof to keep: SCB payment advice emailed to the Stripe account email (lists export charges); not described as FIRA
  • Where the EDF goes: Not settled: your own bank by default; confirm with your bank
  • File the EDF with your own bank and attach SCB payment advices; ask Stripe support whether SCB raises IRMs in your name.
  • Freelancers as individuals cannot use Stripe India exports; this needs a sole proprietorship at minimum.

Deel

  • Money arrives: As a domestic INR transfer
  • Bank behind it: Deel's payout partner (not disclosed)
  • Proof to keep: Deel NOC (must be requested when adding the Bank Transfer withdrawal method); the user's bank may still refuse a FIRC because it sees only an INR transfer
  • Where the EDF goes: Your own bank, where the rupees land (as the provider advises)
  • Prefer withdrawing to a Wise Business (India) account or a direct SWIFT (USD) to your own bank so an IRM exists.
  • If using local INR transfer: file the EDF with your own bank, request the Deel NOC up front, and use the <= INR 10 lakh self-declaration closure if no IRM appears.

Upwork

  • Money arrives: As a domestic INR transfer
  • Bank behind it: Standard Chartered Bank India (reported as the Indian bank that NEFTs DTLB payouts)
  • Proof to keep: FIRA/NOC requested through Upwork Support from the payment processor (give withdrawal transaction ID, date, INR amount). 'Upwork is not a bank and does not produce the FIRC'.
  • Where the EDF goes: Your own bank, where the rupees land (as the provider advises)
  • File the EDF with your own bank; request FIRA/NOC from Upwork for each withdrawal.
  • Consider Upwork's USD wire withdrawal to your own bank for a clean IRM.

Infinity

  • Money arrives: As an INR payout from the provider's partner bank
  • Bank behind it: Unnamed 'licensed banking partners regulated by the RBI under the AD-I framework'
  • Proof to keep: FIRA generated automatically per settled payment, free (help article updated 5 Sep 2026)
  • Where the EDF goes: Not settled: your own bank by default; confirm with your bank
  • Ask Infinity which AD bank issues the FIRA and holds the IRM; file the EDF with your own bank unless told otherwise.
  • Use the invoice-matching step at withdrawal so the FIRA carries the invoice reference.

Karbon FX

  • Money arrives: As an INR payout from the provider's partner bank
  • Bank behind it: Unnamed 'Bank' / 'bank partner'
  • Proof to keep: e-FIRA per eligible inward transaction, emailed and on the Karbon FX dashboard within 1-2 business days
  • Where the EDF goes: Not settled: your own bank by default; confirm with your bank
  • Probably not available to individual freelancers. For entities: ask Karbon which AD bank holds the account; if the account is a bank account in your name, file the EDF with that bank.

Paid directly by bank transfer (SWIFT)?

The simplest case. The money arrives as a foreign inward remittance at your bank, which can match it to your EDF. File the EDF with that bank and ask it for the FIRA or advice for each payment. Quote the purpose code for your service when the bank asks (for example P0802 for software); see RBI purpose codes.