Desi Return: Move Back to India With More Clarity

Most returning families think the tax work starts when they land. The expensive decisions are made earlier: when you sell an investment, roll over a 401(k), transfer money, or leave a form unchanged while you are still a US resident. This is the five-part checklist Desi Return walks through in its latest explainer, with the residency tests, the $60,000 US estate threshold for non-residents, the DTAA misconception, the FEMA account changes, and the elections that cannot be filed late.

Ship the whole house or twelve boxes? In this conversation, Madhusudan, who heads sales at SFL Worldwide, walks through what is actually worth sending, what families should sell or donate, when a full container beats a shared one, real door-to-door timelines, ballpark costs, how to compare quotes without getting caught by destination charges, who qualifies for Transfer of Residence, what insurance pays for and what it does not, and the mistakes he sees families repeat.

Twelve years in Austin, Texas. A home bought, two children settled in school, and a thriving career at Apple. For Rajesh and his wife, moving back to India was never an question of 'if'—it was a 'when' whose goalpost kept moving every few years. The real trigger came down to two things: his older son finishing fifth grade, and parents visibly ageing on every trip back. From a staggered move where his wife and kids moved first to hit the school year while he wrapped up in Austin, to an Ooty boarding school decision and an unexpected 401(k) lock, this is what the reality of returning actually looked like.

You have lived in the US for ten or fifteen years, built a 401(k) and an IRA and some cash, and made the decision to move back. Then you open an Indian mutual fund SIP for you and your kids, and it looks perfectly normal. If you are still a US taxpayer, there is one rule to understand before doing that: PFIC — Passive Foreign Investment Company. The same rule that trips up returning NRIs also catches US-born children who move to India. This guide walks through what PFIC is, which Indian investments become PFIC, the Section 1291 tax trap and the interest charge, the Form 8621 reporting burden, the QEF and mark-to-market elections, and the six questions to ask before you buy anything.