Australia is home to one of the fastest-growing Indian diaspora communities in the world — the Ministry of External Affairs projects the Indian-origin population there will reach nearly 1 million by 2026. Many Australia-resident NRIs own property in India, hold NRO accounts, or receive rental income from Indian assets. If you are remitting money from India to your Australian bank account, your Indian bank will require Form 145 and Form 146 (which replaced Form 15CA and Form 15CB from April 2026). This guide explains everything Australia-based NRIs need to know.
India-Australia DTAA — Key Points for Australia NRIs
India and Australia have a comprehensive Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement in force, covering dividends, interest, and royalty income (Articles 10, 11 and 12) with a tax credit mechanism set out in Article 24. Like the India-UK and India-US treaties, it works through a foreign tax credit: Australian tax residents pay Indian tax on Indian-source income and then claim an offset in their Australian tax return for the Indian tax already paid. Gains from selling immovable property situated in India are taxable in India. NRO account interest and rental income from Indian property also remain taxable in India, with credit available in Australia for the tax paid.
To claim DTAA benefits, Australian residents must obtain a Certificate of Residency from the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) and file Form 10F electronically on the Indian Income Tax portal.
What Changed for Australia NRIs in April 2026
From 1 April 2026, Form 15CA and Form 15CB no longer exist. They have been replaced by Form 145 (the online declaration, replacing Form 15CA) and Form 146 (the CA certificate, replacing Form 15CB) under the Income Tax Act 2025. If your bank’s NRI desk is still asking for Form 15CB after April 2026, show them the Form 146 certificate — it is the legally valid replacement document.
When Do Australia NRIs Need Form 145 and Form 146?
Selling Indian property and remitting sale proceeds to an Australian bank account
Remitting from an NRO account to an Australian bank
Sending NRO fixed deposit proceeds to Australia
Repatriating rental income earned from Indian property
Any other Indian-source income being transferred abroad
Lower TDS Certificate for Australia NRIs Selling Indian Property
Australia NRIs selling Indian property face the same TDS-on-full-sale-value problem as all NRIs — the buyer must deduct TDS on the entire sale consideration, not just the gain. A Lower TDS Certificate (Form 128) fixes this by getting the Assessing Officer to specify a TDS rate matching your actual liability, typically saving lakhs that would otherwise sit with the Income Tax Department for 12-18 months. Having a clean capital gains computation from the Form 128 process also gives you proper documentation for your Australian Foreign Income Tax Offset claim. Starting ₹7,999.
The 50% CGT Discount and FITO — What Makes Australia Different
Australia’s tax treatment of Indian property gains has two features that don’t apply to UK or US NRIs, and both cut in different directions:
The 50% CGT discount works in your favour. If you have held the Indian property for more than 12 months, only 50% of the capital gain is included in your assessable income in Australia — a significant reduction compared to how the US or UK tax the same gain.
The Foreign Income Tax Offset (FITO) does not carry forward. Unlike the US, where unused foreign tax credit can be carried forward up to 10 years, any Indian tax credit that exceeds your Australian tax liability on that income in the same year is simply lost — it cannot be carried forward or claimed later. This makes the timing and accuracy of your Indian TDS and capital gains computation more important for Australia NRIs than for NRIs in most other countries: overpaying TDS in India (and not fixing it with a Lower TDS Certificate) can mean paying tax twice with no way to recover the difference through your Australian return.
ATO Certificate of Residency — How to Obtain It
Apply for a Certificate of Residency through the ATO using the individual request form (NAT 75441), available on ato.gov.au. This certifies that you are an Australian tax resident liable to pay tax on worldwide income in Australia, which Indian authorities require to grant DTAA benefits. If you have dual tax residency questions, the ATO recommends lodging an early engagement advice request first to resolve your residency status before requesting the certificate. Apply well ahead of your remittance date, and note that under the Common Reporting Standard, the ATO already receives annual data on Australian residents’ Indian financial accounts — so it is simpler to file correctly than to explain a mismatch later.
Our Service for Australia NRI Clients
We handle Form 145, Form 146, Lower TDS Certificate (Form 128), NRI ITR filing, and Foreign Tax Credit (Form 44) for Australia-based NRI clients. Our founding CA holds a CPA Australia qualification alongside FCA (ICAI) — a combination that means your Form 146 certificate and your Australian FITO claim are prepared with a working understanding of both tax systems, not just the Indian side. Everything is done over email — no office visit required.
Email us at hello@nritaxca.com with your situation. We respond within 2 hours with a written fixed quote. Fixed pricing, no hidden charges.
Also Read:
Case Study: How an NRI in Melbourne Saved ₹13.8 Lakhs on Property TDS
Form 145 146 Complete NRI Guide
Form 145 146 for NRIs in UK
Form 145 146 for UAE Gulf NRIs
Form 145 146 for NRIs in USA and Canada
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