Corridor
Sending money to India from the US
1 USD = 94.9552 INR
What arrives in India
A transfer from the US to India converts US dollars into Indian rupees. Two things sit between the rate above and the amount your recipient sees: the fee the service charges, and the margin it adds to the rate itself. The second is usually larger, and is often not presented as a cost at all.
Daily reference rate vs what you’ll actually get
The USD/INR rate above is the daily reference rate published by European Central Bank euro foreign exchange reference rates on 2026-10-30. It is the reference point, not a price you can transact at.
Why the amount received is lower
- Transfer fee. A flat charge, or a percentage, taken by the sending service.
- Exchange rate markup. Most services apply a spread to the reference rate. This is usually the larger cost and is often not shown as a fee.
- Receiving method. Bank deposit, mobile wallet and cash pickup can carry different rates and charges (a bank transfer and a UPI-linked service can differ, and fees may apply at both ends).
- Timing. Reference rates are published once per working day; a transfer is priced when it is executed.
What a markup costs
Illustration only, not a quote from any provider: at a 1.5% markup with a $4.00 fee, sending $1,000 delivers about ₹93,157 instead of the ₹94,955 the daily reference rate implies — a difference of ₹1,798.
Common amounts sent from the US
| You send | Reference value in INR | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| $100 | ₹9,496 | 100 US dollars in INR |
| $200 | ₹18,991 | 200 US dollars in INR |
| $500 | ₹47,478 | 500 US dollars in INR |
| $1,000 | ₹94,955 | 1k US dollars in INR |
| $2,000 | ₹1,89,910 | 2k US dollars in INR |
| $5,000 | ₹4,74,776 | 5k US dollars in INR |
What to know about receiving money in India
Two channels into India, with very different limits
Money reaches India under one of two RBI frameworks, and which one a provider uses decides what it can carry. The Money Transfer Service Scheme, used by most cash-pickup and instant-payout operators, is capped at USD 2,500 per remittance and thirty remittances to any one beneficiary in a calendar year; under it, no more than Rs 50,000 may be paid out in cash, with anything above that going to a bank account. The Rupee Drawing Arrangement, used for bank-to-bank transfers, carries no limit for personal remittances. A transfer that would be routine through a bank can therefore be refused by a cash-pickup operator for reasons that have nothing to do with the amount being unusual.
Providers do not always say which framework they use. If you are sending a large amount, or sending often to the same person, ask before you start rather than after a transfer is held.
RBI Master Direction, Money Transfer Service Scheme, updated 29 February 2024 · checked 2026-09-18
Before you send
- Compare the rate, not just the fee. A service advertising no fee may take more through its margin than one charging a flat amount.
- Check the receiving method. Bank deposit, mobile wallet and cash pickup can be priced differently (a bank transfer and a UPI-linked service can differ, and fees may apply at both ends).
- Check when it is priced. The reference rate is published once per working day; a transfer is converted when it is actually executed.