How to get the most out of Valura
Six calculators. One AI advisor. Real tax rules. No guesswork. This guide walks through exactly when to use each tool, with real rupee examples so you leave every session knowing exactly what to do next.
Start here
Three types of tax drag eat your returns as an Indian HNI investing globally.
Upfront cash lock
20% TCS deducted the moment you remit. Calculator 1.
Return tax leak
STCG vs LTCG spreads up to 28 percentage points. Calculators 2 & 4.
Structural risk
US estate tax up to 40% on death if you hold directly. Calculator 5.
Valura eliminates or reduces all three simultaneously. Use these calculators to quantify each drag in rupees, then open an account to apply the fix.
I want to invest ₹50L abroad. How much TCS will I pay — and how do I cut it?
Use this whenever you're about to remit money overseas for investment.
India's bank deducts 20% TCS on every rupee above ₹10L per PAN per financial year. You get it back via ITR — but the money is locked for 7–18 months. The real cost isn't just the TCS; it's the return you could have earned on that locked cash.
What to enter — step by step
- 1
How much to invest this FY?
₹50L — type it or use the slider
- 2
Already remitted?
₹0 if this is your first remittance of the year
- 3
Purpose?
Investment (20% TCS). Education via 80E loan = 0% TCS.
- 4
Current month?
Determines how long TCS is locked before you get it back
- 5
Do you pay advance tax?
Switch YES — this is the most important toggle on the page
- 6
Family members?
Add your spouse and adult children — each gets their own ₹10L threshold
Use the AI drawer (green button at the bottom of the calculator) to ask "Should I split this across family members?" — it reads your exact numbers and tells you the optimal split.
I want to sell a position. Should I sell now or wait? What's the exact tax?
Use before selling any equity position — the timing can save lakhs.
India draws a sharp line at 730 days (24 months). Hold longer: 12.5% flat LTCG, surcharge capped at 15%, effective max 14.95%. Sell before: slab rate up to 30%, surcharge uncapped, effective max 42.74% for income above ₹5 Cr. That's a 28 percentage point spread — the single biggest legal tax saving available.
What to enter
- 1
Purchase & sale price
Enter in INR or USD — if USD, set the exchange rate (default ₹84.50)
- 2
Holding period
Years + months, or drag the slider. Watch the STCG/LTCG badge update live.
- 3
Number of units
Total shares or units you're selling
- 4
Annual income (excluding this gain)
This sets your slab rate for STCG calculation
- 5
Tax regime
New Regime FY 2025-26 or Old Regime
- 6
Carry-forward losses?
Toggle Yes and enter your STCL / LTCL amounts to see offset benefit
Rate table at the bottom shows every income bracket — STCG rate, LTCG rate, the spread, and "TLH value per ₹1L." Knowing your spread tells you exactly how much each ₹1L of harvested loss is worth.
I received dividends from US stocks. Am I paying tax twice?
For Resident Indians with foreign investment income — Form 67 FTC.
If you're a Resident Indian, India taxes your worldwide income. But when you receive dividends from US stocks, the US already deducted 25% withholding tax before paying you. Without action, you pay 25% to the US and your slab rate to India. Form 67 lets you credit the US WHT against your Indian tax liability — so you only pay the higher of the two, never both stacked.
Who this calculator is primarily for:
✓ Resident Indian — main use case
Foreign dividends, capital gains. FTC via Form 67.
~ NRI via GIFT City — limited use
India barely taxes NRIs. DTAA largely irrelevant. See NRI explainer inside.
The GIFT City explainer inside the calculator shows why NRIs investing via IFSC often don't need DTAA at all — GIFT City fund income is already exempt from Indian tax at source.
Is it actually better to invest via Valura vs directly through IBKR or Vested?
The definitive side-by-side comparison of after-tax wealth over time.
Direct investment platforms (IBKR, Vested, INDmoney) are fine products — but they expose you to 20% TCS upfront, 25% US dividend WHT (vs ~15% via Ireland UCITS route), and up to 40% US estate tax on death. Capital gains tax is identical either way. This calculator shows the full compounded wealth difference over your investment horizon.
Key inputs to set
- 1
Initial investment
Use ₹ or USD. Try ₹1 Cr to start.
- 2
Investment horizon
Use at least 10 years — the compounding gap is dramatic after year 5.
- 3
Expected annual return
Default 12%. Lower it to 8% for a conservative view.
- 4
Dividend yield
Default 2%. Index funds typically yield 1.5–2%.
- 5
Holding strategy
Long Term LTCG is most realistic for most HNIs.
- 6
Income above ₹5 Cr?
Toggle ON — STCG surcharge is uncapped, making the gap much larger.
- 7
Family members for LRS
Higher count = more TCS-free capacity in Route B.
Expand "Advanced" settings to set your INR depreciation assumption and estate tax probability weighting. At 100%, the comparison is fully conservative. Lower it only if you plan to convert back to non-US assets before passing them on.
My family could lose 40% of my US stock portfolio to the IRS when I die. Is that real?
The most emotionally important calculator. Run it once. Act on the result.
Yes, it's real and almost no one talks about it. The IRS classifies Indian investors who hold US stocks directly as Non-Resident Aliens (NRAs). On death, their US-situs assets (US stocks, US ETFs) attract estate tax with only a $60,000 exemption. Above that, rates go up to 40%. India has no estate tax. The entire problem is from the US side.
US Estate Tax Brackets (Non-Resident Alien)
| Portfolio value | IRS takes | Your family gets |
|---|---|---|
| $50K (below exemption) | $0 | 100% |
| $200K | ~$28K | 86% |
| $500K | ~$130K | 74% |
| $1M | ~$330K | 67% |
| $2M | ~$730K | 64% |
How to use the calculator
Enter your total US stock and ETF holdings in USD — use the slider or type the amount. Set the exchange rate. The calculator instantly shows bracket-by-bracket IRS tax vs $0 via Valura GIFT City, with an INR-equivalent of what your family would lose.
I'm not sure if I'm NRI, RNOR, or ROR this year. How does it affect my tax?
Run this before filing ITR. Your residency status changes every year.
India taxes you based on how many days you spent in India, not just your passport. The rules under Section 6 of the Income Tax Act create three possible statuses each year, with very different tax treatment for global income. Getting it wrong means either overpaying tax or under-declaring foreign income.
NRI
Only Indian income taxable. Foreign income fully exempt. No LRS limit on investing abroad.
RNOR
Golden window. Foreign income NOT taxable in India. Typically lasts 2–3 years after returning.
ROR
Worldwide income taxable. GIFT City = foreign asset. Schedule FA mandatory.
Leveraging the AI Advisor
The most powerful feature on the platform. Most users don't use it to its full potential.
The AI knows your portfolio, the tax rules, and today's date
It calls real calculation tools — not guesswork. Every number it gives you is computed from the same logic as the calculators.
Mode 1: Calculator drawer
Click the green "Ask AI about this result →" button at the bottom of any calculator. The AI already knows your exact inputs and outputs — start asking without re-explaining anything.
Mode 2: Full chat at /chat
Open-ended, multi-step. Ask anything. The AI calls tools, runs audits, and returns ranked action plans. Best for big-picture questions.
Best prompts to use right now (FY end is near)
"Audit my full tax position for FY 2025-26"
What happens: Runs the TLH scan, portfolio summary, and capital gains for every holding simultaneously. Returns a ranked action table sorted by rupee impact.
"I have 15 days left in the FY — what should I do urgently?"
What happens: Calls get_fy_countdown + run_tlh_scan + run_fy_audit. Returns a TODAY / THIS WEEK / BEFORE MARCH 31 action plan with exact deadlines.
"Should I sell my TATA-SP500 loss position now or wait?"
What happens: Calls compare_scenarios for that holding — shows tax if sold today vs tax after LTCG threshold, with rupee difference and clear recommendation.
"Build my Schedule FA data for GIFT City holdings"
What happens: Reads from your portfolio and returns a pre-filled Schedule FA draft with all fields needed for ITR-2 or ITR-3.
"Optimize my LRS remittance across family before March 31"
What happens: Calls get_fy_countdown then optimize_family_tcs — tells you exactly how much to route through each PAN to hit zero TCS.
FY 2025-26 Tax Cheatsheet
Hard-coded into every calculator. Keep this handy.
LRS & TCS
Capital Gains
Foreign WHT on Dividends (India-sourced)
GIFT City Exemptions (NRI)
New Tax Regime Slabs — FY 2025-26
| Income Slab | Rate | STCG if this is your bracket | LTCG (everyone) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Up to ₹3L | 0% | 0% base STCG | 12.5% + surcharge |
| ₹3L – ₹7L | 5% | 5% base STCG | 12.5% + surcharge |
| ₹7L – ₹10L | 10% | 10% base STCG | 12.5% + surcharge |
| ₹10L – ₹12L | 15% | 15% base STCG | 12.5% + surcharge |
| ₹12L – ₹15L | 20% | 20% base STCG | 12.5% + surcharge |
| Above ₹15L | 30% | Up to 42.74% (>₹5Cr) | 14.95% max (capped) |
Before March 31 — Your 4-step action plan
The financial year ends on March 31. These four actions can collectively save lakhs.
Harvest your losses
Go to the TLH Engine. The proactive banner shows your total harvestable losses. Sell the loss positions and immediately rebuy — India has no wash-sale rule. This books the losses for carry-forward, reducing your taxable gains this FY and for 8 years.
Open TLH Engine →Check your LTCG cliffs
Open Capital Gains calculator. If any position is within 60 days of the 730-day threshold and currently at a gain, model the sell-now vs wait decision. The savings can be enormous — the example above showed ₹18.57L saved by waiting just 2 months.
Open Capital Gains →Offset TCS against advance tax
If you've made LRS remittances this FY, your TCS appears in Form 26AS Part F. When paying your March 15 advance tax installment (100% of annual tax), reduce your payment by the TCS amount. No application needed — it's automatic.
Calculate your offset →Prepare Schedule FA and Form 67
If you're a Resident Indian with GIFT City investments, Schedule FA is mandatory. If you received foreign dividends, Form 67 is needed to claim FTC. Ask the AI to build your Schedule FA draft — takes 30 seconds.
Build Schedule FA with AI →All figures are illustrative based on Finance Act 2025, FY 2025-26. Tax rules, rates, and exemptions may change. Consult a qualified CA before making investment or tax decisions. Valura is not a tax advisor.