When you send INR, you’ll need to choose the purpose of your payment. This is because we're a regulated financial institution, and it's mandatory to collect the purpose of your INR transfer for compliance.
Selecting the correct purpose code ensures accurate transaction reporting and adherence to regulatory requirements. An incorrect Reserve Bank of India (RBI) purpose code risks payment delays or outright rejection.
What purpose codes do we offer?
The transfer purposes that you can select vary based on if you or the recipient is an individual (personal account) or a business. You'll see the available transfer purposes when you set up your transfer.
When you send from your Personal account to a Personal recipient
| Purpose Codes | Context |
|---|---|
| Personal expenses | Payments for personal use, education or medical expenses, or to friends |
| Sending money home to family | Payments to family |
| Savings | Payments for your own savings |
| Property purchase | Payment for purchase of property |
| General monthly living expenses | Payments for day-to-day expenses |
| Deposit to Non-Resident Rupee (NRE) accounts | Payments to NRE accounts |
| Education expenses | Payment to education institutions |
| Loan repayment | Payments to repay a loan |
When you send from your Personal account to a Business recipient
The limit for sending to businesses in India is 1.5 million INR per invoice daily.
| Purpose Codes | RBI Code | RBI Description | Context |
|---|---|---|---|
| Travel expenses | P0301 | Purchases towards travel (includes purchases of foreign TCs, currency: notes, etc. over the counter, by hotels, hospitals, sanatoriums, Educational institutions etc., as well as amount received by TT/Swift transfers or debit. | Payments to travel agents, hotels or airlines |
| Loan repayment | P0011 | Repayment of loans extended to Non-Residents | Payments to repay a loan |
| Education expenses | P1107 | Educational services (e.g. fees received for correspondence courses offered to non-resident by Indian institutions) | Payment to education institutions |
| Pay for services | P0807 | Off-site Software Exports | Payment against export of services including software |
| Pay for goods | P0102 | Realisation of export bills (in respect of goods) sent on collection (full invoice value) — other than Nepal and Bhutan | Payment against export of goods |
| Other business expenses | Refer to table below | Refer to table below | Payment for other business use cases, such as trade transfers etc. |
Other business expenses
Here you'll select the specific reason for your transfer.
| Purpose Codes | RBI Code | RBI Description |
|---|---|---|
| NIL | P0802 | Software consultancy/implementation (other than those covered in SOFTEX form) |
| Accounting or related services | P1005 | Accounting, auditing, book keeping services |
| Audio or visual Services | P1101 | Inward remittance for maintenance of offices in India |
| Business Management or PR Services | P1006 | Business and management consultancy and public relations services |
| Data processing or database related charges | P0803 | Data base, data processing charges |
| Legal services | P1004 | Legal services |
| Research and Development | P1008 | Research and Development |
When you send from your Business account to a Business recipient
The limit for sending to businesses in India is 1.5 million INR per invoice daily.
| Purpose Codes | RBI Code | RBI Description | Context |
|---|---|---|---|
| Travel expenses | P0301 | Purchases towards travel (Includes purchases of foreign TCs, currency: notes etc. over the counter, by hotels, hospitals, Emporiums, Educational institutions etc., as well as amount received by TT/Swift transfers or debit. | Payments to travel agents, hotels or airlines |
| Pay for services | P0807 | Off-site Software Exports | Payment against export of services including software |
| Pay for goods | P0102 | Realisation of export bills (in respect of goods) sent on collection (full invoice value) — Other than Nepal and Bhutan | Payment against export of goods |
| Other business expenses | Refer to table below | Refer to table below | Payment for other business use cases, such as trade transfers, education institutions, etc. |
Other business expenses
Here you'll select the specific reason for your transfer.
| Purpose Codes | RBI Code | RBI Description |
|---|---|---|
| NIL | P0802 | Software consultancy/implementation (other than those covered in SOFTEX form) |
| Accounting or related services | P1005 | Accounting, auditing, book keeping services |
| Audio or visual Services | P1101 | Inward remittance for maintenance of offices in India |
| Business Management or PR Services | P1006 | Business and management consultancy and public relations services |
| Data processing or database related charges | P0803 | Data base, data processing charges |
| Legal services | P1004 | Legal services |
| Research and Development | P1008 | Research and Development |
When you send from your Business account to a Personal recipient
| Purpose Codes | RBI Code | RBI Description | Context |
|---|---|---|---|
| Travel expenses | P0301 | Purchases towards travel (Includes purchases of foreign TCs, currency: notes etc. over the counter, by hotels, hospitals, Emporiums, Educational institutions etc., as well as amount received by TT/Swift transfers or debit. | Payments to travel agents, hotels or airlines |
| Property purchase | P1301 | Inward remittance from Indian nonresidents towards family maintenance and savings. | Payment for purchase of property |
| Pay for services | P0807 | Off-site Software Exports | Payment against export of services including software |
| Pay for goods | P0102 | Realisation of export bills (in respect of goods) sent on collection (full invoice value) — Other than Nepal and Bhutan | Payment against export of goods |
| Other business expenses | Refer to table below | Refer to table below | Payment for other business use cases, such as trade transfers, education institutions, etc. |
Other business expenses
Here you'll select the specific reason for your transfer.
| Purpose Codes | RBI Code | RBI Description |
|---|---|---|
| NIL | P0802 | Software consultancy/implementation (other than those covered in SOFTEX form) |
| Accounting or related services | P1005 | Accounting, auditing, book keeping services |
| Audio or visual Services | P1101 | Inward remittance for maintenance of offices in India |
| Business Management or PR Services | P1006 | Business and management consultancy and public relations services |
| Data processing or database related charges | P0803 | Data base, data processing charges |
| Legal services | P1004 | Legal services |
| Research and Development | P1008 | Research and Development |
What transfer purposes aren’t supported by Wise?
Payments to charities
Trade transfers exceeding 1.5M INR per invoice daily
Foreign direct investments
Salary payments to India in INR
If your intended RBI purpose code isn't present in our lists above, we're unable to support that transfer purpose at this time.
What happens if I choose an incorrect purpose code?
Selecting an incorrect purpose code can cause delays or rejections.
If your transfer hasn't been sent out, reach out to our customer support team. Your transfer will be cancelled and refunded.
If your transfer was already sent out, we're not able to alter the purpose codes for your transfer. If this happens, you can:
Reach out to your beneficiary bank to reject the funds back to us. Once the funds are rejected and credited back to us, we'll be able to cancel and refund your transfer.
You will then need to initiate a new transfer using the correct purpose code.
What purpose should I choose if I’m sending money to buy a house?
It depends on the nature of your transfer:
If funds are for a housing loan — choose repayment of loans.
If funds are to a real estate firm for housing investments — choose property purchase. The recipient must be a business.
If funds are to family or friends for purchasing a house — choose property purchase.