USD to INR Converter
Convert US dollars to Indian rupees (USD to INR) and compare transfer costs
Rupees = US dollars × the USD to INR rate. The converter above uses the European Central Bank reference rate for the latest working day. When you send money to India, compare the rupees that actually arrive after the provider's fee and margin, not the headline rate alone.
Currency converter
Daily rateReference rates from the European Central Bank via Frankfurter, updated each working day. Banks and card providers add a margin, so treat this as a guide, not a quote.
How to convert US dollars to rupees
Multiply the dollar amount by the number of rupees one dollar buys, the same one-step formula behind every pair in the currency converter section, such as US dollars to euros. The converter gets that rate from the Frankfurter API, which builds it from two European Central Bank reference rates: rupees per euro divided by dollars per euro. The result is multiplied by your amount and rounded to two decimal places, the paise. Amounts are shown in US-style grouping, such as ₹100,000.00; in India the same figure is written ₹1,00,000.00, as the lakh and crore table below explains.
- Enter the amount in US dollars.
- Keep From on USD and To on INR.
- Read the rupees and the rate line beneath, which shows the rate to up to six decimal places and the date of the ECB fixing.
- For a transfer, subtract the provider's fixed fee from the dollars first, then multiply by the rate the provider offers.
India has its own benchmark. The Financial Benchmarks India Ltd (FBIL) reference rate, which took over from the Reserve Bank of India's rate in 2018, is used for many contracts and official conversions in India. Because FBIL and the ECB fix their rates at different times of day, the two can differ slightly. Neither is the rate a bank or remittance service will give you; that is the number to compare offers against.
How long does a money transfer from the US to India take?
Online transfer services often credit an Indian bank account within minutes to one working day, while a traditional international wire typically takes one to five working days. The route the money takes explains the gap.
The last step, inside India, is fast. The Reserve Bank of India's payment systems run around the clock: IMPS credits accounts instantly at any hour, NEFT has operated 24×7 since December 2019 and RTGS since December 2020. Delays usually happen earlier, on the US side and between banks.
- SWIFT wires can pass through one or more correspondent banks, each adding time and sometimes a fee.
- US weekends and federal holidays pause outbound bank wires, because the Federal Reserve's Fedwire service runs on business days only.
- Compliance checks on large or first-time transfers can hold a payment until you provide documents.
- Cut-off times at the sending bank decide whether a wire leaves today or on the next business day.
India Standard Time is UTC+5:30 all year, so a payment released at 5:00 p.m. in New York during US daylight time reaches India at 2:30 a.m. the next day, when banks there are closed but IMPS still runs.
What is the difference between an NRE and an NRO account?
An NRE account holds money earned abroad and can be sent back out freely, while an NRO account holds income earned in India, such as rent or dividends, with limits on moving it abroad. Both are rupee accounts for non-resident Indians.
| Feature | NRE account | NRO account |
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Non-Resident External | Non-Resident Ordinary |
| Typical deposits | Earnings sent from abroad | Income earned in India, plus transfers from abroad |
| Sending money abroad | Principal and interest freely repatriable | Limited to USD 1 million per financial year, after tax |
| Interest in India | Exempt from Indian income tax | Taxable in India, with tax deducted at source |
US tax residents generally report interest from both kinds of account on their US return, whatever India's treatment. Both accounts are governed by the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) and RBI rules, which change from time to time, so confirm the details with your bank and a qualified tax adviser before choosing one.
US dollar vs Indian rupee: what is the difference?
The dollar and the rupee differ in how they are issued, written and traded, which explains several quirks of converting between them. The rate itself changes every working day.
| Attribute | US dollar | Indian rupee |
|---|---|---|
| ISO 4217 code | USD (numeric 840) | INR (numeric 356) |
| Symbol | $ | ₹, adopted in 2010 |
| Central bank | Federal Reserve, created in 1913 | Reserve Bank of India, established April 1, 1935 |
| Subunit | 100 cents | 100 paise |
| Daily benchmark | Federal Reserve H.10 release (noon buying rates in New York) | FBIL reference rate from Financial Benchmarks India Ltd |
| Convertibility | Fully convertible | Convertible for trade and travel payments; some limits on capital flows |
| Ten million is written | 10,000,000 | 1,00,00,000 (one crore) |
4 key differences
- The Reserve Bank of India began operating on April 1, 1935, 22 years after the Federal Reserve Act of 1913.
- The US dollar can be moved freely for any purpose, while the rupee is fully convertible only for current-account payments such as trade, travel and family support.
- India groups digits in twos after the first thousand, so ten million rupees is written ₹1,00,00,000 rather than 10,000,000.
- The Government of India mints rupee coins and issues the ₹1 note, and the RBI issues every other note; in the US the Mint makes the coins and the Federal Reserve issues all notes.
What does it cost to send money from the US to India?
Every transfer costs a fixed fee plus a margin built into the exchange rate, and the two together are the real price. A service advertising zero fees may simply have a wider margin. The stakes are large: India is the world's largest recipient of remittances according to the World Bank, and most of those transfers start in dollars.
What to ask before you send
- The guaranteed rupee amount. Reputable providers show exactly how many rupees will arrive before you pay.
- Intermediary charges. International bank wires can pass through a correspondent bank that deducts its own fee on the way.
- The account type. Non-resident Indians often choose between an NRE account, whose balance can be moved back abroad, and an NRO account, used for income earned in India. Ask your bank which suits the transfer.
- Delivery time. Indian banks credit many transfers through IMPS or NEFT; cut-off times follow India Standard Time, UTC+5:30, which the time zone converter helps you plan around.
The cost of sending $1,000 under different fee structures
These fee structures are examples, not quotes from real providers. The cost column adds the fixed fee to the margin charged on the dollars that are converted, and it is the same whatever the day's exchange rate is.
| Fixed fee | Rate margin | Dollars converted | Total cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0.00 | 2.0% | $1,000.00 | $20.00 |
| $5.00 | 0.4% | $995.00 | $8.98 |
| $10.00 | 0% | $990.00 | $10.00 |
| $15.00 | 1.0% | $985.00 | $24.85 |
| $0.00 | 3.5% | $1,000.00 | $35.00 |
| $4.99 | 1.2% | $995.01 | $16.93 |
Lakh and crore in the Indian number system
Indian English groups digits in twos after the first thousand, and large amounts are named in lakh (100,000) and crore (10 million). The converter shows US-style grouping, so use this table to read the result the Indian way.
| Indian name | Indian format | International format | In words |
|---|---|---|---|
| One thousand | 1,000 | 1,000 | One thousand |
| One lakh | 1,00,000 | 100,000 | One hundred thousand |
| Ten lakh | 10,00,000 | 1,000,000 | One million |
| One crore | 1,00,00,000 | 10,000,000 | Ten million |
| Ten crore | 10,00,00,000 | 100,000,000 | One hundred million |
| One hundred crore | 1,00,00,00,000 | 1,000,000,000 | One billion |
| One lakh crore | 10,00,00,00,00,000 | 1,000,000,000,000 | One trillion |
What is the Indian rupee?
The Indian rupee (ISO 4217 code INR, numeric code 356) is divided into 100 paise. Its symbol, ₹, was adopted in 2010 and combines the Devanagari letter ra with the Latin capital R. The Reserve Bank of India issues banknotes and manages the currency, while the Government of India mints the coins and issues the one-rupee note.
The rupee floats, but the RBI buys and sells dollars in the market to smooth sharp moves, so the rate usually changes gradually rather than in jumps. Current notes include ₹10, ₹20, ₹50, ₹100, ₹200 and ₹500; the ₹2,000 note was withdrawn from circulation in 2023, and coins in everyday use run from ₹1 to ₹20. Bhutan's ngultrum and Nepal's rupee are both pegged to the Indian rupee. India also limits how much rupee cash travelers may carry into or out of the country, so check the RBI's current rules before you fly.
Before you convert or send
- Check the date on the rate. The line under the converted amount names the ECB working day it comes from. On weekends and TARGET holidays it stays on the last published rate.
- Work out the effective rate. Divide the rupees a provider promises by the dollars you pay in total, including fees, and compare it with the rate shown here.
- Time family calls and deadlines. India is 9 hours 30 minutes ahead of New York during US daylight saving time and 10 hours 30 minutes ahead in winter. To count the days until a tuition or rent deadline, use the days between dates calculator.
- Compare other corridors the same way. The USD to GBP converter and the euro page use the same ECB data and method.
Tax rules on money sent to India depend on the amount, the purpose and your residency, so ask a qualified tax adviser if you are unsure.
Sources and further reading
The standards and references behind the numbers on this page. Links open in a new tab.
Standards and official sources
- Euro foreign exchange reference ratesEuropean Central Bank
- Frankfurter exchange rate APIFrankfurter
- ISO 4217: Currency codesISO
- H.10 Foreign exchange ratesFederal Reserve Board
Further reading
- CurrencyWikipedia
USD to INR FAQs
Short, exact answers to what people ask most.
How do I convert US dollars to Indian rupees?
Multiply the dollar amount by the USD to INR rate, the number of rupees one dollar buys. The converter uses the latest ECB reference rate and rounds the result to two decimal places.
Why is the rate here different from the RBI or FBIL rate?
India's FBIL reference rate and the European Central Bank rate are fixed at different times of day from different market data, so they can differ slightly. Both are benchmarks, and banks and transfer services add their own margin to them.
What is the cheapest way to send money to India?
There is no single answer, because fees and margins vary by provider, amount and speed. Compare the guaranteed number of rupees that will arrive for the same dollar amount, including every fee, and choose on that basis.
How much is 1 lakh in US numbers?
One lakh is 100,000, written 1,00,000 in India. Ten lakh make one million, and one crore is 10 million, written 1,00,00,000.
What is 1 crore in millions?
One crore equals 10 million, or 10,000,000 in international format. One hundred crore equals one billion.
Does the USD to INR rate change on weekends?
The ECB publishes reference rates only on working days, so the converter keeps showing the last published rate through the weekend. Currency markets and providers may still move their own prices.
How many paise make one rupee?
One rupee is 100 paise. Coins below 50 paise were withdrawn in 2011, so smaller amounts now appear mainly in bank balances and exchange rates.
What is the ISO code for the Indian rupee?
The ISO 4217 code is INR and the numeric code is 356. The symbol is ₹, although older documents and some banks still write Rs.
Can I send money to India on a weekend?
Yes. Many online services accept transfers at weekends, and India's IMPS system credits accounts at any hour, but a bank wire usually waits until the next US business day.
What time is it in India when the US stock market opens?
The NYSE opens at 9:30 a.m. Eastern, which is 7:00 p.m. IST while the US is on daylight saving time and 8:00 p.m. IST in winter, because India does not change its clocks.
How do I write 50 lakh in numbers?
50 lakh is 50,00,000 in the Indian format, which is 5,000,000 (five million) in the international format.
Related conversions
Exchange rates are cross rates derived from the European Central Bank's euro reference rates via the Frankfurter API; currency details follow ISO 4217, the Reserve Bank of India, Financial Benchmarks India Ltd and the Federal Reserve's H.10 release, and account rules follow India's Foreign Exchange Management Act. Last updated . How we verify our numbers.