PAYROLL SERVICES FOR EXPATS (FOREIGN NATIONALS):

India everywhere is a reality from Davos to Delhi, from California to Kolkata, India is shining all the way. Not without reasons, India is one of the fastest growing economies in the world, clocking nearly a double-digit growth and that barometer of the economy - the stock market is clearly reflecting it. No wonder then, foreigners see a great investment opportunity in the world's largest democracy. The economy of India has seen a prototype shift since the last ten years and is on a healthy growth trail. Today, the Indian economy possess a steady and constant Annual Growth Rate, Flourishing Capital Markets, and all time rising Foreign Exchange Reserves.

An expat payroll ensures that the worker's benefits are kept the same as they are back in their country of origin. As well as salary, this can cover such areas as tax and holiday entitlement. A further service can include salary splitting, in which a salary can be paid across two forms of currency. For example, a British worker who relocates to India could receive part of their pay in Pounds and the remaining amount in Rupees across both British and Indian bank accounts.

With tax legislation varying significantly between different countries, an expat payroll is the ideal way to offer assurance to workers that they are paying the correct amount of tax. With the pressures that come with moving to a new country and adapting to a new culture, an expat payroll helps to retain a level of consistency, ensuring that there is one less problem for the relocating individual to deal with. As well as being a great help for the employee involved, an expat payroll also helps to relieve any worries on the employer that the relocation of an employee could lead to tax problems.

  • FRRO

The Foreigner Registration Office is the primary agency to regulate the registration, movement, stay, departure, and also for recommending the extension of stay in India

All foreigners (including foreigners of Indian origin) visiting India on long term (more than 180 days) Student Visa, Medical Visa, Research Visa and Employment Visa are required to get themselves registered with the Foreigners Regional Registration Officer (FRRO)/ Foreigners Registration Officer (FRO) concerned having jurisdiction over the place where the foreigner intends to stay, within 14 days of arrival. However, Pakistan nationals are required to register within 24 hours of their arrival. All Afghan nationals are required to register with the FRRO/FRO concerned within 14 days of arrival except those Afghan nationals who enter India on a visa valid for 30 days or less provided the Afghan national concerned gives his/her local address in India to the Indian Mission/FRRO/FRO. The Afghan nationals who are issued visas with 'Exemption from police reporting' are exempt from Police reporting as well as Exit permission provided they leave within the Visa validity period.

Registration is also required in the case of visa less than 180 days and if there is special endorsement "for registration required". However foreigners entering on Entry(X) and Business visas valid for more than 180 days are required to register with the FRRO, FRO if they continuously intend to stay for more than 6 months i.e. more than 180 days on each visit. (But exempting visa bearing endorsement as "Stay not to exceed 180days hence no registration required).

  • Dual Payroll Arrangements for Expatriate Executives

The process of transferring an executive from their home country to a host country is a tedious process for not only the employee, but also for their companies Human Resources Department. Both employers and employees must be aware of the payroll options available for those relocating to France for business purposes. Dual payroll arrangements for expatriates are a common option for executives on international assignments. There are three main types of dual payroll arrangements for expatriates often selected by human resources departments :

  • Split Payroll: Split payroll is an arrangement where funds are disbursed to an employee from both their home country, and their host country. Funds do not necessarily need to be split in half. However, there is a percentage coming from both ends.
  • Split Delivery: Split delivery is an arrangement where funds are delivered to the executive in the host country, but not necessarily coming from the host payroll.
  • Shadow Payroll: Shadow payroll is when 100% of the payroll is being delivered from the home country, but being shadowed or mirrored to reflect the currency and remitting of taxes from the host country. This is also known as the "dummy pay slip" process as the executives pay is provided on a secondment basis.

Some executives may not be aware of the specificities of their payroll arrangement, but it is good practice to become familiar with the options available. In most cases, the human resources department handles these arrangements with little or no input from the executive. There are many reasons why dual payroll arrangements for expatriates are highly favored. A few of them include:

  • Exchange Rate Protection
  • Assignee Convenience
  • Legal/Labor Laws
  • Tax Withholding Requirements