Free EDF
EDF form online and filing assistance
Prepare your EDF form online here if you export services from India. Work through the fields on this page, then give the completed form to your bank. It also explains what an EDF is, when EDF filing is due, and what the EDF file must include.
Last reviewed . Deadlines below follow the regulations in the sources.
- In force
- 1 October 2026
- EDF filing
- 30 days after the invoice month
- One EDF form
- Every recipient invoiced that month
- Money home
- 9 months from the invoice date, or 12 months if invoiced or paid in rupees
The payment must reach India. This is not the EDF filing date.
EDF filing guides
English notes on preparing an Export Declaration Form for AdSense, Meta, YouTube, PayPal, and the 2026 filing rules. These pages are not translated.
How to file an EDF for Google AdSense
A Google AdSense payout from India is usually an export of advertising services. Here is what to put on the EDF, which SAC code fits, and when the form is due.
How to file an EDF for Meta payouts and Facebook earnings
Facebook and Instagram earnings paid by Meta are service exports when you are in India. Use the payout statement for the invoice line, and give the form to the bank that receives the money.
How to file an EDF for a PayPal payment
A PayPal receipt shows who paid you and what reached your balance. You still choose the service code, and you add your own name and address before the form is ready for the bank.
How to file an EDF for YouTube earnings
YouTube pays creators through AdSense for YouTube, which is a different payments account from a website. The finalized payment is the figure that belongs on the EDF.
How to file an EDF for AdMob earnings
AdMob earnings are advertising receipts. The performance report is not the payment. Use the transactions list or the printable receipt, the same way you would for website AdSense.
EDF filing deadline for service exports
The filing clock starts from the invoice month. Realisation is a second, longer clock. Both dates changed with the rules that took effect on 1 October 2026.
What to enter in Part 2B of the EDF
Goods use Part 2A. Services use Part 2B. Each overseas recipient you invoiced that month gets a line, and the header of the form still identifies you and your bank.
SAC codes on the EDF for freelancers
Part 2B asks for a Service Accounting Code, the same family of code used on a GST invoice. The bank’s purpose code is a different label, and it is not a column on the form.
One EDF for every client invoiced that month
You no longer need a separate declaration for every overseas client. Group the month’s invoices on one form, and skip any month in which you raised no export invoice.
How to give an EDF to State Bank of India
State Bank of India had not published a separate export declaration form for services when this website was built. The form to prepare is the annex to the 2026 regulations, addressed to SBI.
What is an EDF?
An EDF, or Export Declaration Form, is the declaration an exporter gives the specified authority for the full export value. From 1 October 2026, an exporter of services files that EDF form as well. Software counts as a service, so it uses the same form.[1]
These regulations replaced the 2015 export regulations and took effect on 1 October 2026.[1] [2] The practical change for freelancers, consultants, agencies, and creators is that a service export now needs this EDF file, handed to the bank that handles the receipt.
The bank then has five working days to enter the EDF in the Export Data Processing and Monitoring System, called EDPMS.[1]
Who files an EDF in India
You file when you are in India and you provide services to a recipient outside India. That can include a freelancer, a consultant, an agency, or a creator when the payout is for an export of services. Income that arrives through YouTube, AdSense, Upwork, Fiverr, or a similar platform can qualify when the underlying work is that export.
A gift, family maintenance, or wages paid to you as an employee is a different kind of receipt. Those are outside this EDF filing.
For services other than software, the form goes to the bank in the domestic tariff area that handles the payment. For software, you can give it to that bank or to Software Technology Parks of India. A unit in a special economic zone gives it to the Development Commissioner.[1]
The regulations define software broadly, including computer programmes, databases, drawings, designs, and audio or video signals sent other than on a physical medium.[1] Creator and advertising income is generally prepared as a service export for the bank. If you ship software, the bank or STPI can receive the form. The option to file on the payment date applies to services other than software, so ask the bank which description fits your work before you rely on that later date.
If a payment app converts the currency and credits rupees, use the bank named on the remittance advice. That is the bank which should receive the EDF file, even when a different bank holds your savings account.
EDF filing deadlines
File within 30 days from the end of the month in which the invoice was raised. One EDF form can cover every recipient you invoiced in that month.[1]
| Event | When |
|---|---|
| Rules start | 1 October 2026 |
| October 2026 invoices | EDF filing by 30 November 2026 |
| Services other than software | You may file on or before the day the payment arrives |
| Export value in foreign currency | Realise and bring it home within nine months from the invoice dateThe payment must arrive in India through your bank. |
| Invoice or settlement in rupees | Twelve months from the invoice date |
The January text of the regulations used fifteen months, and eighteen months for rupee invoices. The 22 September 2026 amendment replaced those with nine and twelve months before the rules began, so the longer periods never came into force.[3] The bank can extend filing, and it can extend realisation, when you ask and give a reason it finds reasonable.[1]
If export proceeds stay unrealised for more than one year after the due date, or after an extension, further exports are allowed only against full advance payment or an irrevocable letter of credit.[1]
The filing clock runs from the invoice month. A platform payout advice is often a receipt, which is a weak stand-in for an invoice. Raise an export invoice for that month and carry the same number, date, currency, and amount onto the EDF form. If you are registered for GST, use those same figures and the same SAC code on the tax invoice.
What the EDF form contains
The EDF file has one part for services. The header identifies you and your bank. Part 2B then takes a line for each overseas recipient.[1] [4] You sign a declaration that you will deliver the full value within the realisation period. The bank, or STPI for a software filing, certifies the form. You leave that certification block blank.
| EDF form field | What to enter |
|---|---|
| Your name and address | The person or firm exporting the service |
| PAN and GSTIN | GSTIN if you are registered |
| IE Code | Importer Exporter Code, if you have one |
| Bank and AD code | The bank that handles the foreign-exchange receipt |
| Mode of realisation | Letter of credit, guarantee, advance, or another mode |
| Each invoice | Number, date, currency, and amount, one line per recipient |
| Country and recipient | Name and address of the overseas service recipient |
| Net realisable value | What you expect to receive after commission or other deductions |
| Service description | What you actually delivered |
| SAC code | The service code that matches the invoice |
| Third-party payer | Name, address, and relationship, when a platform pays you |
Mode of delivery on the form includes internet, which fits most remote work. The value block also has room for commission, discount, and other deductions, so the net realisable value can sit below the invoice total.[4]
When a platform pays you
The bank may accept payment from someone other than the overseas client, once it is satisfied the payment is genuine.[1] The EDF form then records that third party’s name, address, and relationship to you. For AdSense, YouTube, Stripe, PayPal, Payoneer, or a similar payout, the platform or its payment company is the third party. The service recipient is still the overseas client or platform entity named on your invoice.
EDF form online
An EDF form online, on this page, means lining up the invoice, the SAC code, and the payer before you write them onto the form. You still give the signed EDF to your bank. Free EDF does not submit it.
- 1
Confirm the work is an export of services, and note whether it is software or another service.
- 2
Raise an invoice if the platform only gave you a payout receipt. The filing month is the month of that invoice.
- 3
Copy the invoice number, date, currency, and amount. Use those same figures on the EDF.
- 4
Choose the SAC code that describes the service, and keep it identical on the invoice and the form.
- 5
If Google, Upwork, a card network, or another company pays you, add that payer as the third party.
- 6
Name the bank on the remittance advice. That is the bank which should receive the EDF file.
- 7
Sign the declaration that you will bring the export value home within the realisation period.
- 8
Leave the certification block for the bank, or for STPI if you are filing software with them.
The form has a space for an Importer Exporter Code. Many banks ask for it, and a later eBRC on the trade portal is tied to that code. Ask your bank whether your EDF filing needs one. When the details are ready, use the blank annex in the EDF form download and copy them across.
EDF form download
The blank EDF form is published as an annex to the 2026 regulations. The PDF below is that official file. Free EDF does not issue its own version of the form. Your bank may still ask for a cover letter or its own checklist on top of this annex. Each bank has to publish the main points of its procedure, including documents, timelines, and charges.[1] A bank is not supposed to levy a penalty on you for your own regulatory delay. It can still charge a normal processing fee.
SAC code on the EDF form
Part 2B asks for a Service Accounting Code. That is the same family of code used on a GST invoice for a service. Advertising, software, design, and consulting each have their own code. Use the code for the service you performed, and keep it identical on the invoice and the EDF form.[4]
A purpose code is a different label. It appears on the bank’s inward remittance advice, when the payment is reported. It is not a column in Part 2B. Advertising receipts are often coded P1007. Software receipts often use P0802, P0803, or P0807. Consultancy is often P1006. The bank applies the purpose code. It should describe the same service as your SAC code.
That match matters later. Self-certified eBRC rules allow only some purpose codes for IT services, and they attach an invoice whose SAC code matches the service description.[5] For IT services, the codes that can be used are P0802, P0803, P0807, and P0103 for an advance.[5]
What your bank records in EDPMS
EDPMS is the system your bank updates after it receives the EDF. The bank enters a service EDF within five working days, records the inward remittance, and closes the entry once the export value is realised.[1] Free EDF is a guide to that paperwork. It is not an EDPMS login.
Where a service invoice is up to ₹10 lakh, or the equivalent in foreign currency, the bank may close the EDPMS entry on your declaration that payment has been received, in full or otherwise. You can submit that declaration once a quarter for many invoices. A reduction of export value up to the same limit can also be accepted on your declaration.[1] Most individual creator and freelance invoices fall under this limit.
After the money arrives, an electronic bank realisation certificate, the eBRC, is a separate step. You can self-certify it by matching the bank’s inward remittance to your invoice.[6] Service certificates ask whether the export is IT or non-IT.[6] Remote work done from India for a client abroad is usually cross-border supply. Generate the eBRC on the trade portal after the EDF and the payment are both in place.[5]
FAQ
These are the questions freelancers and remote contractors are asking about an EDF form online: what it is, whether it replaces SOFTEX, where you file it, and what changes if a payout app sends the money.
What is an EDF?
An EDF is an Export Declaration Form. It is the declaration a person in India gives their bank to state the full value of services exported. From 1 October 2026, service exporters file this EDF form, and software is included in services. One EDF can cover every overseas recipient invoiced in the same month.
Can I fill an EDF form online?
Use this page to gather the invoice, SAC code, and payer details, then copy them onto the EDF form before you send it to your bank. The bank still receives the filing. Free EDF does not submit the form for you.
How does the new EDF filing work?
You declare the full export value on the EDF and give it to the bank that handles the foreign-exchange receipt. That bank records the form in EDPMS within five working days. When the money arrives, the bank matches the payment to the declaration and closes the entry. One form can list every client you invoiced in that month.
Did the EDF replace SOFTEX?
Software exports used to be declared on SOFTEX. From 1 October 2026, software is declared on the same EDF as other services. This filing does not ask you to generate a SOFTEX number, and it does not ask for an STPI login if you give the form to your bank. A software exporter can still choose STPI, instead of the bank, as the office that certifies the form.
I work remotely and never filed SOFTEX. Do I file an EDF now?
If you export services from India, including software, the EDF applies from 1 October 2026 even when you never used SOFTEX. Many individual contractors were outside the older software-park process. Ask the bank that receives the money which desk takes the form.
Who needs to file an EDF in India?
You file when you export services from India to a recipient outside India. Freelancers, consultants, agencies, and creators can fall in this group when the payout is for that export. A gift, family support, or salary paid to you as an employee is a different kind of receipt.
When is EDF filing due?
Within 30 days after the end of the month in which the invoice was raised. Invoices raised in October 2026 are due by 30 November 2026. For services other than software, you may instead submit the EDF on or before the day the payment arrives. The bank can extend the deadline if you request it and give a reason the bank finds reasonable.
Do I have to submit an EDF every month?
Submit one for each month in which you raise an export invoice. A month with no export invoice does not need a blank form. For services other than software, you may file on or before the payment date instead of waiting until 30 days after month-end.
Where do I file the EDF, and what is the process?
Give the completed form to the bank that handles the receipt. For software, that bank or STPI can take it. A unit in a special economic zone gives it to the Development Commissioner. Raise the invoice, copy its number, date, currency, amount, and SAC code onto the EDF, sign it, and send it to that bank with the invoice. The bank certifies the form and enters it in EDPMS. Free EDF does not accept the filing.
Do I need STPI registration to file the EDF?
Your bank can receive the EDF without STPI registration. STPI is an additional choice for software, and only if you want that office to certify the form. A filing with your bank does not need STPI credentials.
Is the EDF form download the old SOFTEX form?
The blank PDF published with the 2026 regulations is the EDF annex. It includes Part 2B for services. It is the current declaration, and it is separate from the old SOFTEX paperwork. Your bank may still ask for its own cover sheet along with that annex.
What is in the EDF file?
The EDF file identifies you (name, address, PAN, GSTIN, and IE Code if you have one), your bank and its AD code, and each invoice: recipient, country, invoice number and date, currency, amount, net realisable value, service description, and SAC code. If someone other than the client pays you, the form also records that payer.
Where can I get an EDF form download?
The blank EDF form is the annex to the Foreign Exchange Management (Export and Import of Goods and Services) Regulations, 2026. Free EDF links to that official PDF. Your bank may also ask you to attach its own cover sheet.
I get paid through PayPal, Wise, or Skydo. Do I still file an EDF?
A service export still needs an EDF when the money arrives through PayPal, Wise, Skydo, or a similar payout, and also when the client pays your bank directly. Those platforms do not file the form for you. Use the bank named on the remittance advice. That is the bank which should receive the EDF, even if the rupees later reach a different account.
I already keep GST invoices and FIRA. Is the EDF something else?
The EDF is the declaration of export value that you give your bank. A GST return reports the tax invoice. A FIRA or FIRC is the bank note that the foreign money arrived. Keep the same invoice number, date, currency, amount, and SAC code on all three so they match.
Which SAC code goes on the EDF form?
Use the Service Accounting Code that matches the service on your invoice. The same code should appear on the EDF and, if you are registered for GST, on the export invoice. A purpose code on the bank remittance advice is a separate label for the inward payment.
What is EDPMS?
EDPMS is the Export Data Processing and Monitoring System. After you submit an EDF, your bank enters it there within five working days. The entry stays open until the bank closes it against the payment you receive. For a service invoice up to ₹10 lakh, the bank may close the entry on your declaration.
Is the EDF part of my income-tax or GST return?
The EDF is the export declaration under the foreign-exchange rules. File it with your bank. Your income-tax return and your GST return stay separate filings.
Does Free EDF have an EDF phone number?
Free EDF does not run a filing helpline. Contact the bank that receives your export payment and ask which desk accepts the EDF form.
Is Free EDF a government website?
Free EDF is a private guide for preparing an EDF form online. Your bank accepts the Export Declaration Form. This website does not.
Sources
Deadlines, form fields, and the ₹10 lakh close-out on this page follow the documents below. Open the original before you file. Your bank’s published procedure controls the cover sheet and the desk that accepts it.
Source 1
Reserve Bank of India
Notification No. FEMA 23(R)/2026-RB, 13 January 2026, amended up to 22 September 2026. In force from 1 October 2026. This is the amended text of the EDF rules.
Source 2
Gazette publication of the 2026 regulations (opens in a new tab)
Reserve Bank of India
Official Gazette, Extraordinary, Part III, Section 4, 15 January 2026.
Source 3
Reserve Bank of India
Notification No. FEMA 23(R)/(1)/2026-RB, 22 September 2026. Sets realisation at nine months, or twelve months when invoiced or settled in rupees.
Source 4
Export Declaration Form (annex) (opens in a new tab)
Reserve Bank of India
The blank EDF form published with the regulations. Part 2B is the section for services.
Source 5
eBRC generation rules (opens in a new tab)
Directorate General of Foreign Trade
Self-certification rules for matching an inward remittance to an invoice, including which purpose codes can be used for service exports.
Source 6
Exporter manual for self-certified eBRC (opens in a new tab)
Directorate General of Foreign Trade
How an exporter reviews inward remittances and generates an eBRC for goods or for services (IT or non-IT).