{"id":2673,"date":"2026-10-24T15:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-10-24T09:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.remitcircle.com\/?p=2673"},"modified":"2026-10-23T13:42:51","modified_gmt":"2026-10-23T08:12:51","slug":"rbi-purpose-code-by-profession-which-code-applies-to-your-work","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.remitcircle.com\/education\/rbi-purpose-code-by-profession-which-code-applies-to-your-work\/","title":{"rendered":"RBI Purpose Code by Profession: Which Code Applies to Your Work?"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"2673\" class=\"elementor elementor-2673\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-600355a8 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"600355a8\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6dbe04df elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"6dbe04df\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2><b>The short answer<\/b><\/h2><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Your RBI purpose code by profession depends on <\/span><b>what you actually deliver<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, not your job title. Most service exporters fall into a handful of codes:<\/span><\/p><ul><li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span><b>Software developers:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> P0802<\/span><\/li><li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span><b>SaaS and off-site software exports:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> P0807<\/span><\/li><li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span><b>Management consultants:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> P1006<\/span><\/li><li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span><b>Accountants and auditors:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> P1005 (tax advisory work: P1015)<\/span><\/li><li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span><b>Lawyers:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> P1004<\/span><\/li><li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span><b>Engineers:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> P1014<\/span><\/li><li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span><b>Writers, editors and copywriters:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> P1017<\/span><\/li><li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span><b>Video editors:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> P1101<\/span><\/li><li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span><b>Work that fits nowhere else:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> P1099<\/span><\/li><\/ul><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The full lookup table is below, followed by a section for each profession.<\/span><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><b>Key takeaways<\/b><\/p><ul><li><b>Codes starting with P are for money coming in.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Codes starting with S are for money going out. Don&#8217;t mix them up.<\/span><\/li><li><b>Pick by the service on your invoice,<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> not by your title. A &#8220;consultant&#8221; writing code is a software exporter.<\/span><\/li><li><b>Watch out for old lists.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> An older version of the code list still circulates online, and several codes mean different things in it.<\/span><\/li><li><b>The catch-all is P1099,<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> not P1019. In the current list, P1019 means commission agent services.<\/span><\/li><li><b>When in doubt, ask your bank.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Your AD bank&#8217;s list is the one that counts for your payment.<\/span><\/li><\/ul><h2><b>What is a purpose code? (in plain terms)<\/b><\/h2><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A <\/span><b>purpose code<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is a short code that tells RBI why foreign money entered India. Every inward payment carries one. Your <\/span><b>AD bank<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (Authorised Dealer bank, the bank that handles your foreign exchange receipts) reports it to RBI, and it appears on the <\/span><b>FIRA<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (Foreign Inward Remittance Advice, the proof your bank or payment provider issues for each foreign payment).<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Codes come in two families. <\/span><b>P codes<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> cover inward money; <\/span><b>S codes<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> cover outward money. The numbers don&#8217;t always line up between the two, especially in the business services group, so never copy an S code onto an inward payment.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Why it matters: the purpose code is how your payment is classified. When it matches the service on your invoice, your FIRA, your export records and your tax records all tell the same story. When it doesn&#8217;t, you can end up answering questions from your bank or your CA about why they disagree.<\/span><\/p><h2><b>Purpose code lookup table: find your profession<\/b><\/h2><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Find the row closest to the work you invoice. The &#8220;don&#8217;t confuse with&#8221; column lists the neighbouring codes people most often pick by mistake.<\/span><\/p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><b>Your work<\/b><\/p><\/td><td><p><b>Purpose code<\/b><\/p><\/td><td><p><b>Don&#8217;t confuse with<\/b><\/p><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Software development, custom builds, IT consulting<\/span><\/p><\/td><td><p><b>P0802<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Software consultancy \/ implementation<\/span><\/p><\/td><td><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">P0807 (off-site software exports), P0804 (repair and maintenance), P0803 (data processing)<\/span><\/p><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">SaaS products, off-site software exports<\/span><\/p><\/td><td><p><b>P0807<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Off-site software exports<\/span><\/p><\/td><td><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">P0802 (custom software work), P0806 (subscriptions to newspapers and periodicals)<\/span><\/p><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Management and business consulting, PR<\/span><\/p><\/td><td><p><b>P1006<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Business and management consultancy and PR<\/span><\/p><\/td><td><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">P0802 (IT consulting), P1016 (market research)<\/span><\/p><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">SEO, digital marketing, ad campaigns<\/span><\/p><\/td><td><p><b>P1007<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Advertising, trade fair service<\/span><\/p><\/td><td><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">P1016 (market research), P1006 (PR), P0802 (website development)<\/span><\/p><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Accounting, audit, bookkeeping (CAs)<\/span><\/p><\/td><td><p><b>P1005<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Accounting, auditing, book keeping<\/span><\/p><\/td><td><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">P1015 (tax consulting), P1006 (business advisory)<\/span><\/p><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Tax advisory and return filing (CAs)<\/span><\/p><\/td><td><p><b>P1015<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Tax consulting services<\/span><\/p><\/td><td><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">P1005 (accounting and audit), P1004 (legal)<\/span><\/p><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Engineering services<\/span><\/p><\/td><td><p><b>P1014<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Engineering services<\/span><\/p><\/td><td><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">P1009 (architectural), P1022 (other technical services)<\/span><\/p><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Legal services<\/span><\/p><\/td><td><p><b>P1004<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Legal services<\/span><\/p><\/td><td><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">P1015 (tax consulting), P1006 (consultancy)<\/span><\/p><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Writing, editing, copywriting, publishing<\/span><\/p><\/td><td><p><b>P1017<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Publishing and printing services<\/span><\/p><\/td><td><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">P0902 (licensing of manuscripts and originals), P1099 (other services)<\/span><\/p><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Video editing and production<\/span><\/p><\/td><td><p><b>P1101<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Audio-visual and related services<\/span><\/p><\/td><td><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">P1103 (radio and TV), P0902 (licensing of films), P1007 (ad campaigns)<\/span><\/p><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Design (no dedicated code)<\/span><\/p><\/td><td><p><b>P1099<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Other services not included elsewhere<\/span><\/p><\/td><td><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">P1007 (ad creative), P0802 (design inside a software build)<\/span><\/p><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Physical goods exports<\/span><\/p><\/td><td><p><b>P0102<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Realisation of goods export bills (and related P01 codes)<\/span><\/p><\/td><td><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">P0103 (advance against export), P0101 (bills negotiated or discounted)<\/span><\/p><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><h2><b>Software developers: P0802<\/b><\/h2><p><b>Use P0802<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (&#8220;software consultancy\/implementation&#8221;) if you build, customise or implement software for a foreign client: web and app development, custom integrations, IT consulting, DevOps work billed as a project.<\/span><\/p><p><b>Don&#8217;t confuse with:<\/b><\/p><ul><li><b>P0807<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (off-site software exports), which fits software products delivered and used remotely, such as SaaS. More on this below.<\/span><\/li><li><b>P0804<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (repair and maintenance of computers and software), which can fit a pure maintenance or bug-fix retainer. If your contract is mostly support, ask your bank which it prefers.<\/span><\/li><li><b>P0803<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (database and data processing charges), which is for data processing work, not software development.<\/span><\/li><\/ul><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Note the wording: P0802 covers work &#8220;other than those covered in SOFTEX form&#8221;. Companies that report software exports through the formal software export declaration route may be steered to P0807 instead, so check with your bank if that applies to you.<\/span><\/p><h2><b>SaaS companies and off-site software exports: P0807<\/b><\/h2><p><b>Use P0807<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (&#8220;off-site software exports&#8221;) when the software is delivered from India and used remotely by the client: SaaS subscriptions, licensed software products, software exported online.<\/span><\/p><p><b>Don&#8217;t confuse with:<\/b><\/p><ul><li><b>P0802<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, which is for custom software work done for a specific client. If you sell a product and also do paid implementation, the two can sit under different codes.<\/span><\/li><li><b>P0806<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, which reads &#8220;other information services&#8221; and sounds like it might fit online products. It actually covers subscriptions to newspapers and periodicals.<\/span><\/li><\/ul><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">SaaS is where banks differ most in practice. Some report subscription receipts under P0807, others under P0802. Agree the code with your AD bank once and use it consistently.<\/span><\/p><h2><b>Management consultants: P1006<\/b><\/h2><p><b>Use P1006<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (&#8220;business and management consultancy and public relations services&#8221;) for strategy, operations, management advisory and PR work.<\/span><\/p><p><b>Don&#8217;t confuse with:<\/b><\/p><ul><li><b>P0802<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, if your &#8220;consulting&#8221; is really IT or software consulting. Technical advice on software belongs with software.<\/span><\/li><li><b>P1016<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (market research and public opinion polling), if the deliverable is research, surveys or polling rather than advice.<\/span><\/li><\/ul><h2><b>SEO and digital marketing: P1007<\/b><\/h2><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There is no code that says &#8220;SEO&#8221; or &#8220;digital marketing&#8221;. The closest fit for most marketing work is <\/span><b>P1007<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (&#8220;advertising, trade fair service&#8221;), which covers advertising and promotion.<\/span><\/p><p><b>Don&#8217;t confuse with:<\/b><\/p><ul><li><b>P1016<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (market research and public opinion polling), if your deliverable is mainly research, audits or competitor analysis.<\/span><\/li><li><b>P1006<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, if the work is really PR or brand advisory.<\/span><\/li><li><b>P0802<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, if the bulk of the invoice is building or developing the website itself.<\/span><\/li><\/ul><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Because there&#8217;s no exact match, this is a judgement call. Pick the code closest to what the invoice actually describes and confirm it with your bank.<\/span><\/p><h2><b>Chartered accountants: P1005 or P1015<\/b><\/h2><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the current list, accounting and tax advice sit under <\/span><b>two separate codes<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">:<\/span><\/p><ul><li><b>P1005<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (&#8220;accounting, auditing, book keeping services&#8221;) for bookkeeping, audits and accounts preparation.<\/span><\/li><li><b>P1015<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (&#8220;tax consulting services&#8221;) for tax advisory and help filing returns.<\/span><\/li><\/ul><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Older versions of the list combined these into one code, which is why you&#8217;ll still see P1005 described as covering tax consulting. If you do both for a client, use the code that matches the main service on that invoice.<\/span><\/p><p><b>Also don&#8217;t confuse with P1006,<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> which is business advisory rather than accounting.<\/span><\/p><h2><b>Engineers: P1014<\/b><\/h2><p><b>Use P1014<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (&#8220;engineering services&#8221;) for engineering design, consulting and technical engineering work.<\/span><\/p><p><b>Don&#8217;t confuse with:<\/b><\/p><ul><li><b>P1009<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, which is now &#8220;architectural services&#8221; only. Older lists described it as architectural, engineering and other technical services together.<\/span><\/li><li><b>P1022<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (&#8220;other technical services including scientific\/space services&#8221;) for technical work that isn&#8217;t engineering as such.<\/span><\/li><li><b>P0802 or P0801<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, if you&#8217;re a software or hardware engineer. Those belong with IT, not engineering services.<\/span><\/li><\/ul><h2><b>Lawyers: P1004<\/b><\/h2><p><b>Use P1004<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (&#8220;legal services&#8221;) for legal advice, drafting, documentation and representation.<\/span><\/p><p><b>Don&#8217;t confuse with P1015<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (tax consulting) if your work is purely tax advisory, or <\/span><b>P1006<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> if it&#8217;s general business advice rather than legal work.<\/span><\/p><h2><b>Editors: P1017 for publishing, P1101 for video<\/b><\/h2><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8220;Editor&#8221; covers two very different jobs, and each has its own code.<\/span><\/p><p><b>Writing, editing and publishing: P1017<\/b><\/p><p><b>Use P1017<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (&#8220;publishing and printing services&#8221;) if you write, edit, copywrite or publish. It&#8217;s the closest fit for authors, writers, editors and copywriters.<\/span><\/p><ul><li><b>Don&#8217;t confuse with P0902,<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> which covers receipts for licensing originals such as manuscripts. That&#8217;s for royalties on work you own, not fees for editing someone else&#8217;s.<\/span><\/li><li><b>Don&#8217;t confuse with P1099,<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> the catch-all, which you shouldn&#8217;t need if P1017 fits.<\/span><\/li><\/ul><p><b>Video editing and production: P1101<\/b><\/p><p><b>Use P1101<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (&#8220;audio-visual and related services&#8221;) for video editing, production and post-production work.<\/span><\/p><ul><li><b>Don&#8217;t confuse with P1103<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (radio and television production, distribution and transmission), which is for broadcast work.<\/span><\/li><li><b>Don&#8217;t confuse with P0902,<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> which is for licensing produced films rather than editing them.<\/span><\/li><li><b>P1007<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> may fit better if the video is part of an advertising campaign you&#8217;re running for the client.<\/span><\/li><\/ul><h2><b>Designers and anything else: P1099<\/b><\/h2><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Some professions, design included, have no dedicated code. For these, the catch-all is <\/span><b>P1099<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (&#8220;other services not included elsewhere&#8221;).<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Two traps here:<\/span><\/p><ul><li><b>P1019 is not the catch-all any more.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> In the current list it means commission agent services. Old lists used P1019 as &#8220;other services&#8221;, and that version still circulates.<\/span><\/li><li><b>P0806 is not a design code.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> It&#8217;s sometimes suggested for creative work, but it covers newspaper and periodical subscriptions.<\/span><\/li><\/ul><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If your design work is part of an ad campaign, P1007 may fit. If it&#8217;s part of a software build, it can follow the software under P0802.<\/span><\/p><h2><b>Goods exporters: the P01 codes<\/b><\/h2><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Physical goods use their own group of codes, separate from services. The right one depends on how the payment arrives:<\/span><\/p><ul><li><b>P0102:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> realisation of goods export bills sent on collection, at full invoice value.<\/span><\/li><li><b>P0101:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> export bills negotiated, purchased or discounted by the bank.<\/span><\/li><li><b>P0103:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> advance received before shipping, against an export contract.<\/span><\/li><\/ul><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Goods exports have their own documentation and bank processes, so your bank usually guides the code based on how the bill was handled.<\/span><\/p><h2><b>Doing more than one kind of work?<\/b><\/h2><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Many freelancers and agencies do mixed work: a developer who also designs, a CA who also advises on tax, an agency that builds sites and runs ads. Three questions help:<\/span><\/p><ul><li><b>What does the invoice describe?<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> The code should match the main service billed on that invoice.<\/span><\/li><li><b>Can you split it?<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> If one client buys two clearly different services, separate invoices can carry separate codes.<\/span><\/li><li><b>Are you consistent?<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Use the same code for the same kind of work every time, so your records line up.<\/span><\/li><\/ul><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And one more: if you&#8217;re an employee of a foreign company receiving a salary, that&#8217;s not a service export at all. Salary has its own code (P1401, compensation of employees).<\/span><\/p><h2><b>Common purpose code mistakes<\/b><\/h2><ul><li><b>Using an old list.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Several codes changed meaning between versions: engineering moved to P1014, tax consulting to P1015, and the catch-all to P1099.<\/span><\/li><li><b>Choosing by title, not by work.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> A &#8220;consultant&#8221; who writes code is doing software work.<\/span><\/li><li><b>Using an S code for money coming in.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> S codes are for outward payments.<\/span><\/li><li><b>Defaulting to the catch-all.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> P1099 is for work that genuinely fits nowhere else, not a shortcut.<\/span><\/li><li><b>Changing codes for the same work.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Inconsistency is what makes records hard to reconcile.<\/span><\/li><\/ul>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-575ac2b e-con e-atomic-element e-flexbox-base e-default-div e-ea9dd2d \" data-id=\"575ac2b\" data-element_type=\"e-flexbox\" data-e-type=\"e-flexbox\" data-interaction-id=\"575ac2b\">\n    <div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-29d7c8c e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"29d7c8c\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-93fe296 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"93fe296\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2><b style=\"font-size: 16px;\">Collecting from several overseas clients each month?<\/b><\/h2><p>Remit Circle issues a FIRA for every payment you receive, so the records behind each EDF row are in one place when your bank asks. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.remitcircle.com\/authentication\/signup\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Get started with Remit Circle<\/a><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-f168948 e-con e-atomic-element e-flexbox-base e-default-div e-6326b2b \" data-id=\"f168948\" data-element_type=\"e-flexbox\" data-e-type=\"e-flexbox\" data-interaction-id=\"f168948\">\n    <div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0afc9c1 e-con e-atomic-element e-flexbox-base e-default-div e-0afc9c1-06c57df \" data-id=\"0afc9c1\" data-element_type=\"e-flexbox\" data-e-type=\"e-flexbox\" data-interaction-id=\"0afc9c1\">\n    <div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c4367e3 e-con e-atomic-element e-flexbox-base e-default-div e-c4367e3-5dc3bb1 \" data-id=\"c4367e3\" data-element_type=\"e-flexbox\" data-e-type=\"e-flexbox\" data-interaction-id=\"c4367e3\">\n    <div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c96135b e-con e-atomic-element e-flexbox-base e-default-div e-c96135b-05157b2 \" data-id=\"c96135b\" data-element_type=\"e-flexbox\" data-e-type=\"e-flexbox\" data-interaction-id=\"c96135b\">\n    \t\t\t<h2 data-interaction-id=\"e3dc388\" class=\"e-e3dc388-b60c0b9 e-heading-base e-default-h2\"><strong>Frequently Asked Questions<\/strong><br><\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7478a37 elementor-widget elementor-widget-n-accordion\" data-id=\"7478a37\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;n_accordion_animation_duration&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;ms&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:200,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]},&quot;default_state&quot;:&quot;expanded&quot;,&quot;max_items_expended&quot;:&quot;one&quot;}\" data-widget_type=\"nested-accordion.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-n-accordion\" aria-label=\"Accordion. Open links with Enter or Space, close with Escape, and navigate with Arrow Keys\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<details id=\"e-n-accordion-item-1220\" class=\"e-n-accordion-item\" open>\n\t\t\t\t<summary class=\"e-n-accordion-item-title\" data-accordion-index=\"1\" tabindex=\"0\" aria-expanded=\"true\" aria-controls=\"e-n-accordion-item-1220\" >\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class='e-n-accordion-item-title-header'><div class=\"e-n-accordion-item-title-text\"> What is the purpose code for a freelancer? <\/div><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='e-n-accordion-item-title-icon'>\n\t\t\t<span class='e-opened' ><svg aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"e-font-icon-svg e-fas-minus\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M416 208H32c-17.67 0-32 14.33-32 32v32c0 17.67 14.33 32 32 32h384c17.67 0 32-14.33 32-32v-32c0-17.67-14.33-32-32-32z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class='e-closed'><svg aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"e-font-icon-svg e-fas-plus\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M416 208H272V64c0-17.67-14.33-32-32-32h-32c-17.67 0-32 14.33-32 32v144H32c-17.67 0-32 14.33-32 32v32c0 17.67 14.33 32 32 32h144v144c0 17.67 14.33 32 32 32h32c17.67 0 32-14.33 32-32V304h144c17.67 0 32-14.33 32-32v-32c0-17.67-14.33-32-32-32z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span>\n\t\t<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/summary>\n\t\t\t\t<div role=\"region\" aria-labelledby=\"e-n-accordion-item-1220\" class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-554769f e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"554769f\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"e-paragraph-base e-default-p\" data-interaction-id=\"9de2ec4\">There's no single freelancer code. It depends on the service: P0802 for software development, P1007 for marketing, P1017 for writing and editing, P1101 for video editing, P1005 or P1015 for accounting and tax work, and P1099 for services with no dedicated code.<br><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/details>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<details id=\"e-n-accordion-item-1221\" class=\"e-n-accordion-item\" >\n\t\t\t\t<summary class=\"e-n-accordion-item-title\" data-accordion-index=\"2\" tabindex=\"-1\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-controls=\"e-n-accordion-item-1221\" >\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class='e-n-accordion-item-title-header'><div class=\"e-n-accordion-item-title-text\"> What is the purpose code for a software developer? <\/div><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='e-n-accordion-item-title-icon'>\n\t\t\t<span class='e-opened' ><svg aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"e-font-icon-svg e-fas-minus\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M416 208H32c-17.67 0-32 14.33-32 32v32c0 17.67 14.33 32 32 32h384c17.67 0 32-14.33 32-32v-32c0-17.67-14.33-32-32-32z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class='e-closed'><svg aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"e-font-icon-svg e-fas-plus\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M416 208H272V64c0-17.67-14.33-32-32-32h-32c-17.67 0-32 14.33-32 32v144H32c-17.67 0-32 14.33-32 32v32c0 17.67 14.33 32 32 32h144v144c0 17.67 14.33 32 32 32h32c17.67 0 32-14.33 32-32V304h144c17.67 0 32-14.33 32-32v-32c0-17.67-14.33-32-32-32z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span>\n\t\t<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/summary>\n\t\t\t\t<div role=\"region\" aria-labelledby=\"e-n-accordion-item-1221\" class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-438a416 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"438a416\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"e-paragraph-base e-default-p\" data-interaction-id=\"07e8639\">P0802 (software consultancy\/implementation) for custom development and IT consulting. If you sell a software product or SaaS delivered remotely, P0807 (off-site software exports) is usually the closer fit.<br><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/details>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<details id=\"e-n-accordion-item-1222\" class=\"e-n-accordion-item\" >\n\t\t\t\t<summary class=\"e-n-accordion-item-title\" data-accordion-index=\"3\" tabindex=\"-1\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-controls=\"e-n-accordion-item-1222\" >\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class='e-n-accordion-item-title-header'><div class=\"e-n-accordion-item-title-text\"> What is the purpose code for a consultant? <\/div><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='e-n-accordion-item-title-icon'>\n\t\t\t<span class='e-opened' ><svg aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"e-font-icon-svg e-fas-minus\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M416 208H32c-17.67 0-32 14.33-32 32v32c0 17.67 14.33 32 32 32h384c17.67 0 32-14.33 32-32v-32c0-17.67-14.33-32-32-32z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class='e-closed'><svg aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"e-font-icon-svg e-fas-plus\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M416 208H272V64c0-17.67-14.33-32-32-32h-32c-17.67 0-32 14.33-32 32v144H32c-17.67 0-32 14.33-32 32v32c0 17.67 14.33 32 32 32h144v144c0 17.67 14.33 32 32 32h32c17.67 0 32-14.33 32-32V304h144c17.67 0 32-14.33 32-32v-32c0-17.67-14.33-32-32-32z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span>\n\t\t<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/summary>\n\t\t\t\t<div role=\"region\" aria-labelledby=\"e-n-accordion-item-1222\" class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-fdc8de4 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"fdc8de4\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"e-paragraph-base e-default-p\" data-interaction-id=\"2145d8d\">P1006 for business and management consulting and PR. IT or software consulting goes under P0802, and tax advisory under P1015.<br><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/details>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<details id=\"e-n-accordion-item-1223\" class=\"e-n-accordion-item\" >\n\t\t\t\t<summary class=\"e-n-accordion-item-title\" data-accordion-index=\"4\" tabindex=\"-1\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-controls=\"e-n-accordion-item-1223\" >\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class='e-n-accordion-item-title-header'><div class=\"e-n-accordion-item-title-text\"> Is P1019 the code for \"other services\"? <\/div><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='e-n-accordion-item-title-icon'>\n\t\t\t<span class='e-opened' ><svg aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"e-font-icon-svg e-fas-minus\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M416 208H32c-17.67 0-32 14.33-32 32v32c0 17.67 14.33 32 32 32h384c17.67 0 32-14.33 32-32v-32c0-17.67-14.33-32-32-32z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class='e-closed'><svg aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"e-font-icon-svg e-fas-plus\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M416 208H272V64c0-17.67-14.33-32-32-32h-32c-17.67 0-32 14.33-32 32v144H32c-17.67 0-32 14.33-32 32v32c0 17.67 14.33 32 32 32h144v144c0 17.67 14.33 32 32 32h32c17.67 0 32-14.33 32-32V304h144c17.67 0 32-14.33 32-32v-32c0-17.67-14.33-32-32-32z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span>\n\t\t<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/summary>\n\t\t\t\t<div role=\"region\" aria-labelledby=\"e-n-accordion-item-1223\" class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3eb038e e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"3eb038e\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"e-paragraph-base e-default-p\" data-interaction-id=\"320f68b\">Not in the current list. P1019 now means commission agent services. The catch-all for other services is P1099. Older lists that show P1019 as \"other services\" are out of date.<br><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/details>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<details id=\"e-n-accordion-item-1224\" class=\"e-n-accordion-item\" >\n\t\t\t\t<summary class=\"e-n-accordion-item-title\" data-accordion-index=\"5\" tabindex=\"-1\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-controls=\"e-n-accordion-item-1224\" >\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class='e-n-accordion-item-title-header'><div class=\"e-n-accordion-item-title-text\"> What is the difference between P codes and S codes? <\/div><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='e-n-accordion-item-title-icon'>\n\t\t\t<span class='e-opened' ><svg aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"e-font-icon-svg e-fas-minus\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M416 208H32c-17.67 0-32 14.33-32 32v32c0 17.67 14.33 32 32 32h384c17.67 0 32-14.33 32-32v-32c0-17.67-14.33-32-32-32z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class='e-closed'><svg aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"e-font-icon-svg e-fas-plus\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M416 208H272V64c0-17.67-14.33-32-32-32h-32c-17.67 0-32 14.33-32 32v144H32c-17.67 0-32 14.33-32 32v32c0 17.67 14.33 32 32 32h144v144c0 17.67 14.33 32 32 32h32c17.67 0 32-14.33 32-32V304h144c17.67 0 32-14.33 32-32v-32c0-17.67-14.33-32-32-32z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span>\n\t\t<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/summary>\n\t\t\t\t<div role=\"region\" aria-labelledby=\"e-n-accordion-item-1224\" class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-787531d e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"787531d\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"e-paragraph-base e-default-p\" data-interaction-id=\"e826389\">P codes classify money received from abroad. S codes classify money sent abroad. The two numbering systems don't always match, so always use a P code for inward payments.<br><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/details>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<details id=\"e-n-accordion-item-1225\" class=\"e-n-accordion-item\" >\n\t\t\t\t<summary class=\"e-n-accordion-item-title\" data-accordion-index=\"6\" tabindex=\"-1\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-controls=\"e-n-accordion-item-1225\" >\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class='e-n-accordion-item-title-header'><div class=\"e-n-accordion-item-title-text\"> Who decides my purpose code, me or my bank? <\/div><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='e-n-accordion-item-title-icon'>\n\t\t\t<span class='e-opened' ><svg aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"e-font-icon-svg e-fas-minus\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M416 208H32c-17.67 0-32 14.33-32 32v32c0 17.67 14.33 32 32 32h384c17.67 0 32-14.33 32-32v-32c0-17.67-14.33-32-32-32z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class='e-closed'><svg aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"e-font-icon-svg e-fas-plus\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M416 208H272V64c0-17.67-14.33-32-32-32h-32c-17.67 0-32 14.33-32 32v144H32c-17.67 0-32 14.33-32 32v32c0 17.67 14.33 32 32 32h144v144c0 17.67 14.33 32 32 32h32c17.67 0 32-14.33 32-32V304h144c17.67 0 32-14.33 32-32v-32c0-17.67-14.33-32-32-32z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span>\n\t\t<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/summary>\n\t\t\t\t<div role=\"region\" aria-labelledby=\"e-n-accordion-item-1225\" class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-44c70ce e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"44c70ce\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"e-paragraph-base e-default-p\" data-interaction-id=\"8de36c2\">You know what you're being paid for, so you should tell your bank the right code. Your AD bank reports it to RBI and may question a code that doesn't match the transaction. If you're unsure, agree the code with your bank or CA once and use it consistently.<br><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/details>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Developer, consultant, CA, SEO specialist or editor?\n Find the RBI purpose code by profession, plus the look-alike codes to avoid, in one lookup table.","protected":false},"author":260895650,"featured_media":2676,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_wpcom_ai_launchpad_first_post":false,"csco_display_header_overlay":false,"csco_singular_sidebar":"","csco_page_header_type":"","csco_page_load_nextpost":"","csco_page_reading_time":"","csco_page_toc_navigation":"","csco_post_video_location":[],"csco_post_video_location_hash":"","csco_post_video_url":"","csco_post_video_bg_start_time":0,"csco_post_video_bg_end_time":0,"csco_post_video_bg_volume":false,"_jetpack_hide_featured_image":false,"_jetpack_featured_image_duplicate_dismissed":0,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1387],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2673","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-education","cs-entry","cs-video-wrap"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/phhXOC-H7","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.remitcircle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/RBI-Purpose-code-by-profession-1.png?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.remitcircle.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2673","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.remitcircle.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.remitcircle.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.remitcircle.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/260895650"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.remitcircle.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2673"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/blog.remitcircle.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2673\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2694,"href":"https:\/\/blog.remitcircle.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2673\/revisions\/2694"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.remitcircle.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2676"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.remitcircle.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2673"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.remitcircle.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2673"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.remitcircle.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2673"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}