KharchapatraKharchapatra
Blog · खर्चपत्र

Money, in Nepali.

Tips and stories for navigating personal finance in Nepal — statement imports, fiscal-year budgeting in BS, tax slabs, and the little spreadsheet hacks we wish we'd known sooner.

  • 9 min read

    Your bank account went dormant. Here's how to reactivate it in Nepal.

    Why a Nepali savings account goes dormant after 3 years of no transactions, the free reactivation steps, and what happens to money nobody claims for 20 years.

    GuideNepalBankingDormant AccountNRBKYC
    Read post
  • 11 min read

    Earn in dollars, retire in Nepal: the geographic-arbitrage math

    A USD 280,000 corpus is lean in America but comfortable in Kathmandu. The geographic-arbitrage FIRE math for Nepalis earning abroad — plus the tax traps.

    GuideNepalFIRERetirementNRNRemittance
    Read post
  • 10 min read

    What does it cost to pass a building plan (naksha) in Kathmandu?

    Kathmandu's building-permit fee is about Rs 25/sq ft, but the design fee is the real cost. The full naksha-pass breakdown — fees, documents, and timeline.

    GuideNepalKathmanduReal EstateHome ConstructionBuilding Permit
    Read post
  • 10 min read

    Can a Nepali resident legally buy US stocks? The 2082/83 rules

    Can a Nepali resident legally open Interactive Brokers and buy Apple or Tesla shares? What the Investment Abroad Act and NRB rules actually allow in 2082/83.

    GuideNepalInvestingNRBUS StocksLegal
    Read post
  • 9 min read

    Forex card vs cash vs international debit card for travel from Nepal

    How much foreign cash you can take abroad from Nepal, why your debit card mostly won't work, and whether a forex travel card or cash is cheaper for a trip.

    GuideNepalTravelForexNRBBanking
    Read post
  • 10 min read

    Fake share-tip Telegram groups and pump-and-dump in NEPSE

    How paid Telegram and Viber stock-tip groups and pump-and-dump operators work in NEPSE, what Nepal's Securities Act actually punishes, and how to spot the trap.

    GuideNepalNEPSEInvestingScamSEBON
    Read post
  • 10 min read

    Turnover tax vs regular tax: how small businesses are taxed in Nepal (D-01)

    How a small business or sole proprietor is taxed in Nepal: the flat D-01 presumptive tax, D-02 turnover rates, and when you must keep books and pay regular tax.

    GuideNepalTaxSmall BusinessIRDVAT
    Read post
  • 8 min read

    What is ASBA and how IPO money gets blocked in your bank account

    ASBA blocks your IPO money in your own bank account instead of taking it. How the block works, what you need to apply, and what happens when the lottery runs.

    GuideNepalNEPSEIPOASBAInvesting
    Read post
  • 8 min read

    Why the dollar rate moves in Nepal: how NRB sets the exchange rate

    Nepal pegs the rupee to India at 1.60, but the dollar floats. How NRB derives the daily USD rate, why it keeps hitting records, and what you actually pay.

    GuideNepalNRBForexRemittance
    Read post
  • 8 min read

    How NEPSE dividends are taxed in Nepal: the 5% you never see

    Every NEPSE dividend, cash or bonus, is taxed 5% at source before it reaches you. How the final withholding works, how it differs from CGT, and what you net.

    GuideNepalNEPSETaxDividendInvesting
    Read post
  • 11 min read

    How to withdraw your CIT or PF balance in Nepal

    Cashing out your EPF or CIT balance in Nepal: the conditions to withdraw, the documents, the portals, and the 5% retirement tax that tops off a big lump sum.

    GuideNepalRetirementPFCITTax
    Read post
  • 9 min read

    Tax on agricultural and farm income in Nepal: what's exempt and what isn't

    Farm income is exempt from federal income tax in Nepal, with two catches: land above the ceiling, and agriculture run as a registered company (50% rebate).

    GuideNepalTaxAgricultureIncomeIRD
    Read post
  • 9 min read

    Does Nepal have a credit score? CIB, your report, and how lenders judge you

    Nepal has a 60–960 credit score through CIB, but the CIBIL-style consumer score is still being built. How lenders judge you, and how to read your own report.

    GuideNepalBankingCreditCIBLoans
    Read post
  • 9 min read

    eSewa vs Khalti vs IME Pay: which wallet wins for what in Nepal?

    Khalti and IME Pay merged in 2025, so it is really eSewa vs Khalti by IME now. The limits, fees, cashback, and interest that actually separate Nepal's wallets.

    GuideNepalDigital MoneyeSewaKhaltiIME Pay
    Read post
  • 10 min read

    Where Rs 5 lakh would be today: land vs NEPSE vs gold vs FD (10-year look-back)

    Rs 5 lakh invested in 2016 in land, NEPSE, gold, or an FD: what each is worth in 2026, with the CAGR, the taxes, and the catch the headline numbers hide.

    GuideNepalInvestingGoldNEPSEReal Estate
    Read post
  • 8 min read

    Loan processing fees and hidden charges in Nepal: the real cost of borrowing

    The 0.75% service fee NRB caps, plus valuation, CIB, insurance, penal interest, and swap charges that turn an advertised rate into the real cost of a loan.

    GuideNepalLoansBorrowingBankingHome Loan
    Read post
  • 13 min read

    The real cost of having a baby in Kathmandu: delivery to first year

    What a baby costs in Kathmandu from first scan to first birthday: free public delivery vs Rs 1–2 lakh private C-sections, vaccines, diapers, and lost-leave pay.

    GuideNepalFamilyHealthcareBudgetPregnancy
    Read post
  • 10 min read

    How much customs duty to bring a phone or laptop into Nepal

    What it costs to bring a phone or laptop into Nepal: the ~18.65% tax, the one-phone duty-free rule, MDMS registration, and the FY 2083/84 green tax.

    GuideNepalTaxCustomsTechImport
    Read post
  • 11 min read

    SIP vs lump sum in Nepali mutual funds: which actually builds more

    SIP or lump sum into a Nepali mutual fund? The global evidence, NEPSE's volatility, and a worked rupee example showing when each one builds more.

    GuideNepalSIPMutual FundInvestingNEPSE
    Read post
  • 11 min read

    FD rates have fallen across Nepal: where do you actually park money now?

    Bank FD rates in Nepal have slid from ~11% to about 4%, and the real return after tax and inflation is now negative. Where your money can actually keep up.

    GuideNepalSavingBankingInvesting
    Read post
  • 8 min read

    Gold just hit record highs: what to weigh before you buy a tola now

    Gold hit Rs 339,300 a tola in Nepal in early 2026. Before you buy at a record, the making-charge spread, taxes, and peak risk that decide what it really costs.

    GuideNepalInvestingGoldSaving
    Read post
  • 7 min read

    What inflation is quietly doing to your Rs 50,000 salary in 2083

    Inflation in Nepal looks tame at 2-3% a year, but it compounded to about 17% over four years. What that does to a Rs 50,000 salary that never got a raise.

    GuideNepalIncomeInflationSalary
    Read post
  • 8 min read

    NEPSE near record highs: how to judge if the market is expensive

    NEPSE's valuations sit near record highs even with the index below its 2021 peak. How to read P/E, market-cap-to-GDP, and dividend yield to judge it.

    GuideNepalInvestingNEPSEShares
    Read post
  • 8 min read

    A Kathmandu grocery basket in 2083 vs 2080: what the same Rs 5,000 buys now

    Cooking gas up 20%, fuel up a quarter, oil and meat sharply higher, sugar and vegetables flat. What the same Rs 5,000 grocery run buys in Kathmandu now vs 2080.

    GuideNepalSavingBudgetingCost of Living
    Read post