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SOFTEX is gone: software exporters now file the EDF

From 1 October 2026 there is no SOFTEX form. Software and IT service exporters declare their exports on the Export Declaration Form (EDF), the same form every service exporter now files, once a month, with their bank.

Last updated 05 Oct 2026 · Not legal or tax advice

What changed on 1 October 2026

  • The Foreign Exchange Management (Export and Import of Goods and Services) Regulations, 2026 (FEMA 23(R)/2026-RB, Reg. 3(2)) came into force and replaced the 2015 export regulations.
  • RBI's A.P. (DIR Series) Circular No. 20 (16 January 2026) withdrew the Master Direction on exports and every SOFTEX circular from the same date. SOFTEX was folded into the EDF.
  • Services other than software, which used to need no declaration at all, now file the EDF too.
  • The period to receive payment is now 9 months from the invoice date (12 if invoiced in rupees), after the 22 September 2026 amendment (FEMA 23(R)/2026-RB, Reg. 5(1) as amended by FEMA 23(R)/(1)/2026-RB).

What software exporters file now

From 1 October 2026
Form Export Declaration Form (EDF), the Annex to FEMA 23(R)/2026-RB
How often One EDF can cover all of a month's export invoices
Deadline Within 30 days from the end of the month in which the invoice was raised
Filed with Your AD Category-I bank, usually the one where the money lands, or STPI for software
Minimum amount None. Freelancers and individuals are included
Paid on receipt instead? No. The option to file on or before the payment date is only for services other than software

The EDF format, field by field shows what to write. Type of export: Service; mode of delivery: Internet; one Part 2B row per invoice with the SAC code.

Invoices from before 1 October 2026

Invoices dated before 1 October 2026 fall under the earlier rules. Most sources say they need no EDF, even if paid later. If your bank asks for one anyway, follow its instruction. Invoices dated between 14 November 2025 and 4 June 2026 may have had up to 15 months for payment under the earlier rules; that isn't settled, so ask your bank.

Bank or STPI?

For software, the regulations name both the AD bank and STPI as the authority that receives the EDF. Most freelancers aren't STPI units and file with their bank. If you are an STPI-registered unit, ask STPI how it wants the EDF.

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