Best Way to Send Money to Nepal from the UK (2026)

Last updated: 1 November 2026. Exchange rates and fees were checked on Sunday 1 November 2026. They change every day, and weekend rates can differ from weekday rates, so always compare live quotes before you send.

If you live in the UK and support family in Nepal, the way you send decides how many rupees actually arrive. On the same morning, the same £500 delivered anywhere from about 98,500 to 101,200 rupees, depending only on the app or bank used. This guide compares the main options, shows where the hidden costs sit, and explains the rules in both countries.

You're far from alone. The 2021 Census counted about 104,000 people of Nepali heritage in England and Wales, many of them from Gurkha families. Nepal as a whole received a record Rs 2,363 billion (about US$16.2 billion) in remittances in the year to mid-July 2026, according to Nepal Rastra Bank figures.

Visiting Nepal rather than sending money? Our Nepal currency guide covers exchange rates, ATMs and cash rules for travellers.

Quick answer

• The cheapest way is a licensed money transfer app, paid by UK debit card or bank transfer, sending to a Nepali bank account.
• On 1 November 2026, Instarem delivered the most rupees on £500 (101,159 NPR, no fee), with Remitly close behind (101,079 NPR after a £0.99 fee). At £1,000, Remitly came out slightly ahead.
• Wise uses the real exchange rate but charges a visible fee, so it delivered a little less (100,352 NPR). Xoom delivered the least of the apps (98,696 NPR).
• High-street banks cost the most. Based on their published charges, Barclays and HSBC would deliver roughly 98,500–98,900 NPR on £500, and payments can take several working days.
• Compare the rupees received, not the fee. Most "no fee" services earn their money on the exchange rate.
• Never use hundi. It's illegal in Nepal: the money can be confiscated, with a fine of up to three times the amount and up to three years in jail.

Fees and rates compared: £500 to a Nepali bank account

To compare fairly, we measured every quote against the mid-market rate, the rate banks use when trading with each other. On the morning of 1 November 2026 it was 203.47 NPR per pound, so a perfect, cost-free transfer of £500 would deliver 101,736 NPR. Nepal Rastra Bank's official rate that day was 203.66 (buying) and 204.47 (selling).

Provider	Fee	Rate	Family gets	Total cost
Instarem	£0	202.32	101,159 NPR	£2.84 (0.57%)
Remitly	£0.99	202.56	101,079 NPR	£3.23 (0.65%)
Wise	£6.80	203.47	100,352 NPR	£6.80 (1.36%)
Western Union	£0.50	200.13	99,965 NPR	£8.70 (1.74%)
Skrill	£0	199.38	99,690 NPR	£10.05 (2.01%)
Xoom	£2.99	198.58	98,696 NPR	£14.94 (2.99%)

Total cost = the fee plus the money lost on the exchange rate, compared with the mid-market rate, for £500 paid in total. Quotes were for a bank deposit, collected between 05:09 and 11:43 UTC on 1 November 2026 from Wise's public price comparison. We checked Remitly's figures on its own calculator and they matched.

What the table tells you

• The gap is in the exchange rate. Wise is the only provider here that uses the mid-market rate and shows its whole cost as a fee. The others show a small or zero fee and build a margin into the rate. Every 1% of margin on £500 costs your family about 1,000 rupees.
• Remitly's first-transfer offer is better still. New customers got 202.76 on their first £500 with the fee waived, which is 101,380 NPR. That's a one-off deal, so judge Remitly by its normal rate.
• Weekend rates are frozen. Currency markets close at the weekend, and the rates we collected didn't move all Sunday. Some apps widen their margins until Monday, so if you're not in a hurry, check again on a weekday.
• Quick test for any quote: if the rate is close to Nepal Rastra Bank's buying rate (203.66 on 1 November), it's a good deal. Check today's rate with our pound to rupee converter.

What UK high-street banks cost

The big UK banks have mostly dropped their online sending fees, but they make up for it in the exchange rate. These figures come from each bank's own pages; banks only show the exact rate inside online banking.

Bank	Online fee	Rate margin	Arrives in
Barclays	£0	Up to 2.75%	1–2 days
HSBC UK	£5	0.4–2.2%	Up to 4 days
NatWest	£0	Up to 3.25%	1–3 days

Applied to £500, Barclays' maximum margin works out at about 98,940 NPR, and HSBC's £5 fee plus a 2.2% margin at about 98,500 NPR, roughly 2,500 rupees less than the best app. On top of that, intermediary banks can take a cut on the way unless you pay extra for "OUR" charges (Barclays charges £4–12 for this, NatWest £10). Sources: Barclays, HSBC, NatWest. We couldn't verify Lloyds' current charges.

Other providers

Taptap Send, Revolut, Xe, WorldRemit, MoneyGram, Ria and Nepali-owned services such as IME and Prabhu also send from the UK to Nepal, but we couldn't get verified quotes from them on the same day, so they're not in the table.

• Taptap Send says it charges no fee on transfers to Nepal and earns its money on the exchange rate. Its public rate feed showed a different picture on 1 November, so check the final amount in the app.
• Revolut account holders can send to Nepali bank accounts from the app. Revolut says there's no extra exchange fee on business days within your plan's limits, so weekend transfers can cost more.
• Xe sends to bank accounts in Nepal and is often used for larger amounts.
• MoneyGram was advertising a fee-free first transfer from the UK.

Get a live quote from two or three and compare the rupees received before you decide.

Does the amount you send change the winner?

Yes, a little. Flat fees hurt small transfers most. Total cost on 1 November 2026:

Provider	£200	£500	£1,000
Instarem	0.57%	0.57%	0.57%
Remitly	0.94%	0.65%	0.55%
Wise	1.75%	1.36%	1.23%
Western Union	1.89%	1.74%	1.17%
Skrill	2.01%	2.01%	2.01%
Xoom	3.86%	2.99%	2.40%

Instarem had no fee, so its cost stayed the same at every size. Remitly's £0.99 fee matters less as the amount grows, and at £1,000 it overtook Instarem. Western Union gave a better rate on £1,000 than on £500. For context, the World Bank's price survey put the average cost of sending £200 to Nepal at about 4.5% in 2025, so the best apps today cost a fraction of that. If your family's needs allow it, one larger transfer a month usually beats several small ones.

How you pay matters

• UK debit card or bank transfer: the cheapest ways to pay, and what the quotes above assume.
• Credit card: avoid it. Apps often charge more for card payments, and your card issuer may treat the payment as a cash advance, with an extra fee and interest from day one.
• Cash at an agent: possible with Western Union and some Nepali-owned agents, but usually costs more than paying online.
• A UK bank's international (SWIFT) payment: the slowest and usually the dearest option, as the bank table above shows.

Bank, wallet or cash pickup?

Provider	Bank	Cash pickup	Wallet
Remitly	Yes (30+ banks)	Yes (£3.99)	eSewa
Western Union	Yes	Yes	Yes
Taptap Send	Yes	City Express	Check app
Wise	Personal only	No	No

• Bank account: the right choice for most transfers, and the only sensible one for larger sums. Most Nepali banks can receive, including Global IME, Nabil, NIMB and Everest. Remitly pays into more than 30 banks and financial institutions; Taptap Send lists Global IME, NIMB and Nabil.
• Mobile wallet (eSewa, Khalti, IME Pay): fast and handy for small, regular support, but limited. eSewa's published limits cap a verified wallet's balance at Rs 50,000 at the end of each day (about £245), so anything larger should go to a bank account. Since July 2026, Nepal also requires a National ID card to use wallets, so check that your family's wallet is fully verified.
• Cash pickup: useful when the recipient has no bank account. Most pickups go through large agent networks such as City Express, IME and Prabhu, so choose a provider with an agent near your family. Remitly charges £3.99 for cash pickup, against £0.99 for a bank deposit.

Sending limits

• Wise: up to NPR 1,000,000 per transfer and NPR 2,000,000 per day, to personal bank accounts only. Wise can't send rupees to business accounts in Nepal.
• Taptap Send: up to £99,000 per transfer from the UK, according to its Nepal page.
• Remitly: limits apply over 24 hours, 30 days and 180 days and depend on how fully you've verified your identity. You can ask for higher limits by providing more information.
• UK banks: HSBC allows up to £50,000 online; NatWest's daily limit is £20,000 for verified payees.

Rules in the UK

• No UK tax on sending money abroad. The UK has no remittance tax, and money you send to family isn't taxed as income for you or for them.
• Inheritance Tax is the only tax that can apply, and only in rare cases. Under HMRC's gift rules, you can give away £3,000 a year tax-free (plus last year's unused allowance), small gifts of up to £250 per person, and regular gifts from your monthly income with no limit, as long as you can still cover your usual living costs. Monthly support for parents usually falls under that last rule. Larger one-off gifts only matter if you die within 7 years and your estate is above the £325,000 threshold.
• Own property in Nepal? Since April 2025, anyone who has lived in the UK for at least 10 of the previous 20 tax years is liable to Inheritance Tax on worldwide assets, including land or a house in Nepal. Get advice before transferring property.
• Use an FCA-regulated provider. Check the company on the FCA register before you sign up. If you use an unauthorised firm, you have no access to the Financial Ombudsman if things go wrong. Providers must check your ID and may ask where the money came from on larger transfers; that's a normal anti-money-laundering check.
• Keep records of large gifts, so your executors can show what was given and when.

Rules in Nepal

• Use licensed channels only. Money must arrive through banks and remittance companies licensed by Nepal Rastra Bank. All the apps above pay out through licensed partners.
• Hundi is illegal. Under the Foreign Exchange (Regulation) Act, the money involved can be confiscated, with a fine of up to three times the amount and up to three years in jail. Police in Kathmandu arrested hundi traders with Rs 1.16 crore in cash in March 2026. With the best legal apps costing well under 1%, hundi isn't worth the risk.
• No tax on receiving money from family. We found no Nepali tax on personal remittances a family receives. Interest earned on the money in a bank is taxed as usual.
• Remittance savings accounts. Nepal Rastra Bank lets banks pay extra interest on deposits that come from remittances, usually aimed at Nepalis working abroad. Ask the bank whether money from a UK-based family member qualifies. If your family wants to grow the money, our guides to the best SIP plans in Nepal and investing in Nepal explain the options.

Five ways to get your family more rupees

1. Compare the rupees received, not the fee. Put the same amount into two or three apps and pick the one that delivers the most NPR.
2. Pay by debit card or bank transfer. Avoid credit cards, cash and bank SWIFT payments.
3. Send fewer, larger transfers. On 1 November, £200 cost up to 3.9% to send, while £1,000 cost up to 2.4%.
4. Send on a weekday if you can. Compare the same app on a weekday before a large transfer.
5. Match the payout to the amount. Bank account for larger sums, wallet for small regular support, cash pickup if there's no bank account. Keep your receipts.

Sending from America instead? See our guide to sending money to Nepal from the USA. Receiving money from clients abroad rather than family? Read how to receive international payments in Nepal.

Frequently asked questions

What is the cheapest way to send money from the UK to Nepal?

On 1 November 2026, Instarem and Remitly were the cheapest on a £500 bank transfer, costing about 0.6% in total. Wise cost 1.36%, Xoom almost 3%, and a high-street bank payment around 3%. Prices change daily, so compare the rupees received in two or three apps before you send.

How much is £500 in Nepali rupees?

At the mid-market rate on 1 November 2026 (203.47), £500 equals about 101,736 NPR. Through the best app that day, your family would receive about 101,159 NPR. Use our GBP to NPR converter for today's rate.

How long does a transfer from the UK to Nepal take?

Most app transfers to Nepali banks and wallets arrive within minutes to one working day. Taptap Send says 95% of its transfers arrive in under 3 minutes. UK bank SWIFT payments take one to four working days. Public holidays in Nepal and first-time ID checks can add delays.

Is there a limit on how much I can send from the UK to Nepal?

There's no UK legal limit, but each provider sets its own. Wise allows up to NPR 1,000,000 per transfer and NPR 2,000,000 per day. Remitly's limits depend on how fully you've verified your identity. In Nepal, a wallet can't hold more than Rs 50,000 overnight, so send larger amounts to a bank account.

Do I pay tax in the UK on money I send to my parents in Nepal?

Usually not. Regular gifts from your income are exempt from Inheritance Tax with no limit, and you can also give £3,000 a year tax-free. Neither you nor your parents pay income tax on the money.

Is hundi safe or legal for sending money to Nepal?

No. Hundi is illegal in Nepal. The money can be confiscated, and you can face a fine of up to three times the amount and up to three years in jail. Licensed apps now cost under 1% on £500, so there's no reason to take the risk.

Sources

• Wise: GBP to NPR price comparison (quotes collected 1 November 2026)
• Remitly: UK to Nepal pricing
• Nepal Rastra Bank: foreign exchange rates
• Barclays, HSBC UK and NatWest: international payment charges
• GOV.UK: Inheritance Tax on gifts and long-term UK residents
• FCA Financial Services Register
• eSewa: transaction limits and Onlinekhabar: National ID required for wallets
• B360 Nepal: remittance inflows FY 2082/83 (NRB data)
• Nepalese in the United Kingdom (2021 Census figures)
• Taptap Send, Revolut and Xe: Nepal pages
• Wise: NPR transfer limits
• eKantipur: hundi arrests, March 2026