The Market Quill
Basics

Every charge on your contract note, explained

By The Market Quill · Rates verified

When you buy or sell shares in India, you pay up to seven different charges. Only two of them are set by your broker. Here is what each one is and how much it costs.

1. Brokerage (set by your broker)

The fee your broker charges for executing an order. Most discount brokers charge ₹0–₹20 per executed order, often “0.03% or ₹20, whichever is lower”. Some charge ₹0 on delivery (long-term) trades. Compare brokerage →

2. Securities Transaction Tax (STT)

A government tax on every trade on a stock exchange, and usually the largest charge.

  • Delivery: 0.1% on buy and sell
  • Intraday: 0.025% on sell
  • Futures: 0.05% on sell (from April 2026)
  • Options: 0.15% of premium on sell (from April 2026)

3. Exchange transaction charges

Fees charged by NSE or BSE on the value you trade. On NSE: 0.00307% for shares, 0.00183% for futures and 0.03553% of premium for options. Brokers pass these on at actual cost.

4. SEBI turnover fee

The market regulator's fee: ₹10 per crore of turnover. Tiny for most traders.

5. Stamp duty

A tax collected on the buy side only: 0.015% for delivery, 0.003% for intraday and options, 0.002% for futures. The rate is uniform across all states.

6. GST

18% on brokerage, exchange transaction charges and SEBI fees (and on DP charges). Not charged on STT or stamp duty.

7. DP charges (set by your broker)

Charged when shares leave your demat account, meaning when you sell delivery holdings. It is a flat fee per stock per day (about ₹13–₹24 including GST, depending on the broker), regardless of quantity. Intraday and F&O trades have no DP charge.

Also watch: AMC

The Annual Maintenance Charge for your demat account. It ranges from ₹0 to around ₹350 a year depending on the broker and account type. Basic Services Demat Accounts (BSDA) with small holdings often pay nothing.

Putting it together

Because STT, exchange fees, SEBI fee, stamp duty and most of the GST are the same everywhere, brokers only compete on brokerage, DP charges and AMC. The all-in cost calculator adds everything up for any trade.