Trading Charges Explained: STT, GST, Stamp Duty & Every Fee on Your Trade

Why a trade costs more than just "brokerage"

When people compare brokers, they usually compare one number: brokerage. But brokerage is just one line item on a much longer bill. Every trade you place in India — through any broker — also carries a set of charges that are fixed by law or by the exchange, and apply identically no matter which broker you use. This page walks through all seven:

1. Brokerage — the one charge your broker actually controls.
2. STT (Securities Transaction Tax) — a government tax on the trade itself.
3. Exchange transaction charges — a small fee NSE or BSE charges for using their exchange.
4. SEBI turnover fee — a tiny regulatory fee.
5. Stamp duty — a tax on the transfer of securities.
6. GST — 18%, but only on part of the bill (this one trips almost everyone up — see below).
7. DP charges — a fee for selling shares out of your demat account, delivery only.

Every number below is pulled directly from the same data this site's brokerage calculator uses to compute your results — nothing here is restated by hand, so if these rates ever change, this page updates automatically along with the calculator.

Brokerage

Brokerage is the only charge on this list that your broker actually sets — everything else is identical no matter who you trade through. Brokers structure it in a few different ways: some charge zero on equity delivery, some charge a flat fee per order (often ₹10–₹20), some charge a percentage of trade value, and some cap a percentage at a flat rupee amount, whichever is lower.

Because this is the one variable that actually changes based on your choice of broker, it's worth comparing directly rather than reading about in the abstract — the brokerage calculator shows you exactly what each broker charges for your specific trade size and type.

STT (Securities Transaction Tax)

STT is a tax the Government of India levies on every securities transaction executed on a recognised stock exchange. It's identical across every broker — set by law, not by brokers — but it varies by trade type and by which side of the trade (buy or sell) it applies to:

• Delivery: 0.1% on the buy side and 0.1% on the sell side — delivery is taxed on both legs.
• Intraday: no STT on the buy side, and 0.025% on the sell side only.
• Futures: no STT on the buy side, 0.05% on the sell side only.
• Options: no STT on the buy side, 0.15% on the sell side only — and this applies to the premium value, not the underlying contract value.

Notice that delivery is actually taxed on more legs (buy and sell) than intraday or F&O (sell only) — a detail that's easy to miss if you assume "delivery is simpler, so it must be taxed simpler."

Exchange transaction charges

NSE and BSE each charge a small fee on every trade that passes through their exchange — separate from brokerage, and set by the exchange rather than your broker. The rate depends on the exchange and the segment you're trading in:

• NSE cash (delivery/intraday): 0.00307% of turnover, both sides.
• NSE futures: 0.00183% of turnover, both sides.
• NSE options: 0.03553% of the premium value, both sides.
• BSE cash: 0.00375% of turnover, both sides.
• BSE futures: currently waived (₹0) — BSE dropped this fee to compete for futures trading volume.
• BSE options: 0.0325% of the premium value, both sides.

These figures move over time as exchanges revise their circulars, so treat them as current-as-of-verification rather than permanently fixed.

SEBI turnover fee

SEBI, the market regulator, charges a small turnover fee on every trade — 0.0001% of turnover, which works out to a flat ₹10 for every ₹1 crore traded. It's the same rate across every segment (delivery, intraday, futures, options) and both sides of the trade, and — like STT and exchange charges — it doesn't change based on which broker you use.

Stamp duty

Stamp duty is a tax on the transfer of securities, charged on the buy side of a trade only. Contrary to a very common belief, it does not vary by state. Since a July 2020 amendment to the Indian Stamp Act, stamp duty on securities transactions has been a single rate applied nationwide — every trader in India pays the same rate for a given trade type, no matter which state they live in. Only the collected revenue is subsequently divided among states based on the buyer's registered address; the rate you're actually charged never changes.

The rate itself does vary by trade type:

• Delivery: 0.015% of buy-side turnover.
• Intraday: 0.003% of buy-side turnover.
• Futures: 0.002% of buy-side turnover.
• Options: 0.003% of the buy-side premium value.

GST (18%)

This is the charge that causes the most confusion, so it's worth being precise: GST is charged at 18% — but only on your brokerage plus the exchange transaction charge. It does not apply to STT, SEBI fees, or stamp duty (those are statutory levies, not a taxable service), and it is absolutely not 18% of your total trade value. That last misconception is common enough that it's worth seeing the actual numbers side by side:

Notice how small the actual GST charge is relative to what 18% of the full traded value would look like — that gap is exactly why "GST is 18%" sounds alarming in the abstract but barely moves the needle on an actual trade.

DP (Depository Participant) charges

When you sell shares you're holding in your demat account as a delivery position, your broker — acting as your Depository Participant — charges a fee for moving those shares out. This is the one non-brokerage charge on this page that does vary by broker, since it's set by each broker/depository relationship rather than by a single government rate. It only applies on delivery sells: intraday trades never move shares in or out of your demat account, and F&O trades settle in cash, so neither incurs a DP charge.

Because the exact figure varies broker to broker, see the brokerage calculator or an individual broker's page below for the specific amount.

Quick reference: all charges at a glance

See these charges calculated for your broker

Every number above feeds directly into this site's brokerage calculator. Pick your broker below to see the full breakdown — brokerage, STT, exchange charges, SEBI fees, stamp duty, GST, and DP charges — for your actual trade size: