Karnataka stamp duty & registration calculator

How Karnataka stamp duty works

Stamp duty is charged on the higher of your agreement value or the government guidance value for the area. Registration, cess and surcharge are added on top of the stamp duty.

Rates (2026)

• Stamp duty: 2% up to Rs 20 lakh, 3% from Rs 20 to 45 lakh, 5% above Rs 45 lakh
• Registration: 2% of value (revised from 1% in August 2025)
• City corporation cess: 10% of the stamp duty amount
• Surcharge: 2% within city corporation limits, 3% outside

Worked example

For a Rs 50 lakh property within city corporation limits: stamp duty Rs 2.5 lakh (5%), cess Rs 25,000, surcharge Rs 5,000 and registration Rs 1 lakh. Total is about Rs 3.8 lakh, roughly 7.6% of the property value.

What is guidance value?

It is the minimum property value set by the government for each area. Stamp duty is calculated on the higher of the guidance value or your actual purchase price. Check it on the Kaveri Online portal before you budget.

How the charges stack up in Karnataka

Four separate charges apply, and only the first is what people mean when they say stamp duty. Duty itself is slab-based on the property value; cess and surcharge are calculated on the duty, not on the property; and registration is a further 2 percent of the property value.

On a ₹50 lakh urban property that is ₹2.5 lakh duty, ₹25,000 cess, ₹5,000 surcharge and ₹1 lakh registration, giving about ₹3.8 lakh, or roughly 7.6 percent of the value. It is a large sum, it is payable in cash at registration, and it is not funded by your home loan.

Duty is charged on the higher of two values

This is the detail that catches buyers out. Duty is calculated on whichever is higher: the value in your agreement, or the government guidance value for that property. If you negotiate a price below the guidance value, you still pay duty on the guidance value.

Guidance values across Bengaluru were revised upward during 2026, so a figure from an older transaction or an out-of-date article can understate your liability meaningfully. Check the current value for your specific property on the official Kaveri portal before you budget, and enter the higher of the two numbers into the calculator.

Understating the consideration to reduce duty is not a saving; it is an offence, and it also leaves you with an on-record purchase price lower than what you paid, which raises your capital gain when you eventually sell. See the capital gains calculator for why that matters.

You also need an e-khata

An e-khata is now required to register property inside city corporation limits, so a clean khata position is a precondition for registration rather than a formality to sort out afterwards. On the outer corridors this is the most common reason a registration stalls. Our area pages set out which authority governs each corridor.

Common questions

Can stamp duty be added to my home loan?

Generally no. Treat it as cash you must have available on the day of registration, on top of your down payment. Plan for it with the down payment planner.

Does this apply to a plot as well as a house?

Yes, duty and registration apply to the transfer of immovable property including plots. If you are buying land and building later, this is a cost at the land purchase stage, separate from your construction budget.

Are there concessions for any category of buyer?

Concessions and rates are set by the state and change from time to time, and some states offer differential treatment that others do not. Rather than rely on what applies elsewhere in India, confirm the current Karnataka position with the sub-registrar office or your lawyer before budgeting on one.