Sana negotiated hard on a flat in Kengeri and was proud of the price she got, comfortably below what similar units were quoting. Then her lawyer looked up the guidance value for that street on the Kaveri portal and delivered an awkward truth. The government minimum for that pocket was higher than the price she had negotiated, which meant her stamp duty would be calculated on the higher government figure, not on her clever price. Her negotiation saved her money on the flat, but not a rupee on the tax. This is the quiet logic of guidance value, and every Bengaluru buyer meets it at the sub registrar office whether they understand it or not.

The short answer. Guidance value is the government notified minimum rate at which a property can be registered in Karnataka, and your stamp duty and registration fee are charged on whichever is higher, the guidance value or your actual price. The trade off it creates is subtle. A sharp negotiation lowers what you pay the seller, but if your price dips below the guidance value, your tax is still computed on the higher government figure, so the saving is smaller than it looks.

What exactly is guidance value?

Guidance value is a government reference price, not a market price. The Karnataka Department of Stamps and Registration notifies a minimum rate per unit area for every locality, sometimes street by street, and that rate is the floor below which a property in that area normally cannot be registered. It exists to stop people declaring artificially low prices to dodge stamp duty. It is sometimes called the ready reckoner rate in other states, but the idea is the same. It is not what a flat is worth on the open market, and it is not what you must pay the seller. It is simply the minimum value the government will accept for the purpose of calculating registration charges. Understanding that distinction, that guidance value is a tax floor and not a valuation, clears up most of the confusion buyers have about it.

Because it is a floor, guidance value can sit below, at, or occasionally near the real market price of your flat, depending on the area and how recently it was revised. In fast moving Bengaluru pockets the market can run well ahead of the guidance value, while in some areas the two are close. This is also why the guidance value alone tells you very little about whether a flat is a good buy, a point worth holding on to before you read too much into the number.

How does guidance value decide your stamp duty?

Your stamp duty is charged on the higher of two numbers, your agreed price or the guidance value. This is the single rule that matters most. If your negotiated price is above the guidance value, which is common, you pay stamp duty and registration on the price. If your price falls below the guidance value, as Sana discovered, the department calculates on the higher guidance value instead. So the base for your tax is never lower than the guidance value, whatever you actually pay. The table below shows how the higher of rule plays out.

Read the last row carefully. Because guidance values are revised from time to time, the floor under your tax can move. When the government raises guidance values in an area, the minimum base for stamp duty rises with them, even if market prices in that pocket have not changed. That is why the timing of a revision can matter to your total cost.

Where and how do you check it?

You check the guidance value yourself on the Karnataka Kaveri Online portal, for the exact property. This is not a figure to accept from a broker or assume from a neighbour flat. Search by district, taluk, village and street, or by the survey or khata number, and read the notified rate for that specific location. Multiply it by your unit area to get the guidance value of your flat, and compare that against your agreed price. Whichever is higher is the base your duty will be computed on. You can begin at the official Kaveri Online Services portal, which hosts the current notified values. Because these values change, always pull the current figure at the time you are buying rather than trusting an older estimate.

Guidance values in Karnataka have been revised more than once in recent times, and the exact figure and its effective date can shift, so the safest habit is to verify on Kaveri close to your registration date. Our detailed coverage of the 2026 guidance value revision and the limbo period explains why the operative value is whatever is currently notified, and why buyers should not assume a proposed revision is already in force until it is formally notified.

Why does the higher of rule matter to a buyer?

It matters because it shapes both your budget and your negotiation. On the budget side, the guidance value sets the minimum on which your roughly 7.6 percent of statutory charges will be computed, so you can estimate your registration cost the moment you know the guidance value, even before you finalise the price. On the negotiation side, it tells you where the tax floor sits. If a seller is quoting near or below the guidance value, you know your stamp duty will not fall further no matter how hard you push on price, which changes how you think about the deal. Our companion guide on the true cost of registering a Bengaluru flat shows how the guidance value based figure flows into your total outlay of stamp duty, cess, surcharge and registration fee.

There is also a resale angle. Because guidance value tends to rise over time, the value you register at today becomes part of the record for the future. Registering at a realistic value, and keeping the paperwork clean, serves you well when you eventually sell and your own buyer studies the history.

Is guidance value the same as market value?

No, and confusing the two leads buyers astray in both directions. Market value is what a willing buyer and seller actually agree on, shaped by demand, amenities, floor, view and timing. Guidance value is a government set minimum for the sole purpose of registration. In many Bengaluru micro markets, especially sought after ones, the market value runs well above the guidance value, which is why most buyers end up paying stamp duty on their price rather than on the guidance value. In slower or peripheral pockets the two can sit closer together, and occasionally a stale guidance value lags far behind the market. Do not treat the guidance value as a valuation of your flat, and never assume a low guidance value means the flat is cheap or a high one means it is overpriced. It is a tax reference, nothing more. Use market comparables, a proper valuation and your own research to judge whether a price is fair, and use the guidance value only to work out the floor for your stamp duty. Keeping these two ideas in separate boxes is one of the simplest ways to think clearly about a purchase.

How should you use guidance value in practice?

Use it as an early input, not a last minute surprise. The buyers who plan well look up the guidance value at the shortlisting stage, not on registration day. Work through the checklist below in order.

1. Note the exact district, taluk, village, street and survey or khata number of the flat.
2. Look up the current notified guidance value for that precise location on Kaveri.
3. Multiply the rate by your unit area to get the guidance value of your flat.
4. Compare that figure against your agreed sale price and take the higher one.
5. Apply stamp duty, cess, surcharge and the registration fee on that higher base.
6. Recheck the guidance value close to registration in case a revision has taken effect.
7. Keep the guidance value printout with your registration papers for future reference.

Following this order removes the two most common guidance value mistakes, assuming your negotiated price is automatically the tax base, and relying on a stale figure that has since been revised. For a project such as Birla Advaya in Rajarajeshwari Nagar, ask the sales team for the guidance value of the specific unit in writing, then verify it yourself on Kaveri, so the number you budget on is the number the registrar will actually use.

Common questions from Bengaluru buyers

What is guidance value in Bengaluru?

Guidance value is the minimum rate per unit area that the Karnataka government notifies for each locality, below which a property normally cannot be registered. It sets the floor for how much stamp duty and registration you pay. It is not the market price, but a government reference used to prevent under declaration of property values during registration.

Is stamp duty charged on the sale price or the guidance value?

Stamp duty and the registration fee are charged on whichever is higher, the guidance value or your agreed sale price. If your price is above the guidance value, you pay on the price. If you negotiate below the guidance value, the department still charges on the higher guidance value rather than your lower price.

Where do I check the guidance value for a Bengaluru property?

You check it on the Karnataka Kaveri Online portal, searching by district, taluk, village and street, or by survey or khata number for the exact property. Because guidance values are revised from time to time, always look up the current value for your specific unit before you estimate your total registration cost, rather than relying on an old figure.

Can a Bengaluru property be registered below guidance value?

Generally no. The guidance value acts as a minimum, and the registrar will normally calculate stamp duty on at least that value even if you paid less. Attempting to register far below it can invite scrutiny for undervaluation. In practice you should treat the guidance value as the lowest base on which your duty will ever be computed.

Last updated 2026-08-08. PropNewz Team.