In late 2025 a couple registering a flat on Sarjapur Road found their closing costs had quietly grown. The stamp duty was as they expected, but the registration fee on their cost sheet was double what a friend had paid a year earlier for a similar home. They had not misread anything. From the last day of August 2025 Karnataka doubled its registration fee, and the change lands on every buyer who registers a sale deed now. Knowing the current structure, rather than a figure remembered from an older purchase, is the only way to budget the true cost of buying in Bengaluru today.

The short answer. A Bengaluru buyer of a home above 45 lakh rupees pays 5 percent stamp duty, plus a cess and surcharge on that duty, plus a registration fee of 2 percent, which together come to roughly 7 to 7.6 percent of the value. The registration fee was doubled from 1 percent to 2 percent with effect from the end of August 2025. The trade off worth knowing is that these are cash charges a home loan does not usually cover, and the recent fee rise makes budgeting from current figures, not old ones, more important than ever.

What are the stamp duty rates in Karnataka?

Stamp duty in Karnataka is charged on a slab basis tied to the value of the property. For a home valued above 45 lakh rupees the stamp duty is 5 percent, for one between 20 lakh and 45 lakh it is 3 percent, and for one below 20 lakh it is 2 percent. On top of the stamp duty the state adds a cess and a surcharge, each calculated as a percentage of the duty rather than of the whole price, which nudges the effective stamp duty a little above the headline slab in urban limits. Because most Bengaluru flats sit above the 45 lakh mark, the 5 percent slab plus these additions is the figure most buyers will face. These are levied on the property, quite separately from the price you pay the seller, and they fall due at registration.

The slab structure means the rate steps up at fixed thresholds, so a home just above 45 lakh carries the full 5 percent slab. That is worth remembering when a price sits near a threshold, because the duty does not taper in gently, it applies at the slab your value falls into.

Why is the registration fee higher now?

The registration fee is higher because Karnataka doubled it from 1 percent to 2 percent of the property value, effective from the end of August 2025. The change was made to address a revenue shortfall in the stamps and registration department, and it applies to sale deeds registered from that date onward. For a one crore home the registration fee alone rose from one lakh rupees to two lakh, and for a 75 lakh home it moved from 75,000 rupees to 1.5 lakh. This is the single biggest reason a buyer today should not rely on a cost estimate from a purchase made a year or two ago. The fee is charged on the same value as the stamp duty, so it scales directly with the price of the home. Confirm the current rate on the official portal before you finalise your budget, since fee structures can be revised again.

What value are the charges calculated on?

The charges are calculated on the higher of your sale consideration or the guidance value for that locality, never simply on a figure you would prefer to declare. The guidance value is the government set floor value for each area, published on the state portal, and it exists to stop under declaration. If you negotiate a price below the guidance value, the duty and fee are still worked out on the guidance value, so the floor sets the minimum you will pay. If your agreed price is higher, the charges follow your price. Looking up the guidance value for the exact locality before you negotiate tells you the least you will pay whatever the final number. Our guide to the encumbrance certificate and title search covers the related checks that protect the ownership you are paying to register.

How much does it add up to in rupees?

The clearest way to see the effect is to lay the charges out on a single home. The table below shows the stamp duty slabs and the revised registration fee, so you can place your own property in the right band.

On a typical Bengaluru flat above 45 lakh, adding the 5 percent stamp duty, the cess and surcharge on that duty, and the 2 percent registration fee brings the total government charge to roughly 7 to 7.6 percent of the value. On a 75 lakh home that is around five and a half lakh rupees, and on a one crore home it is over seven lakh, all payable as cash at registration. Because the registration fee alone now adds a full 2 percent, the jump from the older 1 percent is money a buyer must find on top of an already large closing bill, which is exactly why an old estimate can leave you short.

Do men and women pay the same rate in Karnataka?

In Karnataka the stamp duty and registration charges apply equally to men and women, so there is no gender based concession of the kind some other states offer. The rate you pay is set by the value slab of the property, not by who is named on the deed, which means the decision on whose name to register in should rest on ownership, succession and loan eligibility rather than on any hoped for saving in duty. Buyers moving from a state with a women concession are sometimes surprised by this, so it is worth confirming the current position on the official portal rather than assuming a discount applies. The name on the deed still matters for other reasons, but it will not change the duty.

How do these charges sit alongside your loan and EMI?

Stamp duty and registration are cash you bring to the table, while the loan and its EMI are the long tail of the purchase. Lenders generally advance a percentage of the property value and expect you to fund the government charges yourself, so the 7 percent or so on a Bengaluru flat is money you need in hand at registration rather than something the bank rolls into the loan. Planning the two together, the upfront charges and the monthly outgo, keeps a purchase from straining your finances in its first year, and the recent registration fee rise makes that planning tighter than before. Our explainer on how the repo rate shapes a Bengaluru home loan EMI covers the monthly side of the same budget.

How do you calculate and pay it, step by step?

Treat the calculation as a fixed sequence so nothing is missed. These steps give you a firm number before you commit and a clean payment on the day.

1. Find the guidance value for the exact locality and property on the state portal.
2. Compare that guidance value with your sale consideration and take the higher of the two.
3. Apply the stamp duty slab that matches your value, 5, 3 or 2 percent.
4. Add the cess and surcharge levied as a percentage of the stamp duty.
5. Add the registration fee of 2 percent, the rate revised in August 2025.
6. Pay the charges through the authorised online and bank channels before your appointment.
7. Carry the payment proof, the sale deed and identity documents to the sub registrar.

Run the numbers on the specific home you are considering. A buyer weighing a launch such as Eaton Park at Prestige City on Sarjapur Road should add the full 7 percent or so to the headline price, so the figure compared across projects is the true all in cost rather than the marketing number.

Frequently asked questions

What is the stamp duty on a flat in Bengaluru in 2026?

For a home above 45 lakh rupees the stamp duty is 5 percent, with 3 percent between 20 and 45 lakh and 2 percent below 20 lakh. A cess and surcharge are added as a percentage of the duty, and the charges are worked out on the higher of your sale consideration or the guidance value for that locality.

Why did the Karnataka registration fee increase?

Karnataka doubled the property registration fee from 1 percent to 2 percent of the value, effective from the end of August 2025, to address a revenue shortfall in the stamps and registration department. The change applies to sale deeds registered from that date, so a one crore home now attracts two lakh rupees of registration fee rather than one lakh.

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

Stamp duty and the registration fee are charged on the higher of your sale consideration or the guidance value notified for the locality. The guidance value is a government set floor value, so even if you negotiate a lower price the charges will not fall below the figure the guidance value implies. If your agreed price is higher, the charges follow that price.

Do women buyers pay lower stamp duty in Karnataka?

No. Karnataka applies the same stamp duty and registration charges to men and women, so there is no gender based concession. The rate depends on the value slab of the property rather than who is named on the deed. Confirm the current rates on the official Kaveri portal before you rely on them.

The rates in this guide reflect the Karnataka stamp duty slabs and the registration fee revised in August 2025, as summarised in this guide to Karnataka stamp duty and registration charges. Because guidance values and fee structures are revised over time, always confirm the current figures for your locality on the official Kaveri Online Services portal at kaveri.karnataka.gov.in before you commit.

Last updated 2026-08-13. PropNewz Team.