A couple buying their first flat in Chembur in early 2026 had saved carefully for the twenty percent down payment and felt ready. What caught them off guard was the closing bill. On their one crore flat, the stamp duty and registration came to more than six lakh rupees, due upfront and not covered by the loan. Had they registered the flat in the wife's sole name, they would have saved a full one lakh through the women's concession, a choice nobody had explained to them in time.

Stamp duty and registration are the largest government cost of buying a home in Mumbai, and in 2026 the exact figure depends on who registers the property. This guide sets out the current rates, the metro cess baked into them, the women's concession, and how to compute your real closing cost before you sign.

The short answer. In Mumbai the stamp duty is 6 percent for men and 5 percent for women, and both figures already include the 1 percent metro cess, as published Maharashtra rates confirm. The registration fee is 1 percent of the value, capped at 30,000 rupees for property above 30 lakh. Duty is charged on the higher of your agreement value or the ready reckoner rate. The trade-off to remember: registering in a woman's sole name saves a full 1 percent, but the whole amount is due upfront in cash that your home loan will not fund.

What are the stamp duty and registration charges in Mumbai for 2026?

In Mumbai a male buyer pays 6 percent stamp duty and a female buyer pays 5 percent, with registration charged separately at 1 percent. The 6 percent headline for men is a 5 percent base rate plus a 1 percent metro cess, and the woman's rate of 5 percent reflects the 1 percent concession applied on top of that structure. Because most Mumbai flats cost well above 30 lakh, the registration fee for nearly every buyer is the flat cap rather than a true 1 percent.

Put together, a man buying a flat above 30 lakh pays roughly 6 percent stamp duty plus a fixed 30,000 registration, and a woman pays roughly 5 percent plus the same 30,000. On a one crore flat that is about 6.3 lakh for a man and about 5.3 lakh for a woman. The gap between the two is the clearest single reason to think about whose name goes on the deed before you register, not after.

It is worth being clear about what the duty is charged on, because that decides the base for every calculation. Stamp duty and registration are computed on the higher of your agreement value or the ready reckoner rate, which is the government's declared minimum value for that location. If you negotiate a price below the ready reckoner rate, the charges do not fall to your price; they are worked out on the higher reckoner figure instead. So the first number to find is the ready reckoner rate for your exact flat, since that sets the floor your bill is built on.

What is the metro cess and why is it in my bill?

The metro cess is a 1 percent charge folded into Mumbai's stamp duty to fund the city's metro rail expansion. It is not a separate line you can avoid; it is already inside the 6 percent men pay and the 5 percent women pay. Buyers sometimes hear a base rate of 5 percent quoted and assume that is what they will pay, then find the metro cess has pushed the men's figure to 6 percent at the counter.

The practical takeaway is to always budget from the all in Mumbai rate rather than the base rate. If you plan around 5 percent for a male buyer, you will be short by a full percentage point, which on a one crore flat is one lakh rupees. Treat 6 percent for men and 5 percent for women as the real numbers, because those are what the state actually collects in the city.

How does the women's concession work?

A woman buying residential property in her sole name, or two or more women buying jointly, receive a 1 percent concession on stamp duty across Maharashtra. In Mumbai that moves the rate from 6 percent to 5 percent, a saving of a full percentage point of the property value. On a one crore flat the concession is worth one lakh rupees, which is a meaningful sum for a benefit that costs nothing but a decision about whose name is on the registration.

An important 2026 change makes the concession easier to use. The earlier condition that restricted resale for fifteen years after claiming the concession has been removed, so a woman buyer can now take the 1 percent saving without a long lock in on selling the flat. If a woman in the household is a co owner or can be the sole registered owner, running the numbers both ways before you register is simply good planning, and the saving is real cash rather than a paper benefit.

What will the charges be at different property values?

The table below shows stamp duty at both the male and female Mumbai rates, plus the registration fee, in rupees. All figures assume the value shown is the higher of your price or the ready reckoner rate.

Notice how the registration fee stops mattering as a percentage once you cross 30 lakh, because it is capped at 30,000 rupees. From there the number that moves your bill is the stamp duty, and the one percentage point difference between the male and female rate is worth more the larger the flat.

How and when do I pay these charges?

You pay the stamp duty online and then complete registration in person at the sub-registrar's office. Maharashtra lets you pay the stamp duty and registration fee through the GRAS portal by net banking or card, which generates a challan as your proof of payment. With that challan in hand, you book and attend the registration appointment, where the sub-registrar completes biometric verification and the parties sign the documents.

The timing matters for your cash planning. These charges fall due at registration, near the end of the purchase, and they cannot be added to your home loan, which is sized against the property value. So the roughly 6 percent for a man, or 5 percent for a woman, plus the registration fee, must come from your own savings on top of the down payment. Build it into your plan from the first serious offer, not the closing week.

Keep the stamped agreement and the challan safe after registration, because you will need them for your home loan disbursement, for future resale, and for your own records. A buyer who has paid the correct duty and can show the proof avoids questions later, whereas underpaid duty can surface as a demand years after the purchase.

What is the step by step to budget and pay?

Work through this order so the closing cost never surprises you:

1. Look up the ready reckoner rate for the exact flat and take the higher of that or your price.
2. Apply 6 percent if a man registers the flat, or 5 percent if a woman registers it solely.
3. Remember the metro cess is already inside those rates, so do not add it again.
4. Add the registration fee, 1 percent up to 30 lakh or a flat 30,000 above it.
5. Decide whose name goes on the deed, since a woman's sole name saves 1 percent.
6. Pay the stamp duty and fee online through the GRAS portal and keep the challan.
7. Attend the sub-registrar appointment for biometric verification and signing.

Stamp duty is one piece of your true entry cost. If you are buying an under construction flat, add the tax on it using our guide to GST on under construction property, and plan the recurring cost of ownership with our explainer on BMC property tax for a new flat. Together these three give you the full government cost of buying and holding a home in Mumbai.

Frequently asked questions

What is the stamp duty on property in Mumbai in 2026?

In Mumbai the stamp duty is 6 percent for male buyers and 5 percent for female buyers, and both rates already include the 1 percent metro cess. The registration fee is charged separately at 1 percent, capped at 30,000 rupees for property valued above 30 lakh. Duty is computed on the higher of your agreement value or the government ready reckoner rate for that flat.

How much can a woman buyer save on stamp duty in Mumbai?

A woman registering residential property in her sole name, or two or more women buying jointly, receive a 1 percent stamp duty concession, which lowers the Mumbai rate from 6 percent to 5 percent. On a one crore flat that saves one lakh rupees. As of 2026 the earlier fifteen year resale restriction tied to the concession has been removed, making it easier to use.

Is the registration charge in Mumbai capped?

Yes. The registration fee is 1 percent of the property value for property up to 30 lakh, and a flat 30,000 rupees for property valued above 30 lakh. Because most Mumbai flats cost well above 30 lakh, nearly every buyer pays the 30,000 cap rather than a true 1 percent. This charge is separate from and additional to the stamp duty.

How do I pay stamp duty and register a flat in Mumbai?

Pay the stamp duty and registration fee online through Maharashtra's GRAS portal using net banking or a card, which generates a challan as proof. Then attend a registration appointment at the sub-registrar's office in person, where biometric verification is done and the documents are signed. The charges are due at registration and cannot be added to your home loan.

Last updated 2026-08-23. PropNewz Team.