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Stamp duty and registration costs

What you'll pay in each state, including the lower rates for women buyers. Updated 1 November 2026.

This guide is general information to help you plan. It is not legal or tax advice. Rates change and published sources sometimes disagree, so confirm the exact amount with the Sub-Registrar's office or your lawyer before the registration.

The short answer

On top of the price, the buyer pays stamp duty (a tax on the sale deed) and a registration fee (for recording it). Across the North this comes to roughly 3% to 9% of the property's value (more on some large deals in Himachal). In most of our states a property bought in a woman's name costs less to register, by up to 4% of the value in Jammu & Kashmir.

Region	Man	Woman	Jointly	Registration fee
Jammu & Kashmir ^1,2	7%	3%	5%*	1.2%
Ladakh ¹⁴	Not clearly published: ask in Leh or Kargil			About 1%
Himachal Pradesh ^10,11	6%	4%	5%	2%*
Punjab ^5,6	7%*	5%*	6%*	1%*
Chandigarh ^12,13	6%	6%*	6%	1%
Haryana, in towns ⁸	7%	5%	6%	Slabs*
Haryana, in villages ⁸	5%	3%	4%	Slabs*

Percent of the property's value. * Sources disagree on this figure: see the region below. Work out your own amount with our stamp duty calculator, where every rate can be changed.

What you pay it on

The higher of two values: the price written in the deed, or the government's circle rate (also called the collector rate or stamp duty rate) for that locality, multiplied by the area. In J&K each district publishes its circle rates every year. ¹⁵
Paid by the buyer, unless the agreement says otherwise, before or at registration at the Sub-Registrar's office. ¹⁶
The circle rate matters for the seller too: for capital gains tax, the stamp duty value can be treated as the sale price if it is higher than the deed price. ¹⁷

Women buyers: how much you save

Most of our states charge less when the buyer is a woman, to encourage women to own property. On a ₹50 lakh property, the stamp duty alone works out like this:

Region	Man pays	Woman pays	Woman saves
Jammu & Kashmir	₹3.5 lakh	₹1.5 lakh	₹2 lakh
Himachal Pradesh	₹3 lakh	₹2 lakh	₹1 lakh
Punjab	₹3.5 lakh	₹2.5 lakh	₹1 lakh
Haryana (towns or villages)	₹3.5 lakh / ₹2.5 lakh	₹2.5 lakh / ₹1.5 lakh	₹1 lakh
Chandigarh	₹3 lakh	₹3 lakh	None, as most sources report

At the rates in the first table. Registration fees come on top, and are the same for men and women.

The woman must be the real owner. The lower rate applies because the property is hers: her name goes in the deed and the revenue record, and she can sell or gift it. Don't put a property in a woman's name only on paper; talk to a lawyer or tax adviser about whose money pays for it.
Jointly with a man, most states charge a rate in between (see the table). In J&K, sources disagree on the joint rate, so confirm it. ^1,4
With a home loan, banks usually want the owner on the loan too, so a woman buying in her own name is often the main or joint borrower. Ask your bank early. See our home loans guide.
It has changed before. In J&K, women paid no stamp duty for a time in 2018; a 3% rate was brought back in 2019. Rules can change again, so check at the time of your sale. ³

Region by region

Jammu & Kashmir

Stamp duty: 7% for a man, 3% for a woman. ^1,2
Jointly: most often reported as 5% for a man and a woman together; one source gives other figures, so confirm it. ^1,4
Registration fee: 1.2% of the value. ¹
Value: each district's yearly circle-rate list; registration through the Department of Registration. ^15,16

Ladakh

Not clearly published. Ladakh's current rates aren't easy to find, and the few published figures don't agree. Ask the Sub-Registrar in Leh or Kargil before you plan. ¹⁴

Himachal Pradesh

Stamp duty: 6% for a man, 4% for a woman, 5% jointly. ^10,11
Larger deals: several sources report a higher rate of 8% above ₹50 lakh; some put the women's limit at ₹80 lakh. Confirm for your value. ^10,11
Registration fee: 2% of the value; several sources mention a cap of ₹25,000. ¹¹
Non-agriculturists: sources report a higher stamp duty (12%) when someone buys agricultural land with the State's permission under Section 118. Read our who can buy land where guide first. ¹⁰

Punjab

Stamp duty: 7% for a man, 5% for a woman, 6% jointly. ⁵
Extra cess: some sources add a 1% social infrastructure cess on top; others say it isn't charged on the sale deed. Ask the Sub-Registrar. ^6,7
Registration fee: 1% of the value; several sources show a cap of ₹2 lakh. ⁵

Chandigarh

Stamp duty: 6%, the same for men and women, as most recent sources report. A few show 4% for women, so confirm it. ^12,13
Registration fee: 1% of the value. ^12,13
Leasehold property: check the Estate Office's transfer charges too. See our land records guide.

Haryana

In towns: 7% for a man, 5% for a woman, 6% jointly. ⁸
In villages: 5% for a man, 3% for a woman, 4% jointly. ⁸
Registration fee: charged in slabs by value rather than a flat percentage; sources describe the slabs differently, so check the current fee for your value. ^8,9

Other costs on the day

Drafting the deed and a lawyer's fee.
Certified copies and, where needed, a fresh fard or no-dues certificate.
Brokerage, if an agent was involved. On Clayyard it is never more than 1% + GST from each side, paid only against Clayyard's invoice.
Later, the mutation. See Mutation after you buy.

Never show a lower price in the deed

Showing a lower price to save stamp duty is illegal and can bring penalties. The cash paid “outside” leaves no record, so it is lost if the deal goes wrong, a bank may lend less on a lower deed value, and the duty is still charged on the circle rate if that is higher. ^15,17

Work out your own figure

Use the stamp duty calculator: choose the region and who is buying, enter the price and, if you know it, the circle-rate value. Every rate can be changed to match what the Sub-Registrar tells you.

Sources

Want us to work out the full cost of a property you like? Contact us.