West Bengal Stamp Duty Calculator 2025–26

West Bengal Stamp Duty Rates 2025–26

Market Value Estimation (MVE) used as floor for stamp duty calculation. Check wbregistration.gov.in for area-wise MVE schedules.

What the duty is actually charged on

This is the single most common surprise at the registrar’s office. Stamp duty in West Bengal is not charged on what you agreed to pay — it is charged on the higher of the agreement value and the circle rate (also called the ready reckoner rate), the minimum valuation the state government publishes for each locality and revises annually.

If you negotiate a price below the circle rate for your area, you still pay duty on the circle rate. In a falling market that gap can be substantial, and it is the reason a quote based purely on the sale price comes in short. Check the circle rate for the exact locality — not the city average — before you budget.

Registration charges are separate

Stamp duty and registration are two different payments and people routinely budget only for the first. In West Bengal the stamp duty is 6% and the registration charge is a further 1% on the same valuation.

Neither is included in your home loan sanction. Lenders fund a percentage of the property value and these costs sit outside it, so they come out of the same savings as your down payment — the most common reason a buyer is short at closing.

What this estimate does not cover

• GST on under-construction property. Ready properties and resale carry no GST; under-construction does, and it is charged separately from stamp duty. See the GST on property calculator.
• Legal and documentation fees. Drafting, title verification and the registrar’s facilitation charges.
• Society transfer and NOC charges on a resale flat, set by the housing society rather than the state.
• TDS on the purchase. Buyers must deduct TDS where the consideration crosses the statutory threshold — see the TDS on property calculator.

How and when you pay

Stamp duty is paid before or at the time of registration, and registration has to happen within four months of the document being executed. Most states now use e-stamping through SHCIL or the state’s own portal rather than physical stamp paper.

Undervaluing the transaction to reduce duty is the risk worth naming: the registrar can refer the document for valuation, and a shortfall attracts the deficit plus penalty and interest. Since the duty is assessed on the circle rate anyway, an under-declared sale price usually saves nothing and creates exposure.

Rates shown are the headline residential rates for West Bengal and are a planning estimate. States revise circle rates annually and run periodic concessions, and municipal cess can apply on top in some cities. Confirm the current figure with the sub-registrar’s office or the state revenue portal before you transfer funds — and treat this as a starting point for a conversation with your lawyer, not as tax advice.

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