Brokerage Calculator
Calculate the true all-in cost of buying and selling stocks in India. Includes brokerage, STT, exchange fees, SEBI charges, stamp duty, 18% GST, and DP charges. For Zerodha, Groww, Upstox, Angel, Kotak Securities.
Details
Result
Net Profit (after all charges)
₹963
Gross Profit
₹1,000
Total Charges
₹37
STT
₹21
Stamp Duty + Exchange + SEBI
₹2
GST 18%
₹0
DP Charges
₹14
Breakeven Sell Price
₹100
For estimation only. Not professional financial, tax, or legal advice. Consult a qualified advisor before making decisions. Full disclaimer.
What you actually pay when you trade Indian stocks
The brokerage fee is just the headline. The full cost of one round-trip stock trade in India includes 7 different charges. Most discount brokers (Zerodha, Groww, Upstox) advertise "₹0 brokerage on delivery" — true, but the other 6 charges still apply, totaling 0.10-0.20% of turnover for delivery and 0.04-0.06% for intraday.
The 7 charges, broken down
- Brokerage: Zerodha/Groww/Upstox: ₹0 delivery, ₹20 flat or 0.03% intraday. Full-service brokers (Sharekhan, Motilal Oswal): 0.5-1.0% per side.
- STT (Securities Transaction Tax): 0.1% on both buy and sell for delivery. 0.025% on sell only for intraday. F&O has its own rates.
- Exchange transaction charges: ~0.00322% on NSE, ~0.00375% on BSE per trade. Tiny but real.
- SEBI charges: ₹10 per ₹1 crore turnover. Negligible for retail.
- Stamp duty: 0.015% on buy side for delivery, 0.003% for intraday. Levied by state of issuance.
- GST 18%: On (brokerage + exchange + SEBI) — i.e., on services, not on STT.
- DP charges: ₹13.5-25 per scrip on each delivery sell day. CDSL/NSDL charge — broker passes through.
The hidden cost: DP charges on selling
Every time you SELL a stock from your demat account (delivery), the depository (CDSL/NSDL) charges ₹13.5-25 per ISIN. Brokers usually pass this through. If you sell 50 different stocks on the same day, that's ~₹675-₹1,250 just in DP fees — regardless of trade value. This is where small-quantity day-traders get disproportionately hit.
Discount vs full-service: when each makes sense
- Discount brokers(Zerodha, Groww, Upstox, 5paisa, Angel One): ₹0 delivery brokerage, ₹20 flat intraday/F&O. Self-execution. Best for most retail investors. ~95% of new accounts go to discount brokers in 2026.
- Full-service brokers(HDFC Securities, ICICI Direct, Motilal Oswal, Sharekhan): 0.3-1.0% brokerage, but include research reports, relationship managers, IPO advisory. Worth it only if you'll actually use the research.
Breakeven: how much does the stock need to rise to cover charges?
For a typical ₹50,000 delivery trade on Zerodha: total round-trip charges ~₹100. So you need the stock to rise 0.20% just to break even. Hold for >1 day before selling — even tiny day-to-day moves can wipe out fees.
Tax on profits
Brokerage charges reduce your taxable gain — they're cost of acquisition/sale. Always include them when you compute capital gains. Use our capital gains calculator to see the tax impact of your trades.
Tips to keep costs low
- Avoid frequent small trades. The ₹20 flat brokerage hurts a lot more on a ₹2,000 trade than on a ₹2 lakh trade.
- Batch your sells. Selling 5 stocks on the same day costs ₹13.5 × 5 = ₹67.5 in DP charges — same as 5 separate days but pays the depository once each.
- Skip MTF (Margin Trading Facility) unless you understand the daily interest cost (12-18% APR + GST).
- Compare effective brokerage not headline. Some brokers charge ₹0 brokerage but high AMC — check our broker comparison.