Brokerage Calculator

What Is Brokerage in Stock Trading?

Brokerage is the fee charged by a stockbroker for executing your buy or sell orders on a stock exchange. Every time you trade shares, derivatives or commodities, your broker charges a fee for facilitating the transaction. In India, brokerage models vary between discount brokers and full-service brokers.

Discount brokers charge low flat fees — often zero for delivery trades and a flat per-order fee for intraday and F&O trades. Full-service brokers charge a percentage of the turnover, typically between 0.50% and 0.75%. The difference can be substantial: on a ₹1 lakh trade, a discount broker might charge ₹0 or ₹20, while a full-service broker could charge ₹500 to ₹750.

Our brokerage calculator helps you estimate charges for any trade type using a common discount broker pricing model. The calculator breaks down every charge component. All results are estimates — actual charges depend on your specific broker, exchange and applicable statutory rates.

Brokerage Charges Explained

When you place a trade, the total cost is not just the brokerage fee. There are seven components that make up your total transaction cost:

1. Brokerage — The broker's fee for executing the trade.
2. STT (Securities Transaction Tax) — A government tax on stock market transactions. Rates vary by trade type and whether it is buy or sell.
3. Exchange Transaction Charges — Fees charged by NSE/BSE for using their trading platform.
4. GST — 18% Goods and Services Tax applied on the total of brokerage fees plus exchange charges.
5. Stamp Duty — A state-level tax on the buy side of securities transactions.
6. SEBI Charges — Regulatory fee of ₹10 per crore of turnover.
7. DP Charges — Depository participant fee for selling delivery shares (varies by depository and broker).

Each charge applies differently depending on your trade type. The calculator above computes all seven.

Delivery vs Intraday Brokerage

The biggest difference in brokerage between delivery and intraday trading is how the charges are structured:

For example, a delivery trade of ₹15,000 buy and ₹16,000 sell has zero brokerage but ₹31 in STT plus applicable DP charges. The same trade done as intraday has brokerage (capped) but only ₹4 in STT. Delivery has the advantage of allowing you to hold shares for long-term gains.

Futures Brokerage

Futures and Options (F&O) trades are charged at a flat rate of ₹20 per executed order by most discount brokers. Since each trade has a buy order and a sell order, the total brokerage for a complete futures trade is ₹40.

STT on futures is 0.05% on the sell side. Exchange transaction charges for futures are 0.0019% of turnover. The calculator handles futures trades with these rates and the appropriate exchange and regulatory charges.

Options Brokerage

Options trading charges are based on the premium value rather than the full contract value. For options, the buy and sell prices you enter are the premium per share. The total turnover is the premium multiplied by the quantity.

Key charges for options trades:

• Brokerage: ₹20 per order (₹40 round trip), same as futures
• STT: 0.15% on the sell side premium value only
• Exchange charges: 0.035% of premium value
• Stamp duty: 0.0001% on the buy side premium value only

STT (Securities Transaction Tax)

STT is one of the most significant costs in stock trading. The rates for 2026 are:

• Equity Delivery (Buy): 0.1% of turnover
• Equity Delivery (Sell): 0.1% of turnover
• Intraday (Buy): Nil
• Intraday (Sell): 0.025% of turnover
• Futures (Buy): Nil
• Futures (Sell): 0.05% of turnover
• Options (Buy): Nil
• Options (Sell): 0.15% of premium value

STT is a non-negotiable cost collected by the broker and remitted to the government. Use the calculator to factor STT into your trade planning.

GST on Brokerage

GST of 18% is charged on the total of brokerage fees plus exchange transaction charges. GST is not charged on STT, stamp duty or SEBI fees — only on the service component (brokerage + exchange charges).

Stamp Duty on Trades

Stamp duty is a state-level tax on securities transactions. Since July 2020, stamp duty rates have been standardized across India. The rates are:

• Equity Delivery: 0.015% on buy value
• Intraday: 0.003% on buy value
• Futures: 0.002% on buy value
• Options: 0.0001% on buy side premium value

DP Charges for Delivery Selling

DP (Depository Participant) charges apply when you sell delivery shares held in your demat account. These are levied by the depository (CDSL or NSDL) plus the broker's processing fee. Typical CDSL charges are about ₹15.93 per sell transaction, while NSDL charges about ₹13.14. However, actual DP charges vary by broker.

DP charges do not apply to intraday trades (shares are not delivered), futures (settled in cash), or options (premium-based settlement). The calculator includes an editable DP charges field visible when Equity Delivery is selected.

SEBI Charges

The Securities and Exchange Board of India charges a regulatory fee of ₹10 per crore of turnover (both buy and sell sides combined). This works out to approximately 0.0001% of the total turnover. It applies to every trade without exception.

Brokerage Calculation Examples

Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Ignoring STT in profit calculations — Many traders calculate profit based only on brokerage and forget that STT can be larger than brokerage itself, especially for delivery trades.
2. Not accounting for exchange charges — Exchange transaction charges, though small per trade (0.00345%), add up for high-frequency traders.
3. Overlooking GST on brokerage — GST at 18% on the total of brokerage and exchange charges is often missed in manual calculations.
4. Assuming all brokers charge the same — Full-service brokers charge percentage-based fees that can be 10-20 times higher than discount brokers for the same trade.
5. Forgetting stamp duty on buy side — Stamp duty applies to every buy transaction and varies by trade type.
6. Not accounting for DP charges on delivery sell — DP charges of ₹13-16 per sell transaction add up for frequent delivery traders.
7. Not calculating break-even price — Entering a trade without knowing the exact price needed to break even can lead to unexpected losses.

Use the calculator above to check all charges before entering a trade.

Tips to Reduce Brokerage in Indian Stock Trading

1. Use a discount broker — Switch from full-service brokers to discount brokers. You can save 90% or more on brokerage fees.
2. Prefer delivery over intraday for long-term positions — Delivery trades have zero brokerage with discount brokers.
3. Reduce trade frequency — Each trade costs money. Overtrading is one of the biggest profit-killers.
4. Use limit orders — Better price control can save you from slippage costs that often exceed brokerage.
5. Bundle your trades — Combine small orders into fewer larger ones. Brokerage per order is often the same regardless of size.
6. Track all charges diligently — Use the calculator to see the true cost of each trade.

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