Trade Configuration
Preset values based on discount brokers. Actual charges may vary.
Net Profit / Loss
₹0Gross P&L
₹0
Total Charges
₹0
Break-even Price
₹0
Total Turnover
₹0
Net Returns %
0%
Detailed Charges Breakdown
| Charge Component | Amount (₹) |
|---|---|
| Brokerage | ₹0 |
| STT / CTT (Securities Transaction Tax) | ₹0 |
| Transaction Charges (NSE/BSE Exchange) | ₹0 |
| GST (18% on Brokerage + Tx) | ₹0 |
| SEBI Charges | ₹0 |
| Stamp Duty | ₹0 |
| DP Charges (On Sell side) | ₹0 |
| Total Trading Charges | ₹0 |
Brokerage Charges for Zerodha vs Groww vs Upstox
Most popular discount brokers in India follow the "₹20 per order" model. However, their total charges vary based on specific components like DP charges and platform fees.
- Zerodha: Charges 0.03% or ₹20 (whichever is lower) for intraday. Delivery trades are free (₹0 brokerage). DP charges are ₹13.5 + GST per script.
- Groww: Charges a flat ₹20 or 0.05% per order for both intraday and delivery. This means even delivery trades cost brokerage on Groww.
- Upstox: Similar to Zerodha for intraday (₹20 or 0.05%). Delivery is often free or ₹20 depending on the plan.
Plan your long-term wealth after taxes using our Capital Gains Tax Calculator.
Which Broker is Cheapest in India?
Choosing the cheapest broker depends on your trading frequency and volume. If you are an active day trader, discount brokers with a flat fee (₹20 per order) are significantly cheaper than full-service brokers who charge a percentage (0.10% to 0.50%).
For small-ticket traders, a percentage-based model might be cheaper if the 0.03% calculation comes to less than ₹20. Use our Intraday Profit tool to see the exact percentage impact on your trade.
How Brokerage Affects Your Profit
High brokerage and taxes can turn a winning strategy into a losing one, especially for scalpers. Small trades (e.g., buying 10 shares of a ₹500 stock) are heavily penalized by flat ₹20 fees because the brokerage becomes 0.4% of the trade value before any taxes.
Overtrading Risk: Taking multiple trades with small targets often leads to "Brokerage Bleeding," where your broker makes more money than you. Always evaluate your Risk-Reward Ratio to ensure your profit targets are significantly higher than your transaction costs.
What are Trading Charges in India?
In India, the cost of a stock market trade is much more than just the price of the share. Every buy and sell order involves several statutory and non-statutory charges. These charges are often the difference between a profitable trade and a losing one. Track your net results using our Intraday Profit Tool.
Using a Brokerage Calculator is essential for active traders to know their exact break-even point. Whether you are doing Averaging or fresh entry, accounting for STT and GST is mandatory for accurate tax planning under Income Tax rules.
How Invisible Government Taxes Eat Into Your Trading Profits
If you ask most beginner traders how much it costs to buy a stock, they will tell you about the standard flat brokerage fee their app charges. They assume that if they make a quick profit of ₹500 on a trade, most of that money is theirs to keep. But when they open their contract note at the end of the day, they are often shocked to see that a huge chunk of their gain vanished into thin air.
The hidden costs you need to track on every single order:
- Government STT Taxes: Securities Transaction Tax is usually the biggest expense hiding in your trade. For delivery long-term investments, the government takes a full 0.1% of your entire trade value on both buy and sell orders. For intraday trades, it only hits you on the sell side, but it still adds up fast.
- The Double Brokerage Trap: While discount apps advertise cheap rates, remember that they charge you once when you buy and once when you sell. If you enter and exit a position five times in a morning, you are paying ten separate order fees regardless of whether you made money or lost it.
- Demat Account Pull Fees: Whenever you sell shares that you have held for more than a day, your broker has to pull them out of your electronic Demat account. This triggers a flat Depository Participant (DP) fee per company per day. If you sell small amounts of five different stocks, this flat fee alone can eat a huge portion of your small returns.
To stop your profits from getting drained by transaction fees, you have to find your break-even line before you place an order. Trading with larger position sizes or holding onto trades for bigger price targets helps dilute these fixed regulatory fees. Run your entry values through a breakdown map before you trade to ensure your strategy keeps more money in your pocket instead of leaking it to fees.
Example: Trading 100 Shares of SBI
Scenario: You buy 100 shares at ₹1000 and sell at ₹1010 on Intraday.
| Gross Profit (₹10 * 100) | ₹1,000.00 |
| Brokerage (₹20 Buy + ₹20 Sell) | - ₹40.00 |
| STT (0.025% on Sell) | - ₹25.25 |
| GST, SEBI & Others | - ₹12.50 approx. |
| Net Realized Profit | ₹922.25 approx. |
Indian Trading Charges Breakdown
1. STT / CTT
Securities Transaction Tax is the largest component. For Delivery, it's 0.1% on both sides. For Intraday, it's 0.025% on the sell side only. This is paid directly to the Govt of India.
2. Transaction Charges
Charged by the exchanges (NSE/BSE). It is currently approx 0.00297% for cash equity market turnover.
3. SEBI Charges
The regulator charges ₹10 per crore of turnover. This is a very small amount but mandatory for every single trade.
4. DP Charges
Depository Participant charges are applied by your broker when you sell shares from your Demat account (Delivery). This is usually a flat fee per script per day.
How to Reduce Your Trading Costs
Trade Larger Quantities
Since discount brokerage is capped at ₹20 per order, trading 1000 shares costs the same brokerage as 100 shares, making your effective cost per share much lower.
Use Delivery for Investing
If your view is long-term, avoid intraday to save on per-order brokerage. Most discount brokers like Zerodha and Groww offer ₹0 brokerage on delivery trades.
Limitations of this Calculator
- Statutory Rate Changes: SEBI, NSE, and Government tax rates (STT/GST) change occasionally. While we keep this updated for 2026, mid-year budget revisions may temporarily cause slight differences.
- Broker-Specific Rounding: Different brokers use slightly different rounding mechanisms for paise (e.g., rounding up vs truncating), which might cause a ₹1-₹2 variation in the final contract note.
Common Mistakes
- Ignoring DP Charges: Many investors forget that selling delivery shares incurs a flat DP charge (around ₹15.93) per stock per day, regardless of whether you sell 1 share or 1000 shares.
- Assuming 'Free' means ₹0 Cost: "Zero Brokerage" on delivery does NOT mean zero charges. You still have to pay 0.1% STT, 18% GST on exchange fees, Stamp Duty, and SEBI charges, which can be substantial on large amounts.