Stamp Duty & Registration Charges in Maharashtra (2026): Full Breakdown
Dasadia Editorial Team · Updated July 2026
After the price of the flat itself, stamp duty and registration are the biggest cheques you will write when buying a home in Maharashtra — often several lakh rupees — yet they are widely misunderstood. The rate depends on your city, the value it is charged on is not always the price you paid, and a woman buying alone pays 1% less. This 2026 guide breaks it all down: the rates across the state, the women’s concession, the Ready Reckoner rate that sets the base, a worked example, and the tax break you can claim.
Key takeaways
- In Mumbai, stamp duty is 6% for men and 5% for women, including a 1% metro cess.
- Pune, Thane and Nagpur are higher at 7% (men) and 6% (women), as they add a 1% local body tax.
- The registration fee is 1% of the value, capped at a flat ₹30,000 for property above ₹30 lakh.
- Duty is charged on the higher of your agreement value or the Ready Reckoner rate — check the latter first.
- A woman buying alone saves a full 1% — and, as of 2026, with no resale lock-in.
- On a ₹1 crore Mumbai flat, the total is about ₹6.3 lakh (male) or ₹5.3 lakh (female).
- Stamp duty and registration qualify for a Section 80C tax deduction in the year of purchase.
- From January 2026, underpaying stamp duty can attract a penalty of up to ₹1 lakh.
Source: IGR Maharashtra · HomeFirst
What stamp duty and registration are
Two separate charges land on every property purchase in Maharashtra, on top of the price you agree with the seller. The first is stamp duty — a tax the state levies on the transaction document itself, under the Maharashtra Stamp Act of 1958, which legally validates your sale deed or agreement. The second is the registration fee — the charge for recording that document with the sub-registrar, under the Registration Act, which puts your ownership on the public record. Both are compulsory: without paying stamp duty your document is not legally valid, and without registration your purchase is not recognised in government records. Crucially, both are calculated not on a fixed figure but on the value of the property, and — as we will see — on a value the government, not just you and the seller, has a say in.
Source: IGR Maharashtra · India Post
Stamp duty rates across Maharashtra in 2026
Maharashtra is distinctive for how much its stamp duty varies — by city, and by the buyer’s gender. The base rate is 5%, but municipal areas layer on a 1% metro cess and, in some cities, a 1% local body tax, while women buyers get a 1% concession. The upshot is that the same flat can cost differently to register depending on where it is and whose name it is in. This table sets out the 2026 rates.
Rural and smaller-town rates are lower, reflecting the absence of the metro cess and, in villages, the local body tax.
Source: HomeFirst · India Post
Registration charges and the women's concession
The registration fee is refreshingly simple: 1% of the property’s value, but capped at ₹30,000 for any property above ₹30 lakh — so on a ₹1 crore or a ₹5 crore flat, the registration charge is the same flat ₹30,000. It is the same across urban and rural Maharashtra. The women’s concession, by contrast, has conditions worth understanding. Women buyers pay 1% less stamp duty — 5% instead of 6% in Mumbai — but only on residential property, and only when every owner on the deed is female; add a male co-owner, even a spouse, and the full male rate applies to the whole transaction. The concession, introduced in 2021, became more attractive in 2026: the earlier rule that forced a woman to repay the 1% saving if she sold within 15 years has been removed, so the benefit now comes with no resale lock-in at all.
Source: India Post · Godrej Capital
What value it's charged on: the Ready Reckoner rate
Here is the point that catches buyers out: stamp duty is not necessarily calculated on the price you paid. The law charges it on the higher of your agreement value or the Ready Reckoner rate — the government’s notified minimum value per square metre for your specific locality, published each year by the Revenue Department, usually around the start of April. The logic is to stop people under-declaring a sale to dodge duty: if the Ready Reckoner value of your flat is higher than what you agreed, the duty is charged on that higher figure. In much of prime Mumbai the opposite is true — market prices run well above the Ready Reckoner rate, sometimes two or three times higher, so duty is charged on the agreement value. Either way, the golden rule is to look up the Ready Reckoner rate for your building on the IGR Maharashtra portal before you sign, so there are no surprises at the sub-registrar’s desk, where an under-calculation will simply be recalculated and demanded on the spot.
Source: IGR Maharashtra · India Post
A worked example: the total on a Mumbai flat
A worked example makes the total concrete. Take a flat in Mumbai bought for ₹1 crore, and the same calculation for a ₹2 crore flat, assuming the agreement value is at or above the Ready Reckoner rate.
So on a ₹1 crore Mumbai flat, a male buyer pays ₹6.3 lakh all-in and a female buyer ₹5.3 lakh — a genuine ₹1 lakh saving from sole female ownership. These figures exclude any GST on an under-construction flat, stamp duty on the loan document, and legal fees.
Source: India Post · HomeFirst
Stamp duty on gifts, leases and a Power of Attorney
Stamp duty is not only about buying — it attaches to several other property instruments, at very different rates. A gift deed to a close family member — a spouse, child, parent, sibling or grandchild — attracts only a nominal stamp duty of ₹200 (plus metro cess) for a residential or agricultural property, which makes gifting within the family remarkably cheap; a gift to anyone outside that circle, however, is charged at 3% of the property’s value. A leave-and-licence (rent) agreement must be both stamped and registered in Maharashtra regardless of its duration, with stamp duty of about 0.25% of the total rent and deposit over the term. And a Power of Attorney relating to property attracts only nominal stamp duty — around ₹500 — when given to a close relative, but far more when given to an outsider. In each case, the ₹30,000-capped registration fee may also apply.
Source: Godrej Capital · HomeFirst
How to pay, penalties, and the 80C tax benefit
Paying is now largely online. Stamp duty is remitted through the Government Receipt Accounting System, or GRAS, on the Maharashtra portal, generating an e-challan you carry to the sub-registrar; registration is booked and completed at the sub-registrar’s office, where both buyer and seller attend with two witnesses and their identity documents. Two timing rules matter: register the document within four months of paying the stamp duty, or you may have to pay again; and from January 2026, Maharashtra has introduced a penalty of up to ₹1 lakh for underpaying stamp duty, on top of recovering the shortfall — a strong reason to get the calculation right. There is a silver lining, though: the stamp duty and registration you pay on a new home are eligible for a tax deduction under Section 80C, up to the overall ₹1.5 lakh limit, in the year of purchase — available under the old tax regime for a self-occupied residential property. It is a one-time benefit, so claim it in the right year.
Source: GRAS Maharashtra · Godrej Capital
The bottom line
Stamp duty and registration are the largest transaction costs on a Maharashtra property after the price itself, and they reward a little planning. Remember the essentials: the rate depends on your city and, for women buyers, whose name the flat is in; the duty is charged on the higher of your agreement value or the Ready Reckoner rate, so always check the latter first; the registration fee is a flat ₹30,000 above ₹30 lakh; and a sole female buyer saves a full 1%. Budget for these on top of the price and any GST, pay through the official portal, register within four months, and claim your 80C deduction. Get the numbers right at the start, and you protect both your finances and the legal foundation of your ownership.
Frequently asked questions
In Mumbai, stamp duty is 6% for men and 5% for women (including the metro cess), plus a registration fee of 1% capped at ₹30,000. Rates are higher in Pune, Thane and Nagpur, and lower in rural areas.
6% of the property value for male buyers — a 5% base rate plus a 1% metro cess — and 5% for female buyers, on the higher of the agreement value or the Ready Reckoner rate.
1% of the property’s value, capped at ₹30,000 for any property above ₹30 lakh. So on a ₹1 crore flat, the registration fee is a flat ₹30,000.
Yes. Women buyers pay 1% less stamp duty on residential property, but only when every owner on the deed is female. As of 2026, the earlier 15-year resale lock-in on this concession has been removed.
On the higher of the agreement value or the Ready Reckoner rate — the government’s notified minimum value for the locality. Always check the Ready Reckoner rate on the IGR Maharashtra portal before signing.
The government-notified minimum value per square metre for a locality, revised annually around April. It sets a floor below which property cannot be valued for stamp duty, to prevent under-declaration.
About ₹6 lakh for a male buyer (6%) or ₹5 lakh for a female buyer (5%), plus a ₹30,000 registration fee — a total of ₹6.3 lakh or ₹5.3 lakh respectively.
No. Pune, Thane and Nagpur are typically 7% for men and 6% for women, as they add a 1% local body tax on top of the base rate and metro cess. Mumbai includes only the metro cess.
A nominal ₹200 (plus metro cess) when gifting a residential or agricultural property to a close family member, but 3% of the value for a gift to someone outside the immediate family.
Yes. Stamp duty and registration on a new self-occupied home qualify for a deduction under Section 80C, within the overall ₹1.5 lakh limit, in the year of purchase, under the old tax regime.
Online through the GRAS portal, which generates an e-challan you present at the sub-registrar’s office, where both parties register the document with witnesses. Register within four months of payment.
From January 2026, underpaying can attract a penalty of up to ₹1 lakh, in addition to recovering the shortfall. An under-calculation is also typically caught and demanded at the sub-registrar’s desk, delaying registration.
Verified — key facts
- Stamp duty (Maharashtra Stamp Act, 1958) and a registration fee (Registration Act) both apply to a property purchase, charged on the higher of the agreement value or the Ready Reckoner rate.
- Mumbai stamp duty 2026: 6% male / 5% female (5%/4% base + 1% metro cess); Pune, Thane, Nagpur and Navi Mumbai: 7% male / 6% female (base + metro cess + 1% local body tax); other municipal corporations 6%/5%; municipal council and rural areas approximately 3-4% / 2-3%.
- Registration fee: 1% of value, capped at ₹30,000 for properties above ₹30 lakh; uniform across urban and rural areas.
- Women's concession: 1% lower stamp duty on residential property, only when all owners are female; introduced 2021, with the 15-year resale lock-in removed in 2026.
- The Ready Reckoner (circle) rate is the government's notified minimum value per square metre, revised annually (around April); stamp duty is on the higher of it or the agreement value.
- On a ₹1 crore Mumbai flat: total ₹6,30,000 (male) or ₹5,30,000 (female), excluding GST, loan-document stamp duty and legal fees; a gift to close family attracts ₹200 (3% to others); a leave-and-licence must be stamped and registered.
- Stamp duty and registration qualify for a Section 80C deduction (up to ₹1.5 lakh, old regime) in the year of purchase; register within 4 months of payment; from January 2026 a penalty up to ₹1 lakh applies for underpayment.
Sources & references
- IGR Maharashtra — Department of Registration & Stamps
- GRAS Maharashtra — Government Receipt Accounting System
- HomeFirst — stamp duty & registration charges in Maharashtra 2026
- Godrej Capital — stamp duty & registration charges in Maharashtra
- India Post — stamp duty in Maharashtra 2026: Mumbai & Pune rates
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and is not legal, tax or financial advice. Stamp duty rates, cesses, the local body tax, registration fees, the women’s concession, Ready Reckoner rates and penalties are set by the Government of Maharashtra, vary by locality and jurisdiction, and can change by notification at any time. The worked example is illustrative. Always verify the current rates and the Ready Reckoner value for your specific property on the official IGR Maharashtra portal, and consult a qualified professional or your sub-registrar, before making any payment or registering a document.
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