Oquilia Markets Lab
What a trade really costs
Every charge on one buy and one sell of shares, futures or options, at the rates in force today, and the price the trade must reach just to break even. Rates checked on 25 October 2026 against NSE, BSE, SEBI and Income Tax Department sources.
Your trade
What it really costs
| Brokerage | Rs 40.00 |
| Securities Transaction Tax | Rs 101.00 |
| Exchange transaction charges | Rs 3.10 |
| SEBI turnover fee | Rs 0.10 |
| Stamp duty | Rs 7.50 |
| GST | Rs 7.78 |
| Total charges | Rs 159.48 |
- Gross profit or loss
- Rs 1,000.00
- After charges
- Rs 840.52
- Break-even sell price
- Rs 501.59
- Rs 1.59 above your buy price, 0.32%
- Charges as a share of
- 0.158%
- of turnover; 15.9% of your gross profit
Statutory charges at the rates on this page. Brokerage and DP charges are what you enter. Income tax is estimated below.
And then income tax
Shares held as investments are taxed as capital gains. Charges reduce the gain, except STT, which the law does not let you deduct.
- Taxed as short-term capital gain
- Rs 941.52
- Estimated tax, with 4% cess
- Rs 195.84
- Left after charges and tax
- Rs 644.68
A one-trade estimate before surcharge. Your actual tax depends on all your income and gains for the year.
The rates this calculator uses, and where they come from
| Charge | Rate | In force since |
|---|---|---|
| STT, futures and options | Futures 0.05% of sale value; options 0.15% of premium on sale; exercised options 0.15% of intrinsic value | 1 April 2026 |
| STT, shares | Delivery 0.1% on buy and sell; intraday 0.025% on sell | Unchanged by the Finance Acts of 2024 and 2026 |
| NSE transaction charges | Cash Rs 306.99, futures Rs 182.99, options Rs 3,552.99 (of premium) per crore, each side; IPFT Rs 0.01 per crore | 1 March 2026 |
| BSE transaction charges, cash | Rs 375 per crore (groups A, B and other non-exclusive scrips) | 1 December 2022 |
| BSE transaction charges, derivatives | Sensex and Bankex options Rs 3,250 per crore of premium; futures nil | 1 October 2024 |
| SEBI turnover fee | Rs 10 per crore of turnover, each side (options: on premium) | SEBI (Stock Brokers) Regulations, 2026, regulation 41(1) |
| Stamp duty (buyer) | Delivery 0.015%, intraday 0.003%, futures 0.002%, options 0.003% of premium | 1 July 2020 |
| GST | 18% on brokerage, exchange transaction charges and the SEBI fee; not on STT or stamp duty | 1 July 2017 (SEBI fee: 18 July 2022) |
| Capital gains on listed shares and equity funds | Short-term 20%; long-term 12.5% on gains above Rs 1,25,000 a year; long-term after 12 months | Rates since 23 July 2024; Income-tax Act, 2025 sections 196 and 198 from 1 April 2026 |
Questions
What changed in trading charges in 2026?
From 1 April 2026 the Finance Act 2026 raised STT on futures from 0.02% to 0.05% of the sale value, on options from 0.1% to 0.15% of the premium on sale, and on exercised options from 0.125% to 0.15%. From 1 March 2026 NSE folded its Investor Protection Fund charge into the transaction charge, so the IPFT line is now Rs 0.01 per crore.
Which charges are fixed by law, and which by my broker?
STT, stamp duty, the SEBI turnover fee and GST are set by law; exchange transaction charges are set by NSE and BSE. Brokerage and the depository (DP) charge on a delivery sale are set by your broker, so the calculator asks you for them.
What does the break-even price mean?
The sell price (or, for options, the premium) at which the profit just covers every charge on the round trip. Below it you lose money even if the price went up.
Is STT deductible when I pay tax?
Not from capital gains on shares held as investments. It is deductible from business income, which is how intraday trading (speculative) and futures and options (non-speculative) are taxed.
What does the calculator leave out?
Surcharge on high incomes, the STT and charges when an option is exercised rather than sold, product-specific exchange waivers (for example NSE's on Nifty India FPI 150 derivatives until 28 February 2027), and BSE groups X, XT and Z, which pay a higher transaction charge.
What this page is not
It is arithmetic, not advice. It says nothing about whether any trade is a good idea, and Oquilia takes no view on any security. SEBI’s own studies found that most individual traders in equity futures and options lost money; the charges on this page are one reason why. If a figure here is wrong, write to editor@oquilia.com with the correcting circular and we will fix it.
More tools are coming to the Markets Lab.