Key points
- Duty is charged on the higher of the agreed price and the ready reckoner (Annual Statement of Rates) value.
- The total rate depends on location: surcharges such as a metro cess and local body charges apply in many city areas.
- A concession applies where a woman buys a residential property in her own name, subject to the notification's conditions.
- In Maharashtra an agreement for sale of a flat under construction is stamped and registered when signed.
- Rates and fees change; confirm on the Department of Registration and Stamps' portal before paying.
The short answer
In Maharashtra, stamp duty on a sale is charged under the Maharashtra Stamp Act, 1958 on the higher of the price in the document and the market value worked out from the Annual Statement of Rates, commonly called the ready reckoner. The base duty on a conveyance has surcharges added in many urban areas, including a metro cess in cities where one is levied and local body charges, which is why a total of 6 per cent is commonly quoted for Mumbai. A woman buying a residential property in her own name gets a concession. The registration fee is commonly 1 per cent of the value, capped at ₹30,000 for most property transactions.
Those are the figures our stamp duty table records for Maharashtra, from the Department of Registration and Stamps. Rates, surcharges, caps and concessions are changed by notification, so confirm the figure for the exact property on the department's portal (igrmaharashtra.gov.in) and its calculator before you pay. Our Maharashtra stamp duty calculator gives a first estimate, and the Maharashtra state guide brings together the rate, the land records and the RERA authority.
How the duty is worked out
Find the market value: the Department of Registration and Stamps publishes the Annual Statement of Rates for each zone and sub-zone, usually revised at the start of the financial year. It gives rates per square metre for open land, residential, office, shop and industrial use, with adjustments for floor, lift, age of building and other factors set out in its guidelines. Use the area in the document (usually built-up area for the valuation) and the rate for the property's zone to work out the market value.
Compare it with the agreed price. Duty is charged on the higher of the two. If the sub-registrar thinks a document is undervalued, it can be referred to the Collector of Stamps under section 32A of the Act for the market value to be determined, and the deficit collected.
Apply the rate for the location and the buyer. The rate on a conveyance depends on whether the property is within a municipal corporation, a municipal council, a cantonment or a gram panchayat area, and on the surcharges that apply there. The concession for women applies to residential property purchased in a woman's sole name, and the notification attaches conditions about later sale; read them before relying on it.
Illustrative example
Assumed round numbers only, using the figures in our table: a resale flat in Mumbai is agreed at ₹1.5 crore, and the ready reckoner value works out to ₹1.35 crore. Duty is charged on the higher figure, ₹1.5 crore. At a total of 6 per cent, the stamp duty is ₹9 lakh; at 1 per cent capped at ₹30,000, the registration fee is ₹30,000. If the agreed price were ₹1.3 crore, duty would still be charged on ₹1.35 crore.
If the buyer were a woman buying in her sole name and meeting the notification's conditions, the concession would reduce the duty. Run your own figures on our Maharashtra calculator and then confirm them on the department's portal, because the rate for your exact location may differ.
Under-construction flats: duty at the agreement stage
In Maharashtra, an agreement to sell under which possession is given or agreed to be given is charged as a conveyance (the explanation to Article 25 of the Schedule to the Act). In practice, the agreement for sale of a flat in a new project is stamped and registered when it is signed, and the full duty is paid then, not at possession.
Under section 13 of the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016, a promoter cannot take more than 10 per cent of the cost as an advance or application fee without first entering into a registered agreement for sale. Check the project's MahaRERA registration before you pay anything, and see our guide to buying under construction.
Paying the duty
Most buyers pay through GRAS, the Government Receipt Accounting System (gras.mahakosh.gov.in), which generates an e-challan that is attached to the document. Other modes, such as franking through authorised banks and e-SBTR (electronic secure bank and treasury receipts), are also accepted. Pay in the name of the buyer, for the right document type, and keep the challan.
If the deal falls through after you have paid, the Act provides for refunds of unused or spoiled stamps on application within time limits. Apply promptly; the limits are strict.
Registration at the sub-registrar's office
Documents are registered under the Registration Act, 1908. Section 23 allows four months from execution for presentation; a further delay can be condoned under section 25 on payment of a fine. Do not rely on this; register promptly.
Book an appointment through the department's portal, upload the document details where the public data entry system allows it, and attend the sub-registrar's office for the area with the seller, the buyer and two witnesses, all with original identity documents and PAN. The registering officer records the document, takes photographs and thumb impressions, and returns the scanned registered copy. The Index II extract summarises the registered document and is often asked for by lenders and societies.
Under the Registration Act, a sale deed for immovable property worth ₹100 or more must be registered; an unregistered sale deed does not transfer ownership.
Resale flats: checks specific to Maharashtra
Ask for the previous agreements in the chain and check that each was adequately stamped and registered. Older agreements in Mumbai and other cities were sometimes under-stamped; a deficit can be recovered with a penalty, and a buyer's lawyer will flag it.
In a co-operative housing society, the society transfers the share certificate after the sale; check the society's NOC requirements, transfer premium and dues under its bye-laws. For land, check the 7/12 extract on the state's Mahabhumi portal; in cities, the property card kept by the City Survey office. Search the registered documents on the department's e-search for any mortgage or earlier sale.
After registration, apply for the society transfer and for mutation of the municipal property tax record into your name. In many areas the registration office sends an intimation for the land record to be updated, but check that the change is actually made.
Other documents: leave and licence and gifts
Leave and licence agreements must be registered in Maharashtra whatever their term, under section 55 of the Maharashtra Rent Control Act, 1999, and can be registered online. See our guide to rent agreement registration.
Gifts of residential property to certain close family members attract a concessional duty under the Schedule to the Act; check the current Article and its conditions before you draft a gift deed.
Common mistakes
Budgeting on the agreed price when the ready reckoner value is higher.
Assuming the Mumbai rate applies across the state; surcharges differ by area.
Claiming the concession for a woman buyer when the property is jointly held with a man or is not residential, without checking the notification.
Paying a large advance on an under-construction flat without a registered agreement for sale.
Not checking that earlier agreements in a resale chain were properly stamped.
Common questions
What is the stamp duty in Mumbai?
A total of 6 per cent of the higher of the price and the ready reckoner value is commonly quoted for Mumbai, including the metro cess, with a concession for a woman buying residential property in her name. Confirm the current rate on the Department of Registration and Stamps' portal.
What is the registration fee in Maharashtra?
Commonly 1 per cent of the value, capped at ₹30,000 for most property transactions. Some documents have different fees; check the department's fee table.
Is stamp duty in Maharashtra charged on the agreement value or the ready reckoner value?
On the higher of the two.
When is stamp duty paid on an under-construction flat in Maharashtra?
When the agreement for sale is signed and registered. An agreement under which possession is given or agreed to be given is charged as a conveyance.
How do I pay stamp duty in Maharashtra online?
Through GRAS (gras.mahakosh.gov.in), which generates an e-challan for the document. Franking and e-SBTR through authorised banks are other options.
Sources
- Maharashtra Stamp Act, 1958, section 32A and Schedule I, Article 25 and its explanation; Department of Registration and Stamps, Maharashtra (igrmaharashtra.gov.in): Annual Statement of Rates, stamp duty and fee tables, e-search; checked 9 October 2026
- Registration Act, 1908, sections 17, 23 and 25, indiacode.nic.in; checked 9 October 2026
- Government Receipt Accounting System, Government of Maharashtra (gras.mahakosh.gov.in); checked 9 October 2026
- Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016, section 13; MahaRERA (maharera.maharashtra.gov.in); checked 9 October 2026
- Maharashtra Rent Control Act, 1999, section 55; checked 9 October 2026
- This site's stamp duty table for Maharashtra (source: Department of Registration and Stamps, Maharashtra), shown on the Maharashtra stamp duty calculator
Last checked 2026-10-09.