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What is Securities Transaction Tax (STT) and how is it calculated?

Securities Transaction Tax (STT) is a tax on buying and selling stocks and other securities on Indian stock exchanges.\

STT charges by order type

Order type Charges
Equity intraday 0.025% (₹25 per lakh) on the sell side
Equity delivery 0.1% (₹100 per lakh) on both the buy and sell side
Options (exercised) 0.125% of the intrinsic value on options that are bought and exercised
Options (shorted) 0.1% of the premium for options that are shorted
Futures 0.02% (₹20 per lakh) on the sell side

Effective April 2025 , STT rates on futures and options will change:

  • Futures: 0.05% on the sell side (up from 0.02%)
  • Options premium: 0.15% for options that are shorted (up from 0.1%)
  • Exercised options: 0.15% of the intrinsic value (up from 0.125%)

Rounding off STT

STT is rounded to the nearest rupee based on the paise portion:

  • If the paise portion is 50 or more, STT rounds up (e.g., ₹100.60 becomes ₹101).
  • If the paise portion is less than 50, STT rounds down (e.g., ₹100.40 becomes ₹100).

How to calculate average price for delivery trades

Since STT applies to both the buy and sell side for delivery trades, you need to calculate the average price first:

  • Average price = (Total cost to buy shares + Total revenue from selling shares) ÷ Total number of shares bought and sold
  • Average price = [(Buy Qty × Buy Price) + (Sell Qty × Sell Price)] ÷ (Buy Qty + Sell Qty)

Example calculations

Equity intraday

  • Buy: 500 shares at ₹100 each.
  • Sell: 500 shares at ₹105 each.
  • Average price = [(500 × ₹100) + (500 × ₹105)] ÷ 1,000 = ₹102.50
  • STT (on sell side) = 500 × ₹102.50 × 0.025% = ₹13 (₹12.81 rounded up)

Equity delivery

  • Buy: 500 shares at ₹100 each.
  • Sell: 500 shares at ₹105 each.
  • STT on buy = 500 × ₹100 × 0.1% = ₹50
  • STT on sell = 500 × ₹105 × 0.1% = ₹53 (₹52.50 rounded up)

Options

STT on the intrinsic value of an exercised option contract:

  • 1 lot of CE = 50 units
  • Strike price = ₹17,300
  • Spot price = ₹17,350
  • Intrinsic value for 1 lot = (₹17,350 − ₹17,300) × 50 units = ₹2,500
  • STT on intrinsic value = 0.125% × ₹2,500 = ₹3 (₹3.125 rounded up)

STT on premium:

  • 1 lot = 50 units
  • Strike price = ₹17,300
  • Premium received = ₹60 per lot
  • Total premium received = ₹60 × 50 units = ₹3,000
  • STT on premium = 0.1% × ₹3,000 = ₹3

Futures

  • Sell: 1 lot of XYZ futures contracts.
  • Price of 1 lot = ₹7,50,000
  • STT (on sell side) = 0.02% × ₹7,50,000 = ₹150

You can find all charges involved in trading and investing on the Zerodha charges page. Use the brokerage calculator to calculate charges for any specific trade.

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