Delhi Circle Rates by Colony Category A to H, Explained
Contents
Every property registered in Delhi has a government floor value. That floor is the circle rate Delhi buyers and sellers keep hearing about. Circle rates are minimum property values set by the government. They decide how much stamp duty you pay. If your deal price is below the circle value, they can also decide how much income tax you pay.
This guide explains the A to H colony categories, how to find your colony, how to work out the minimum value of a plot, flat or builder floor, and what happens if you register below that floor. All rupee figures come from published summaries of the Delhi notification. Please confirm them with the Revenue Department or your sub-registrar before you sign anything.
Where Delhi’s circle rates stand today (October 2026)
The rates in force were notified on 20 September 2014 and took effect on 23 September 2014. Residential and commercial rates were last revised in 2014. Agricultural land rates were last revised in 2008.
A revision has been discussed for some time. A review committee was announced in June 2025. Reports say it may raise rates by up to 35% and add an “A+” category. One tracker, checked on 18 October 2026, says no revised notification has been issued for Delhi’s residential and commercial categories.
Not every source agrees. One blog says the 2026 rates have already been revised upward by 5 to 20%. Other pages, including some updated this month, say nothing has been notified. The figures proposed for each category also differ between reports. Treat every proposed number as unconfirmed until it appears in an official notification.
Temporary relief has also existed. In February 2021 the Delhi government cut circle rates by 20% for all categories, initially until 30 September 2021. It was extended several times after that. Do not assume any such discount applies now. Ask the sub-registrar which values are being used on the day you register.
How colonies get their A to H category
Delhi has eight categories of localities, from A to H. Category A is the most affluent and Category H the most economically weak. In rough terms:
- Category A includes Golf Links, Vasant Vihar and Jor Bagh. Category B includes Greater Kailash and Defence Colony. Tagore Garden and Subhash Nagar sit in Category C.
- Categories D and E mostly cover colonies built for low- and middle-income flats, along with resettlement colonies.
- Categories F, G and H mostly cover unauthorised colonies.
These are broad patterns, not rules. Check your own colony’s category instead of guessing from the neighbourhood’s reputation.
The categories are not drawn up for registration alone. The A to H list is taken from the classification the MCD’s Municipal Valuation Committee uses for property tax, which covers roughly 2,600 colonies. This matches the 2012 revision, when the Delhi Cabinet said it was aligning circle rates with the property-tax categories set by the civic bodies.
Two points follow from this:
- The category belongs to the colony, not your house. Every plot in the colony gets the same land rate, whatever its condition or exact location.
- The category is not a market price. Category A is a single flat rate, so Golf Links and New Friends Colony carry the same figure. A South Delhi broker’s analysis suggests some colonies trade at several times their circle value. Treat that as indicative only, because it is one dealer’s view, not official data.
Delhi circle rates by category (2014 notification)
The table shows the residential land rate and the minimum construction rate per square metre for each category. Commercial construction rates are higher.
| Category | Residential land (₹ per sq m) | Construction, residential (₹ per sq m) | Construction, commercial (₹ per sq m) |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 7,74,000 | 21,960 | 25,200 |
| B | 2,45,520 | 17,400 | 19,920 |
| C | 1,59,840 | 13,920 | 15,960 |
| D | 1,27,680 | 11,160 | 12,840 |
| E | 70,080 | 9,360 | 10,800 |
| F | 56,640 | 8,220 | 9,480 |
| G | 46,200 | 6,960 | 8,040 |
| H | 23,280 | 3,480 | 3,960 |
Some websites round these figures. For example, Category B is often shown as ₹2.46 lakh and Category D as ₹1.28 lakh. The exact notified figures are safer for calculations.
How to find your colony’s category
- Get the exact colony name. Use the name on the sale papers or the property tax receipt. Include the block, pocket or phase if there is one.
- Look it up in the MCD colony list. The list shows each colony’s category along with its ward and zone.
- Check spelling variants. Colonies often appear under slightly different names or as sub-colonies.
- Cross-check with the Revenue Department. The Department of Revenue, GNCT of Delhi (revenue.delhi.gov.in) is the official source for notified rates. Third-party calculators are only a convenience.
- If you cannot find the colony, ask the sub-registrar for the category in writing before you finalise the price.
How to calculate the minimum value
The method depends on what you are buying.
Independent plots
Multiply the plot area by the circle rate per square metre. Rates are per square metre, so convert yards first. One square yard is about 0.836 square metres.
Example: a 200 sq m plot (about 239 sq yd) in Category C.
- 200 × ₹1,59,840 = ₹3,19,68,000 (about ₹3.2 crore).
Independent houses
Value the land and the structure separately. Multiply the plot area by the land rate, multiply the built-up area by the minimum construction cost, then apply the age factor to the construction part.
The age factor reduces the value of older buildings. One published summary gives 1 for buildings from 2000 onwards, 0.9 for the 1990s and 0.8 for the 1980s, falling to 0.5 for buildings before 1960. We could not check this table against the original notification, so confirm it with the sub-registrar.
Builder floors
A floor is valued at your share of the land times the category land rate, plus your built-up area times the construction rate, less depreciation for age. The land share is rarely one-quarter. For new South Delhi floors, a first, second or third floor is usually shown with 22.5% of the plot. Many older floors still convey a flat 25%. Use the share written in your own papers.
Example: a 200 sq m plot in Category D. You own a floor with a 25% land share and 100 sq m built-up, built after 2000, so no age reduction.
- Land: 25% of 200 sq m = 50 sq m × ₹1,27,680 = ₹63,84,000
- Construction: 100 sq m × ₹11,160 = ₹11,16,000
- Minimum value: ₹75,00,000
Flats in DDA, co-operative or group housing societies
These flats are valued on one built-up rate per square metre, with land already included. The rate depends on the flat’s size, not on the colony category. Private-colony flats attract a multiplier.
| Flat size (plinth area) | DDA / society rate (₹ per sq m) | Multiplier, private colony | Private-colony rate (₹ per sq m) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Up to 30 sq m | 50,400 | 1.10 | 55,440 |
| 30 to 50 sq m | 54,480 | 1.15 | 62,652 |
| 50 to 100 sq m | 66,240 | 1.20 | 79,488 |
| Above 100 sq m | 76,200 | 1.25 | 95,250 |
| Multi-storey (high-rise) | 87,840 | 1.25 | 1,09,800 |
Sources differ slightly on the exact storey threshold for the multi-storey rate. Confirm which slab your building falls in.
Example: a 90 sq m flat falls in the 50 to 100 sq m slab.
- As a DDA flat: 90 × ₹66,240 = ₹59,61,600.
- As a private builder flat: 90 × ₹79,488 = ₹71,53,920.
Which route applies to a new apartment is a registry decision. The sub-registrar will tell you which rate card they use for your building.
What circle rate means for stamp duty
Duty is charged on the higher of the circle value and the agreed price. Male buyers pay 6%, female buyers 4% and joint male-and-female buyers 5%. In the NDMC area the rates are 5.5%, 3.5% and 4.5%, and in Delhi Cantonment areas a flat 3%. The registration fee is 1% of the deed value plus a ₹100 pasting charge.
Take the ₹75 lakh builder floor above as the circle value. The table assumes a male buyer outside NDMC and cantonment areas, and ignores the ₹100 pasting charge.
| Agreed price | Value used for duty | Stamp duty at 6% | Registration at 1% |
|---|---|---|---|
| ₹80 lakh | ₹80 lakh | ₹4,80,000 | ₹80,000 |
| ₹70 lakh | ₹75 lakh (circle value) | ₹4,50,000 | ₹75,000 |
| ₹60 lakh | ₹75 lakh (circle value) | ₹4,50,000 | ₹75,000 |
A woman buyer in the same deal would pay 4% instead of 6%, so ₹3,00,000 on ₹75 lakh. Agreeing a lower price does not reduce the duty once you are below the circle value.
Tax effect of a deal below circle rate
Duty is only part of it. Income tax law also looks at the gap between your price and the government value, which the law calls the stamp duty value.
- For the seller: Section 50C applies to the seller. If the property is sold below the stamp duty value, the seller’s capital gain is worked out on the higher stamp duty value.
- For the buyer: Section 56(2)(x) applies to the buyer. The difference between the stamp duty value and the price paid can be taxed as “Income from Other Sources”.
Both rules have a tolerance band. Section 50C is not triggered if the stamp duty value does not exceed 110% of the actual sale price. For the buyer, the difference is taxed only if it exceeds the higher of ₹50,000 and 10% of the price paid. The limit was 5% when introduced in 2018 and was raised to 10% by the Finance Act 2020.
Using the ₹75 lakh circle value from earlier:
| Agreed price | Gap to circle value | 10% of price | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| ₹80 lakh | None (price is higher) | – | No issue from this rule |
| ₹70 lakh | ₹5 lakh | ₹7 lakh | Within tolerance; actual price accepted |
| ₹60 lakh | ₹15 lakh | ₹6 lakh | Outside tolerance; both sides affected |
On these figures, the break-even is roughly ₹68.2 lakh, which is ₹75 lakh divided by 1.1. In the ₹60 lakh case the buyer can be taxed on the ₹15 lakh gap at slab rates. The whole difference is treated as taxable, not only the excess over the threshold. The seller’s gain is worked out as if the sale was at ₹75 lakh. Where the buyer is taxed, the stamp duty value becomes the buyer’s cost of acquisition for a later sale.
Two further points:
- Section numbers changed. Under the Income-tax Act, 2025, effective 1 April 2026, the equivalents are section 78 for section 50C and section 92(2)(m) for section 56(2)(x). The substance is the same, but cite the right Act for the year of your deal.
- The agreement date can matter. If the price was fixed in an agreement before the year of transfer, the stamp duty value on the agreement date may be used. Ask a chartered accountant how this applies to your timeline.
There is also a route if you think the circle value overstates your property. You can ask the assessing officer to refer the matter to a Valuation Officer, backed by market evidence. This is general information, not tax advice.
A short checklist before you register
- Confirm your colony and its category from the MCD list and the Revenue Department notification.
- Work out the circle value using the right method for your property type.
- Ask the sub-registrar whether any temporary rebate or new notification applies on your registration date.
- Compare your agreed price with the circle value. If it is below, calculate the gap against the 10% tolerance.
- Pay all consideration through banking channels and keep the agreement, receipts and valuation papers.
- If a revision is expected, ask your lawyer how it would affect your timeline and costs.
Next steps for Delhi buyers
Circle value is one input. You should still compare real asking prices, project status and location. Read the New Delhi guide and the South Delhi guide for area context. You can also browse new projects in New Delhi or use the all-projects page to filter by city and builder.
This article is general information, not legal or tax advice. Rates and rules can change, so verify current figures with the Delhi Revenue Department and a qualified professional.
Frequently asked questions
What is the circle rate in Delhi?
Circle rates are the minimum property values set by the government. In Delhi, the rate for a property depends on its colony's A to H category and on whether it is a plot, house, builder floor or flat.
How many circle rate categories are there in Delhi?
Delhi has eight categories of localities, from A to H, with A the most affluent and H the most economically weak. In the 2014 notification, residential land ranges from ₹7,74,000 per sq m in Category A to ₹23,280 in Category H.
Have Delhi circle rates changed recently?
As of 18 October 2026, one tracker reports no revised residential or commercial notification, so the rates from 2014 remain in force. A review committee announced in June 2025 may raise rates by up to 35%. Check the Revenue Department for the latest position.
How do I find my colony's category?
The MCD colony list gives each colony's category, ward and zone. Confirm it against the Delhi Revenue Department's notification or with your sub-registrar.
Can I register a property below the circle rate in Delhi?
You can agree a lower price, but stamp duty is still charged on the higher of the circle value and the agreed price. Income tax rules may also apply to the gap. For the seller, Section 50C is not triggered if the stamp duty value is within 110% of the actual price.
What is the 10% tolerance rule?
For the buyer, the gap between the stamp duty value and the price is taxable only if it exceeds the higher of ₹50,000 or 10% of the price. The limit was 5% until the Finance Act 2020 raised it to 10%.
How much stamp duty do I pay in Delhi?
Male buyers pay 6%, female buyers 4% and joint male-and-female buyers 5%, with different rates in NDMC and cantonment areas. The registration fee is 1% of the value plus a ₹100 pasting charge.
Sources
- Circle Rates in Delhi 2026: Category A-H Rates, Calculator, Colony List (South Delhi Floors)
- Circle Rate in Delhi 2026: Category-Wise Rate List, Calculator & Stamp Duty (Prateek Properties)
- Delhi Circle Rates: Category-Wise Property Rate Tables (Hub and Oak)
- Delhi circle rate trend shows widening gap with NCR markets (Square Yards)
- Circle Rate vs Market Rate in Delhi: What the Gap Means in 2026 (South Delhi Floors)
- Delhi govt plans to extend 20% discount on property circle rates (Hindustan Times)
- Circle rates revised (The Tribune, 22 November 2012)
- Circle Rate Delhi 2026 – Up to 35% Hike Likely (Delhi Property Registration)
- Circle Rates in Delhi 2026: Category-Wise (Realty Hunting)
- Delhi Circle Rate 2026: What Buyers & Sellers Must Know (OLX)
- MCD Colony List
- Delhi Circle Rates Latest 2025: Area Wise & Category Wise List (RealEstateIndia)
- Circle Rates in Delhi: Calculation, Factors & Latest Updates (NoBroker)
- Delhi Circle Rate Guide: Area-Wise Rates & Property Impact (Grihashakti)
- Delhi Stamp Duty and Registration Charges Guide (DLF)
Updated 20 October 2026. This article is general information, not legal or financial advice; check current rules and project details before you decide.
