Court Fee Calculator

What Is Court Fee?

Court fee is a statutory charge that must be paid to the court, typically through non-judicial stamp paper or court fee stamps (or increasingly through e-stamping / e-payment portals in several states), before a civil suit, appeal, or certain applications can be registered and heard. In India, court fees are governed primarily by the Court Fees Act, 1870, but because this is a subject in the Concurrent List, most states have enacted their own amended versions with different fee schedules — meaning the exact court fee payable for an identical suit can differ meaningfully between, say, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, and Delhi.

Why Court Fee Matters

Court fee is not optional — a suit filed without the correct court fee will typically not be registered by the court registry, and the plaintiff will be directed to make good any deficiency before the matter proceeds. For suits involving a monetary claim or recovery of property, the fee is usually calculated "ad valorem" — as a percentage of the value of the suit — meaning higher-value claims attract proportionally higher fees. For certain other types of suits, such as pure declaratory suits without a claim for consequential relief, a fixed or nominal fee may apply instead of an ad valorem calculation.

How This Calculator Works

Enter the value of your suit or claim and select the type of suit — money/recovery, declaration, injunction, or specific performance. The calculator applies a simplified, illustrative ad valorem slab structure loosely modelled on the kind of tiered rate structures commonly used across states, to give you a rough sense of what proportion of your claim value might go toward court fees. This is intentionally a general reference estimate, not a jurisdiction-specific official calculation, because actual rates differ by state.

Factors That Affect Actual Court Fee

Several factors beyond claim value affect the real court fee payable: the specific state's Court Fees Act and its current amended slab rates; whether the suit relates to movable property, immovable property, or a pure money claim, each of which may be treated differently; whether any statutory exemption applies (for example, some states provide fee concessions for suits filed by government bodies, or in specific categories like matrimonial matters); and whether the matter is a fresh suit, an appeal (which often attracts a different fee structure), or a specific application like an injunction application filed within an ongoing suit.

Budgeting for Litigation Costs

Court fee is only one component of the overall cost of pursuing a civil suit — advocate's fees, documentation costs, and time are additional factors to weigh before filing. Getting even a rough court fee estimate early, alongside a frank conversation with your advocate about total expected costs, helps you make a more informed decision about whether litigation is the right path for your dispute.

Getting the Exact Figure

Because of how much variation exists between states, always verify the precise court fee with the specific court's fee/stamp counter, the local Court Fees Act (as amended in your state), or an advocate practising in that jurisdiction before filing. Many state High Courts and their subordinate courts also publish updated fee schedules or offer e-stamping calculators specific to that state, which will give you the authoritative figure rather than the generic estimate this tool provides.

Frequently Asked Questions