Derivatives STT rose 150 percent. Here is the arithmetic.
A change of three hundredths of a percentage point sounds trivial. Applied to contract values of Rs 15 to 20 lakh, it is not.
Published 11 June 2026 · 5 min read · Sources listed at the end
What changed on 1 April 2026
| Transaction | Was | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Futures, sell side | 0.02% | 0.05% |
| Options, on premium when sold | 0.10% | 0.15% |
| Options, on exercise, intrinsic value | 0.125% | 0.15% |
| Equity delivery | 0.1% both legs | unchanged |
| Equity intraday | 0.025% sell side | unchanged |
| Equity mutual funds | unchanged | unchanged |
The futures rate rose by 150%. Equity delivery, intraday and mutual fund rates were explicitly left alone, which tells you what the change was aimed at.
What it costs on a realistic trade
The reason a small percentage matters here is the contract size. Since November 2024, index derivative contracts are sized so the value sits between Rs 15 lakh and Rs 20 lakh.
Take a single index futures contract with a value of Rs 18 lakh, sold once.
| Old rate 0.02% | New rate 0.05% | |
|---|---|---|
| STT on the sell leg | Rs 360 | Rs 900 |
| Difference per contract | Rs 540 | |
| Across 20 such trades a month | Rs 7,200 | Rs 18,000 |
| Extra cost per month | Rs 10,800 |
These are illustrative figures on an assumed contract value. The point is the shape rather than the exact number: the increase is not a rounding difference for anyone trading with any frequency.
What it does to breakeven
Costs raise the amount a market has to move in your favour before a trade is worth anything.
STT is only one line. Add brokerage, exchange transaction charges, GST at 18% on brokerage and transaction charges, stamp duty, and the SEBI turnover fee. Each is small. Together, on both legs, they set a floor the trade has to clear first.
For a strategy targeting a small profit per trade, a higher floor removes trades from the viable set entirely. That is the intended effect. SEBI has repeatedly documented that around nine in ten individual derivatives traders lose money, and Budget 2026 linked the increase to reducing speculative activity.
The wider direction
This sits alongside a set of structural changes rolled out from November 2024: contract values raised from a Rs 5 to 10 lakh band to Rs 15 to 20 lakh, weekly expiries cut to one benchmark index per exchange, upfront collection of option premiums, an extra 2% Extreme Loss Margin on short index options near expiry, and intraday position limit monitoring.
The combined effect on participation was visible. Unique individual F&O traders fell from 61.4 lakh in Q1 FY25 to 42.7 lakh in Q4. The loss rate stayed at 91%.
Read together, the direction is consistent: raise the cost and capital required to enter, rather than restrict who may participate. Full picture in futures and options and charges and costs.
Where these facts come from
- Budget 2026 amendments to Securities Transaction Tax on derivatives, effective 1 April 2026
- SEBI circular on strengthening the index derivatives framework, October 2024
- SEBI study on profit and loss of individual traders in the equity F&O segment, FY25