How to use the stock profit calculator
- Choose the holding period: intraday, up to 12 months, or over 12 months.
- Pick your broker. The calculator uses its standard brokerage plan.
- Enter the buy price, the sell price and the number of shares.
- For delivery trades, check the DP charge on the sale. For long-term gains, enter any other long-term gains you have made this year, because they share the ₹1.25 lakh exemption.
- For intraday trades, enter your income tax rate.
The table under the result shows the same trade sold at other prices, from 10% below your buy price to 50% above it.
How stock profit is calculated
The charges are brokerage on the buy and the sell, STT, exchange transaction charges, the SEBI fee, stamp duty on the buy, GST, and the DP charge when delivered shares are sold. Tax depends on the holding period:
| Holding | Income type | Tax rate | Charges deducted before tax |
|---|---|---|---|
| Intraday | Speculative business income | Your slab rate | All charges, including STT |
| Up to 12 months | Short-term capital gain | 20% | All charges except STT |
| Over 12 months | Long-term capital gain | 12.5% above ₹1.25 lakh a year | All charges except STT |
A 4% health and education cess applies on top of the tax. The calculator does not add surcharge, which applies only above ₹50 lakh of income.
Worked examples
All three examples are at Zerodha on NSE, which charges no brokerage on delivery and the lower of ₹20 or 0.03% per intraday order.
| Intraday | Up to 12 months | Over 12 months | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trade | 100 shares, ₹1,000 to ₹1,010 | 100 shares, ₹1,000 to ₹1,100 | 100 shares, ₹1,000 to ₹1,100 |
| Gross profit | ₹1,000.00 | ₹10,000.00 | ₹10,000.00 |
| Charges | ₹82.97 | ₹248.20 | ₹248.20 |
| Taxable gain | ₹917.03 | ₹9,961.80 | ₹9,961.80 |
| Tax | ₹286.11 at a 30% slab | ₹2,072.06 | ₹0.00, within the exemption |
| Profit in hand | ₹630.92 | ₹7,679.75 | ₹9,751.80 |
| Break-even sell price | ₹1,000.83 | ₹1,002.38 | ₹1,002.38 |
In the delivery trades, STT is ₹210 of the ₹248.20 of charges. It is not deducted from the gain, so the taxable gain is ₹10,000 less the other ₹38.20 of charges. In the intraday trade, all ₹82.97 of charges are deducted, because the profit is business income.
Capital gains tax calculator for India: STCG and LTCG
The same calculator works as a capital gains tax calculator for India's listed shares. Gains on shares held for up to 12 months are short-term and taxed at 20%. Gains on shares held for more than 12 months are long-term: the first ₹1.25 lakh of long-term gains in a financial year is exempt, and the rest is taxed at 12.5%. Budget 2026 left these rates unchanged.
The holding period makes a large difference on a large gain. Take 500 shares bought at ₹800 and sold at ₹1,400:
| Up to 12 months | Over 12 months | |
|---|---|---|
| Gross profit | ₹3,00,000.00 | ₹3,00,000.00 |
| Charges | ₹1,216.49 | ₹1,216.49 |
| Taxable gain | ₹2,99,883.51 | ₹1,74,883.51 after the exemption |
| Tax with cess | ₹62,375.77 | ₹22,734.86 |
| Profit in hand | ₹2,36,407.74 | ₹2,76,048.66 |
Waiting past 12 months leaves ₹39,640.92 more in hand on this trade. The exemption is shared by all your long-term gains on shares and equity funds in the year, so if you have already used part of it, enter those gains in the calculator. Shares bought before 1 February 2018 use the higher of the cost and the 31 January 2018 price as the cost; enter that figure as the buy price.
Short term capital gain tax on shares
Short term capital gain tax on shares is a flat 20% plus cess, whatever your slab, as long as the shares are listed and STT was paid on the sale. There is no exemption for short-term gains. A resident whose other income is below the basic exemption limit can set the unused part of the limit against the gain; the calculator assumes your other income already uses it.
Losses pay no tax. A short-term capital loss can be set against short-term or long-term gains in the same year, and a long-term loss only against long-term gains. Either can be carried forward for eight years if you file your return on time. An intraday loss is a speculative loss: it can be set only against speculative gains and carried forward for four years.
Break-even price and targets
Charges grow a little with the sell price, so the calculator solves for the break-even price. A delivery trade at ₹1,000 needs ₹1,002.38 to break even at Zerodha, mainly because of STT on both sides. An intraday trade needs ₹1,000.83.
The table shows the delivery trade from the examples, held up to 12 months, sold at other prices.
| Sell price | Gross profit | Charges | Tax | In hand |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ₹900 (−10%) | −₹10,000 | ₹227 | ₹0 | −₹10,227 |
| ₹950 (−5%) | −₹5,000 | ₹233 | ₹0 | −₹5,233 |
| ₹1,050 (+5%) | +₹5,000 | ₹243 | ₹1,032 | +₹3,725 |
| ₹1,100 (+10%) | +₹10,000 | ₹248 | ₹2,072 | +₹7,680 |
| ₹1,200 (+20%) | +₹20,000 | ₹259 | ₹4,152 | +₹15,589 |
| ₹1,500 (+50%) | +₹50,000 | ₹290 | ₹10,392 | +₹39,319 |
A loss costs its charges on top of the price fall. A gain is cut by both charges and tax.
How the broker changes the result
On delivery trades the broker matters less than tax. The ₹1 lakh trade above costs ₹248.20 at Zerodha, which charges no delivery brokerage, and ₹295.40 at a broker that charges ₹20 per order. The profit in hand is ₹7,679.75 against ₹7,642.37. On frequent intraday trades the gap grows with every order; the brokerage calculator compares four brokers on the same trade.
Related calculators
- Brokerage calculator for the same trade at every broker
- STT tax calculator for STT and the other statutory charges alone
- SIP calculator for regular investing in a stock or ETF, with charges and tax
- Position size calculator for how many shares to buy for a given risk
- Option profit calculator for options positions
- F&O taxation India for how F&O profit and losses are taxed
Start your free trial
Connect your broker, build a strategy and test it on paper before a single live order goes out.
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate profit on a share after charges?
Multiply the price difference by the quantity, then subtract brokerage, STT, exchange charges, the SEBI fee, stamp duty, GST and any DP charge. Subtract income tax on what remains to get the profit in hand.
How much tax do I pay on short-term gains on shares?
20% of the gain plus 4% cess, if you sold within 12 months of buying. On a ₹9,961.80 taxable gain that is ₹2,072.06.
When are share profits tax-free?
When the shares were held for more than 12 months and your total long-term gains on shares and equity funds in the year are within ₹1.25 lakh.
Are brokerage and other charges deductible from capital gains?
Brokerage, exchange charges, stamp duty, GST and the DP charge are part of the cost of buying or selling and reduce the gain. STT is not deductible from capital gains.
How is intraday profit taxed?
As speculative business income, at your slab rate plus cess. All charges, including STT, are deducted as business expenses, and you report it in ITR-3.
What is the DP charge?
A fee from the depository and your broker when shares leave your demat account on a sale, charged per company per day. At Zerodha it is ₹15.34 including GST.
Does the calculator include surcharge?
No. Surcharge applies only when total income is above ₹50 lakh, and on capital gains on shares it is capped at 15%. Add it yourself if it applies to you.
Sources
- Income-tax Act, 2025, in force from 1 April 2026: capital gains on listed equity shares (20% short-term, 12.5% long-term above ₹1.25 lakh), rates unchanged by the Union Budget 2026-27
- Finance Act, 2026: STT rates from 1 April 2026
- NSE: transaction charges on equity, including the investor protection fund charge (checked 16 October 2026)
- Zerodha: published brokerage and DP charges (checked 10 October 2026)