Circle rate, guideline value, Jantri, DLC rate: what they are

Every state has a published minimum value for every locality. Stamp duty is charged on the higher of your price and this minimum — and almost every buyer who skips this step pays more than they planned.

Last updated: 19 May 2026

If a Delhi broker tells you the "circle rate" for an area, a Mumbai broker mentions the "Ready Reckoner," an Ahmedabad broker says "Jantri," and a Chhatarpur broker says "DLC rate" — they are all talking about the same concept. It is the government's published minimum value for the locality, and it is what the sub-registrar uses as the floor on stamp duty.

Different name in every state. Same idea everywhere.

The concept

State governments publish a minimum value for property in every locality — usually down to the village, ward, or even street level. This value is updated periodically (annually in most states, every two to three years in others). It is what the state considers the fair-market value of property in that area.

When you register a sale deed, the sub-registrar computes stamp duty on the higher of:

The consideration — the price you and the seller agreed
The locality minimum value (whatever the state calls it)

The point of this rule is to prevent under-declaration. Without it, a buyer and seller could simply write a low price in the sale deed to reduce stamp duty, while exchanging the rest of the price in cash. The locality minimum sets a floor that the sub-registrar can enforce.

The state-by-state vocabulary

Circle rate— Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Assam, Jammu & Kashmir. The most widely-used phrase across north and east India.
DLC rate— Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. Stands for "District Level Committee" rate (Rajasthan) or the equivalent in MP. In MP, published mauja-wise (per revenue village).
MVR / mauja rate— Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh. "Minimum Value Register" per mauja.
Ready Reckoner value — Maharashtra. Published per ASR (Annual Statement of Rates) zone.
Jantri rate — Gujarat. Published per survey number.
Guidance value — Karnataka. Published per area / locality.
Guideline value — Tamil Nadu. Published per street.
Fair value — Kerala. Published per village.
Benchmark valuation — Odisha. Published per tahasil.
Market value — Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Goa (no special term). Published per village or ward.

How to look yours up

Each state has a portal where the locality value is searchable. Usually you select your district → tehsil / taluka → village or ward → property type. The portal returns the rate per square metre, per square foot, or per acre.

MP DLC rate — MP Bhulekh
UP circle rate — UP Bhulekh
Maharashtra Ready Reckoner — IGR Maharashtra
Gujarat Jantri rate — AnyROR Gujarat
Karnataka guidance value — Kaveri Online
Tamil Nadu guideline value — TNREGINET
Kerala fair value — IGR Kerala
Rajasthan DLC rate — Apna Khata
Bihar MVR — Bihar Land Records

The Settelo Stamp Duty Calculator links directly to the relevant lookup portal for whichever state you pick.

Why it matters in practice

Imagine you negotiate hard and agree to buy a flat for ₹80 lakh — well below the locality average. You expect stamp duty at, say, 6% of ₹80 lakh = ₹4.8 lakh.

At the sub-registrar's office, you discover the circle rate for that locality is ₹1 crore. Stamp duty is computed on ₹1 crore. At 6%, that is ₹6 lakh — ₹1.2 lakh more than you budgeted. The same surprise happens routinely in markets where sellers under-quote to attract buyers and the circle rate has not been refreshed.

The reverse can also happen — if the circle rate is below market price, you pay stamp duty on the (higher) consideration you actually paid. So the rule always works against the lower number.

Can the circle rate be challenged?

Yes, but the process varies by state and is rarely worthwhile for a small variance. If you can demonstrate that the locality rate is materially higher than the genuine market price — for example with recent comparable transactions registered at lower values — you can apply for a revaluation through the sub-registrar or, in some states, file a review with the district collector. This usually takes weeks and only makes sense for materially expensive properties.

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