what is dp charges in zerodha
DP charges in Zerodha refer to Depository Participant fees charged by CDSL (Central Depository Services Limited), Zerodha's depository, whenever shares are debited from your Demat account—primarily on delivery-based sell orders. These are mandatory transaction costs passed on by Zerodha without markup, separate from brokerage (which is zero for equity delivery trades).
Core Breakdown
DP charges kick in only on debits , like selling held shares or off-market transfers, not on buys or intraday trades. They're calculated per scrip (ISIN) per day , so selling the same stock multiple times in one day still costs just once per stock.
Current rates (as of early 2026) vary slightly by primary account holder's gender due to CDSL slabs:
| Account Holder | Base Fee | GST (18%) | Total per Scrip/Day |
|---|---|---|---|
| Male | ₹13.00 | ₹2.34 | ₹15.34 |
| Female | ₹12.75 | ₹2.30 | ₹15.05 |
Real-World Examples
Imagine you buy 100 shares of Reliance, hold overnight, then sell 50 in the morning and 50 later that afternoon:
- Single debit event : One charge of ₹15.34 (male holder), regardless of quantity or split sells.
- Two scrips sold : Reliance + TCS = 2 × ₹15.34 = ₹30.68 total.
For BTST (buy today, sell tomorrow), it's a delivery sell, so full DP applies—₹15.34 per scrip. Frequent traders see costs stack: 10 sells/month across scrips could hit ₹150+.
"If you sell shares of the same company three times in a day at different times, you could be charged DP fees three times." – Nithin Kamath, Zerodha CEO (recent warning on hidden costs).
When NO DP Charges Apply
- Equity intraday, F&O, currency/commodity trades.
- Buying/holding shares (credits are free).
- Pledging, re-pledging, or transmission.
- Corporate actions (bonuses, splits).
Tips to Minimize
- Consolidate sells : Batch same-scrip sales into one order/day.
- Check ledger daily : Spot patterns via Console > Reports > Ledger.
- Long-term holding : Buy-and-forget avoids repeated debits.
- No full avoidance (regulatory), but awareness saves for active investors.
Even with Zerodha's zero-brokerage allure, DP + taxes (STT, stamp duty) make "free" delivery sells ~₹35-40 total per trade—key for cost math. Trending forum chatter (e.g., Reddit/TradingQ&A) echoes surprises for newbies, but veterans plan around it.
TL;DR : ₹15ish per stock sold (delivery), per day—ledger hit, not contract. Batch sells to cut costs. Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.