When Do Circle Rates Update? A State-by-State Guide for Property Buyers

Circle rates are not permanent. Every state government has the authority to revise them — and most do, on a cycle that ranges from annual (Maharashtra, Karnataka, Haryana) to once every two or three years (Delhi, Uttar Pradesh in practice). Knowing when your state last revised its rates, and when the next revision is due, helps you understand whether the figures on this site and on the state IGR portal are current — and, in some cases, whether it is worth timing your property registration before or after an impending hike.

This guide sets out the update cycle for each major state, explains how a revision typically happens, and walks through a worked example of what a rate hike means in rupees for a buyer who registers a day early versus a day late.

The Annual and Periodic Cycles by State

The table below summarises the revision cadence for the states covered on circlerate.co.in and for other major property markets. "Annual" means a revision is notified every year; "periodic" means revisions happen but not on a strict twelve-month schedule.

How a Revision Actually Happens

The process for revising circle rates differs slightly by state, but the broad sequence is similar across most of India:

1. State government initiates a review. The Revenue or Stamps and Registration Department collects data on recent property transactions — registered sale deeds provide a reliable sample of actual market prices. In Maharashtra, the IGR office compiles this data district-by-district. In Uttar Pradesh, each District Magistrate initiates the review for their district.
2. Draft rates are prepared. Based on the transaction data, officials prepare revised rates for each locality — sub-zone in Maharashtra, colony or mohalla in UP and Delhi, locality in Karnataka. The revised rates may go up, stay flat, or — rarely — come down if the data shows a market decline.
3. Public objection window. In many states, draft revised rates are published for a short public comment period, typically 15 to 30 days. Property owners and industry associations can submit written objections if they believe a proposed rate is inconsistent with actual transaction evidence. Maharashtra follows this process before each April revision.
4. Final notification issued. After reviewing objections, the competent authority issues a gazette notification fixing the new rates. In Maharashtra, this is the IGR. In UP and Delhi, it is typically the state government or the relevant District Magistrate. The notification specifies an effective date.
5. Rates take effect. SRO offices begin applying the new rates from the notified date. Any registration on or after that date uses the revised rates for stamp duty calculation. Registrations before the effective date use the old rates — even if the parties sign the agreement to sell after the notification is issued but complete the registration before the effective date.

Why the Update Cycle Matters for Buyers

Understanding the revision calendar has three practical uses for property buyers:

• Timing a registration before a known hike. If the Maharashtra government announces a ready reckoner revision effective 1 April — as it does every year — completing registration before that date means stamp duty is calculated on the current year's lower rates. In years when Maharashtra announces a meaningful hike (5–15% increases have been common in urban districts), this difference can amount to tens of thousands of rupees.
• Understanding the staleness of current rates. In states where revisions are infrequent — Delhi, for example — the published circle rate may lag the actual market by several years. This creates a wide circle rate vs market price gap, which affects how income tax is assessed on capital gains when you eventually sell. Knowing the last revision date tells you how reliable the current rate is as a proxy for market value.
• Anticipating a demand notice. If circle rates in your area are revised upward and you registered the property before the revision, the SRO has no grounds to issue a demand notice for additional stamp duty. But if you registered after the effective date and paid duty on the old rate due to a clerical error, you may receive a demand notice later. Keeping the registration date and the rate notification date on record protects you.

Worked Example: Timing Matters in Maharashtra

Suppose Maharashtra announces that ready reckoner rates in Andheri (Mumbai — Bombaymains district) will rise by 5%, effective 1 April 2026. A flat in Andheri currently has an ASR residential rate of ₹2,40,000 per sq m. You are buying a 650 sq ft (60.4 sq m) flat and the agreed sale price is ₹1.40 crore.

Registering on 31 March 2026 (current year's rates):

• Circle rate value: 60.4 sq m × ₹2,40,000 = ₹1,44,96,000
• Assessed value: max(₹1,44,96,000, ₹1,40,00,000) = ₹1,44,96,000
• Stamp duty (male buyer, Mumbai): 5% base + 1% Mumbai surcharge + 1% metro cess = 7%
• Stamp duty: 7% × ₹1,44,96,000 = ₹10,14,720
• Registration fee: capped at ₹30,000
• Total: ₹10,44,720

Registering on 1 April 2026 (revised rates, 5% hike applied):

• New ASR rate: ₹2,40,000 × 1.05 = ₹2,52,000 per sq m
• Circle rate value: 60.4 sq m × ₹2,52,000 = ₹1,52,20,800
• Assessed value: ₹1,52,20,800
• Stamp duty: 7% × ₹1,52,20,800 = ₹10,65,456
• Registration fee: capped at ₹30,000
• Total: ₹10,95,456

Registering on 31 March versus 1 April saves ₹50,736 in this example — for the same flat, the same seller, and the same agreed price. The only difference is the date of registration. When Maharashtra announces its annual ASR revision in February or March, buyers who are close to completing their registration often try to move the appointment forward.

This is a legitimate strategy. The government publishes effective dates precisely so that transactions can be planned around them. The key is to have the agreement to sell, the loan sanction, and the SRO appointment ready before the effective date. Rushing any of those three steps introduces other risks.

How to Check Whether Rates Are Current

Before relying on any circle rate figure — whether on this site, a property portal, or a builder's brochure — verify it against the state's official source:

• Maharashtra: The eASR portal at igrmaharashtra.gov.in publishes the current financial year's ASR. Check that the year displayed matches the current financial year (April–March).
• Uttar Pradesh: The IGRSUP portal at igrsup.gov.in allows locality-level lookups. Cross-check the notification date shown against the current year.
• Other NGDRS states: The National Generic Document Registration System portal at ngdrs.gov.in aggregates rates for participating states. Check the data-as-of date on the portal.
• Karnataka: The Kaveri portal (kaveri.karnataka.gov.in) provides guidance values with the notification date shown in the lookup result.

circlerate.co.in sources Maharashtra data from the eASR 1.9 portal and NGDRS data from the NGDRS API. We note the fiscal year on each state's data pages. If the fiscal year shown on this site differs from the current financial year, use the official state portal for live transactions — treat our data as a starting point and reference, not the final word.

For context on why the gap between circle rates and market prices matters — especially when rates are stale — see Circle Rate vs Market Price. If you believe the circle rate applied to your property is incorrect, see How to Challenge an Incorrect Circle Rate. For the full terminology reference, see Circle Rate Terminology.