High DP charges can quickly cancel out the benefits of low brokerage
When you sell stocks, your shares are debited from your demat account and delivered to the clearing corporation for settlement. This debit is what attracts a DP (Depository Participant) charge. At Zerodha, this is ₹13.5 + GST per transaction (includes ₹3.5 depository fee).
Most brokers charge a flat DP fee. But some charge a percentage of the sell value. A 0.04% DP charge = ₹400 on a ₹10L sale. Low brokerage + high DP charges. Doesn’t make sense.
Another thing to watch: some brokers charge DP fees on every sell transaction. If you sell Reliance 4 times in a day, you pay 4 times. At Zerodha, we charge DP fees once per stock per day, no matter how many times you sell it.
DP charges don’t show up like brokerage does, so most people miss it. It’s worth checking what you’re actually paying. These things add up.
Why a DP charge in the first place?
Every time you sell shares, your broker’s DP (Depository Participant) takes on the effort of ensuring the trade settles. This means debiting the shares from your demat account and delivering them to the clearing corporation. The depository levies a fee for this, and we charge a small fee on top for facilitating it. This adds an additional risk for us.