title: "How to calculate court fees in a civil suit (Delhi)" description: "Court fees in Delhi civil cases follow either an ad valorem scale or a fixed flat rate, depending on the relief claimed. Here is how to work out which applies and what drives the amount." datePublished: "2026-06-20T11:00:00+05:30" dateModified: "2026-06-20T11:00:00+05:30" author: "NyayX Team" ogImageTitle: "How to calculate court fees in a civil suit (Delhi)"
Before you file a civil suit in Delhi, you need to figure out the court fee. Get it wrong and the registry will return your plaint for correction. Get it significantly under, and you may face an objection that delays the suit entirely. This guide explains the framework, the two main categories of fee, and what actually drives the number.
The governing law
Court fees in Delhi are governed by the Court Fees Act, 1870 as it applies to the state. The Act sets out a schedule that divides court fees into two broad types: ad valorem fees and fixed fees. Both are chargeable at the time of filing, and in Delhi courts, payment is typically made through e-court fee (an online stamp purchased through the designated portal), rather than physical stamps.
The schedule itself is what determines the exact amounts. It is periodically revised, so always verify against the current schedule or use a calculator that is kept up to date.
Ad valorem court fee: fee that scales with the claim
Ad valorem means "according to value." When a suit falls into this category, the court fee is calculated as a percentage or on a slab scale tied to the value of the relief claimed. The higher the claim, the higher the fee, though the rate is not a flat percentage across the board. Most schedules work on slabs, where the rate applied to each bracket changes as the claim value increases.
Suits that typically attract ad valorem fee include:
- Recovery of money: suits for arrears of rent, loans, cheque dishonour compensation calculated as a civil claim, breach of contract damages, and similar money claims.
- Suits for possession of immovable property: here the valuation is usually the market value of the property or a statutory formula, depending on the relief and the court.
- Suits for accounts: where a sum of money is sought at the end of accounting.
Because the fee scales with the value you declare, the valuation of the suit is a substantive decision, not a formality. An advocate who under-values the suit to reduce the stamp fee risks an objection from the registry. An objection requiring re-valuation and additional fee can cost time and credibility with the court.
How to think about valuation for a money recovery suit
Say your client is recovering unpaid dues under a contract. The subject matter of the suit is the amount claimed. That amount is the basis on which ad valorem fee is calculated. The exact slab that applies depends on the current schedule for Delhi courts.
For illustrative purposes only: if the schedule charges one rate on the first few lakhs and a lower rate on amounts above that threshold, then a claim of fifty lakhs is not taxed at the headline rate throughout. The total fee is the sum across the applicable slabs. The precise breakpoints and percentages are what you need to pull from the official schedule or a reliable calculator.
Fixed court fee: flat amount regardless of claim value
Certain reliefs attract a flat fee that does not change with the subject matter value. These tend to be suits or applications where measuring a monetary value is either impossible or not the point.
Common categories for fixed fee:
- Declaration suits: where the plaintiff seeks a declaration of right without claiming consequential relief of possession or money recovery. If you add a consequential relief (say, possession), the ad valorem component may apply to that part.
- Permanent injunction: a suit or application seeking only an injunction, where no money is claimed, typically attracts a fixed fee. Courts and registries may look at whether the injunction is the only relief or whether it accompanies a money claim.
- Matrimonial petitions: divorce petitions, judicial separation, and similar proceedings before the family courts attract a fixed and relatively small court fee.
- Many miscellaneous applications: applications under various provisions where the Act prescribes a flat amount.
Fixed fees are simpler to calculate, but you still need to confirm the current flat rate because the amounts in the schedule may be revised.
Situations advocates ask about most often
Suit on a promissory note or cheque: this is a money suit. Ad valorem fee applies on the principal amount being claimed. Interest claimed is sometimes added to the principal for valuation purposes, depending on the pleadings.
Suit for specific performance: valuation here is treated differently from a pure money suit. The court fee is typically on the value of the contract or the consideration paid, subject to the specific rules in the schedule. This is one of the more contested areas of court fee law, and registry objections are common. When in doubt, err toward a higher valuation and note the basis in the plaint.
Suit for declaration and injunction without money claim: usually fixed fee. But if the relief includes a declaration of title combined with possession of property, the fee may be ad valorem on the property value.
Divorce or matrimonial relief: fixed fee, generally modest. Confirm the current amount from the schedule applicable to family courts in Delhi.
Under-valuation and registry objections
Registry staff at Delhi district courts and the High Court are trained to flag plaints where the stated valuation appears lower than the relief sought would warrant. If an objection is raised, you will typically be required to re-value and pay the difference, plus the suit may be treated as filed only on the corrected date of payment. In disputed cases, the court itself can revisit valuation at any stage. It is worth taking a few minutes to get this right before filing.
Paying the court fee in Delhi
Delhi courts have shifted to e-court fee for most filings. The fee is paid online and generates a receipt with a unique reference number that gets appended to the plaint. Physical court fee stamps are no longer the standard route for most civil filings in Delhi. Check the specific portal and procedure for the court you are filing in, as district courts and the High Court may have slightly different payment workflows.
In short
Court fees in Delhi civil suits come in two types: ad valorem, where the fee scales with the value of the relief, and fixed, where a flat amount applies. Money recovery and possession suits are almost always ad valorem. Declarations, injunctions, and matrimonial petitions are typically fixed. How you value the suit drives the ad valorem fee, and under-valuing it invites registry objections. For the current slab rates and flat amounts, use the NyayX court fee calculator, which is built against the Delhi schedule and saves the manual arithmetic.