GST on Real Estate: 2025 Rates, Land Rules & Buyer Impact
Buying a home is probably the biggest financial decision you'll ever make, so it’s natural to feel a bit overwhelmed by the taxes involved. In India, the GST on real estate has shifted quite a bit over the last few years to make things more transparent. As we head into 2025-2026, a new GST 2.0 reform has kicked in, lowering the cost of raw materials like cement and marble. This is great news because it helps developers keep property prices in check. However, the rule of thumb remains the same: when you buy and what you buy determines how much you pay. Let’s break down how this works for land, flats, and shops.
The Golden Rule: Under-Construction vs. Ready Homes
The most important thing to remember is that GST is only charged on the service of building a home.
- Under-Construction Property: If you book a flat while it's still being built, you have to pay GST. The government sees this as the builder providing you with a construction service.
- Ready-to-Move-In Property: If the building is already finished and has a Completion Certificate (CC) or Occupancy Certificate (OC), there is zero GST. At this stage, it’s considered an immovable property sale, not a service.
Latest GST Rates for 2025-26
The rates for residential properties are split into two main buckets. A key thing to note is that for these rates, developers cannot claim Input Tax Credit (ITC), meaning they can't deduct the tax they paid on bricks or steel from their final bill.
Property Type
GST Rate (No ITC)
Criteria
Affordable Housing
1%
Value up to ₹45 Lakh AND Area up to 60 sq. m (Metros) or 90 sq. m (Non-metros).
Standard/Luxury Housing
5%
Any residential property that doesn't fit the Affordable criteria.
Commercial Property
12%
Shops, offices, or malls (Developers can claim ITC here).
GST on Land: The 1/3rd Rule
Here is where it gets interesting. Land itself is exempt from GST because it's not a good or a service. However, when you buy a flat, you are buying the building and a share of the land it sits on.
To keep it fair, the government uses a simple formula:
- They assume 1/3rd (33%) of the total property value is the cost of the land.
- GST is only charged on the remaining 2/3rds (67%), which is the construction cost.
Example: If you buy a non-affordable flat for ₹1.2 Crore:
- Land Value (Assumed): ₹40 Lakh (No GST)
- Construction Value: ₹80 Lakh
- GST (5% of ₹80 Lakh): ₹4 Lakh
- Note: In your final invoice, this is usually shown as a flat 5% on the total value after the land abatement.
Impact of GST 2.0 Material Rate Cuts (2025)
In late 2025, the government moved several construction items from the high 28% slab to the 18% or 5% slabs. This is the behind-the-scenes part of GST that actually helps buyers.
- Cement: Dropped from 28% to 18%. Since cement is a huge part of any building, this reduces the builder's cost by roughly 3-5%.
- Tiles, Bricks, and Marble: Many of these have moved to the 5% or 18% brackets.
- Result for you: Even though you still pay a flat 1% or 5% GST, the base price of the flat should theoretically stay stable or drop because the builder’s expenses have gone down.
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What about Plot Purchases?
If you are just buying a vacant plot of land to build your own house later, there is zero GST. You only pay Stamp Duty and Registration charges to the state government.
However, if you buy a Developed Plot (where the developer has already put in roads, water lines, and electricity), the government might charge 18% GST on the development charges part of the deal, though the land value itself remains exempt.
Summary Table: Real Estate GST at a Glance
Item
GST Applicability
Rate
Ready-to-Move Flat (with OC)
No
0%
Resale Flat
No
0%
Under-Construction (Standard)
Yes
5%
Under-Construction (Affordable)
Yes
1%
Pure Land/Plot Sale
No
0%
Society Maintenance
Yes (if >₹7,500/month)
18%
Conclusion
GST has definitely brought more honesty to real estate. In the old days, you’d pay Service Tax, VAT, and various hidden cesses. Today, it’s a simple 1% or 5% on your invoice. If you’re looking to save the most on tax, a Ready-to-Move home is your best bet since you dodge the GST bullet entirely. But if you prefer a brand-new project, the recent 2025 cuts in cement and material taxes mean you’re likely getting a better deal on the base price than buyers did a few years ago.