RTI fee calculator

How to use this calculator

An RTI application is one of the cheapest legal tools in India. For most central government offices the whole cost is Rs 10 to apply and Rs 2 for each page of copies. But the details matter. Officers sometimes ask for fees the rules do not allow, applicants overpay or pay in the wrong form and have their application returned, and many people do not know that information supplied late must be given free. The calculator works out the correct fee for central public authorities, shows the main figures for your state, and, if you enter the date your application reached the office, gives you the deadlines for the reply and the first appeal.

What to enter

What the result shows

• The fee broken down item by item, at central rates or your state's application and copy rates.
• Appeal fees for the state you chose, where the state charges them.
• The date by which the reply is due, and the last date for a first appeal if no reply comes.
• A reminder that further fees are payable only after the officer writes to you with the calculation.

On this page

What an office cannot charge for

Because the fee list is closed, any demand outside it can be challenged. Commissions have repeatedly struck down charges such as these:

• Search or labour fees: time spent by staff finding or compiling records is not chargeable.
• A fee per question: the Rs 10 covers the application, not each point in it.
• "Processing" or "administrative" fees: not in the rules.
• Higher per-page rates: Rs 2 is the rate for A4 and A3, whatever the cost of the office's photocopier.
• Fees for refusing information: if the information is refused under an exemption, no copy fee arises.
• Fees after the deadline: if the 30 days have passed without a reply, the information must be given free, as explained below.
• Advance payment for copies: copy fees are due only after a written intimation with the calculation.

If an officer insists on a charge of this kind, pay only the lawful amount if you wish to receive the information quickly, note your objection in writing, and raise the point in a first appeal. Overcharging is also a ground for a complaint to the Information Commission under section 18.

Free information when the office is late

Section 7(6) of the RTI Act is the most valuable fee rule for applicants: where a public authority fails to comply with the time limits, the information must be provided free of charge. You still pay the Rs 10 application fee, but no copy, CD or inspection fees can be demanded once the deadline has passed.

The time limits that trigger it

Dates worked out

• Application delivered on 2 November 2026: reply due by 2 December 2026. If none comes, the first appeal can be filed up to 1 January 2027.
• Application handed in through an Assistant PIO on 2 November 2026: reply due by 7 December 2026; first appeal up to 6 January 2027.
• Application received on 10 December 2026: reply due by 9 January 2027, a Saturday. Some offices treat the next working day as the last day; when planning your appeal, count from the strict date so you are never late yourself.

Enter your own date in the calculator to get these figures. If the information arrives late with a fee demand, write back citing section 7(6) and asking for it free. If the office refuses, that refusal is itself a ground for a first appeal.

The BPL exemption

Section 7(5) of the Act and rule 5 of the central rules exempt people below the poverty line from all fees: no application fee and no copy or inspection charges. To claim it, attach a copy of a valid BPL certificate issued by the appropriate government.

• A BPL ration card or certificate issued by the state government is the usual proof.
• The exemption covers the whole request, including copies of many pages.
• Write "Applicant belongs to the BPL category; copy of certificate enclosed" in the application, so the officer does not demand fees by oversight.
• Some states have additional exemptions in their own rules; check the state's rules where the office is a state authority.

There is no general exemption for students, senior citizens or persons with disabilities under the central rules. If paying is genuinely difficult, inspection is the cheapest route, since the first hour costs nothing.

What typical RTI requests cost, by subject

How state fees differ

The RTI Act lets each "appropriate government" make its own fee rules. A request to a state department, a municipal corporation, a state university or a district office follows that state's rules, not the central ones. Most states have settled on Rs 10 for the application and Rs 2 per page, but the exceptions matter.

The full table for the Centre and every state and union territory is in the "RTI fee in your state" section above, with a label showing how each figure was checked. The calculator uses the same table.

The Supreme Court's ceiling

In 2018, hearing a challenge led by Common Cause to rules that charged Rs 500 for an application to the Allahabad High Court and Rs 300 to the Chhattisgarh Vidhan Sabha Secretariat, the Supreme Court directed that application fees should ordinarily not exceed Rs 50 and copy charges Rs 5 per page. Any authority charging more is out of line with that direction unless it can justify an exceptional situation.

Which rules apply to your request?

• Central ministries, departments, central PSUs, public sector banks, central universities, the armed forces, railways and post offices: central rules.
• State departments, district administration, police, state PSUs, municipal bodies, state universities and panchayats: that state's rules.
• Delhi Government departments: Delhi's rules; but DDA and central ministries in Delhi follow central rules.
• Union territories without legislatures: generally the central rules or the UT's own notified rules.
• High Courts, district courts and state legislatures: the rules made by that court or legislature.

Union territories and Jammu and Kashmir

Union territories without their own legislature, such as Chandigarh, Ladakh, Lakshadweep, and Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, are governed directly by the Centre, and their offices generally follow the central fee pattern or rules notified for the territory. Some, like Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, are reported to charge a different application fee, which is why the state table lists each one separately. Jammu and Kashmir has followed the central RTI Act since its reorganisation in 2019, with Rs 10 to apply and Rs 2 per page as reported. Delhi and Puducherry, which have legislatures, make their own rules for their governments' offices. If you are unsure which rules an office follows, ask its PIO before posting the application, or file online where a portal is available, since the portal will show the correct fee at the payment step.

Worked examples

Each example uses invented facts. Enter the same figures in the calculator to check the result.

1. Copies of a tender file from a central PSU

Ankit asks a central public sector undertaking for copies of the tender evaluation for a road contract. The CPIO writes within 20 days saying the information runs to 46 pages and asks for Rs 92.

• Application: Rs 10, already paid.
• Copies: 46 pages at Rs 2 = Rs 92. The demand is correct.
• Total cost: Rs 102.

2. Inspection before copies

A residents' association wants to see the file on a park's maintenance contract held by a central authority, but does not know which pages matter. It asks for inspection. The members spend three hours and 20 minutes looking through the files and mark 18 pages for copies.

• Inspection: first hour free; the remaining two hours 20 minutes count as three hours at Rs 5 = Rs 15.
• Copies: 18 pages at Rs 2 = Rs 36.
• Total with the application fee: Rs 61, instead of paying for hundreds of pages.

3. A CD of CCTV footage

Priya asks a central office for CCTV footage of an incident at its public counter, on CD. The CPIO agrees to provide two discs.

• Two CDs at Rs 50 = Rs 100, plus the Rs 10 application fee.
• Where the footage shows other people, the officer may blur faces or refuse parts on privacy grounds.

4. A late reply

Ramesh's application reached a central department on 2 November 2026. On 15 December he receives a letter asking him to pay Rs 240 for 120 pages. The reply was due on 2 December, so under section 7(6) the information must be supplied free. He writes back citing the section, and if the department insists on payment, files a first appeal.

5. An applicant below the poverty line

Savitri, who holds a BPL card, asks a central office for copies of her late husband's pension file, about 60 pages. She attaches a copy of her card. She pays nothing: no application fee and no copy fee.

6. A Gujarat state department

Mehul writes to a Gujarat state department. The state rules apply: Rs 20 for the application and Rs 2 per page. For 25 pages, the total is Rs 70. Had he written to a central office in Gujarat, such as a passport office, the central rules would apply and the total would be Rs 60.

7. A large request narrowed

A researcher asks a ministry for all files on a policy over ten years. The CPIO estimates 3,000 pages and asks for Rs 6,000. The researcher narrows the request to the final note sheets and decisions, about 150 pages, and asks for scanned copies by email. The ministry sends them for Rs 300, and some offices would send email copies free.

Associations, NGOs and companies applying

The right under the Act belongs to citizens, so applications are best filed in the name of an individual citizen, who can be an office-bearer of a residents' association, an NGO or a company. Public authorities generally accept such applications when they are signed by a named citizen. The fee is the same: Rs 10 under central rules. A group that files many applications should keep a register of registration numbers, fee payments and reply dates, so that deadlines are not missed and late fee demands can be challenged quickly.

Estimating the page count before you apply

The application fee is fixed, but the copy fee depends on how many pages your question pulls in. A rough idea of the size of common records helps you frame a request that is useful and affordable.

These are broad estimates, but they show why a request for "all documents relating to" a project can produce a fee demand of thousands of rupees, while a request for "the final approval note and the work completion certificate" costs less than Rs 50.

Ways to keep the fee down

• Ask for specific documents by name, date or reference number where you know them.
• Ask first for a list of documents in the file, then request the ones you need.
• Choose inspection for bulky files and pick pages afterwards.
• Ask for email delivery of scanned copies.
• Limit the period, for example "from 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026".

Remember that an officer is not obliged to create information or compile figures that do not exist in the records. Asking for a document that exists is cheaper and faster than asking for an analysis.

How Information Commissions deal with fee disputes

Fee disputes are among the most common matters before Information Commissions, and the outcomes are fairly predictable.

• Excess fees refunded: where an office charged more than the rules allow, Commissions commonly order the excess to be refunded or the information supplied without further charge.
• Late information free: where the fee letter came after the deadline, the Commission typically directs free supply under section 7(6).
• Penalty for the officer: where an officer delayed or obstructed without reasonable cause, the Commission can impose a penalty of Rs 250 a day, up to Rs 25,000, under section 20, and recommend disciplinary action.
• Compensation for the applicant: under section 19(8)(b), the Commission may direct the authority to pay the applicant compensation for any loss or harm caused.
• No relief for vague demands: where the applicant asked for an unreasonably broad set of records, Commissions tend to uphold a reasonable fee or suggest inspection, rather than ordering thousands of pages free.

When writing an appeal on fees, set out the dates, the amount demanded, the rule that applies and the calculation you say is correct. A short, precise appeal is decided faster than a long complaint.

RTI compared with other ways of getting information

RTI is cheap, but it is not always the quickest or the right route. The table compares it with the alternatives people most often use.

A sensible approach is to check what is already published, use online status services for your own matters, and use RTI when you need documents or reasons that are not available any other way. Combining a grievance with an RTI application often works well: the grievance pushes for action, and the RTI shows why the matter is stuck.

Fee questions officers raise, and how to answer them

"Your application covers several subjects, so pay a fee for each."

The fee is per application to a public authority. If the subjects relate to different public authorities, the right response is a transfer under section 6(3), not extra fees. If they are all with the same authority, one fee covers them.

"Information is voluminous; pay for the time taken to collect it."

Time is not chargeable. The officer can, however, offer inspection where supplying copies would disproportionately divert resources, under section 7(9). Inspection is cheap and often more useful.

"Send fees in advance for copies, we will refund the excess."

The Act requires an intimation with the calculation before further fees are paid. Politely ask for the intimation instead.

"We do not accept online payment or postal orders."

For central authorities, rule 6 lists the accepted modes, including postal orders and electronic means. For state authorities, check the state rules and point to the relevant rule.

"BPL exemption needs an original certificate."

The rule asks for a certificate issued by the appropriate government; a copy is normally accepted with the application. If the office has doubts, it can ask to verify the original.

What changed in 2025 and 2026

Personal information after 13 November 2025

Section 44(3) of the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, brought into force from 13 November 2025, amended section 8(1)(j) of the RTI Act. Personal information can now be refused without the earlier test of whether disclosure serves a larger public interest. This does not change fees, but it affects whether a fee becomes payable at all: if the information you seek is personal information about someone else, expect a refusal and no fee demand. Your own information remains available. The RTI guide explains the change in detail.

Maharashtra's new rules

Maharashtra notified the Maharashtra Right to Information Rules, 2026 on 7 July 2026, replacing a version notified a month earlier. The application fee stays at Rs 10 and copies at Rs 2 per page, with Rs 20 for each appeal; court fee stamps are an accepted mode. The state portal for online filing continues.

Online portals spreading

Following the Supreme Court's 2023 direction, High Courts and district courts have been setting up online RTI portals, and the Court has sought responses from states that were slow to create portals for their own departments. More state and court authorities now accept online fee payment, which removes the need for postal orders.

Commission decisions on fees and records

Information Commissions continue to issue orders on fees, evaluation records and compiled information. For one recent example on exam evaluation records, see the Mara Vakil news story on the CIC and evaluation records.