Builder price sheet explained: BSP, PLC, floor rise and the rest
BSP, PLC, floor rise, EDC/IDC, IFMS, GST, stamp duty: what each line on a builder's price sheet means, which ones are negotiable, and a worked example where a ₹98 lakh sheet becomes ₹1.13 crore.
The hoarding said ₹5,500 per sq ft. The sheet the sales executive slid across the table had eleven lines, two area figures and a total of ₹1.04 crore, and that was before stamp duty. Nothing on it was wrong. It just wasn't the number on the hoarding. Here is a builder price sheet explained line by line, with a worked example for a 3 BHK in Noida that starts at a ₹98 lakh sheet price and ends, at the registry, at ₹1.13 crore.
A builder price sheet explained in three parts
Read any cost sheet as three blocks. The first is the flat itself: basic sale price multiplied by an area, plus location and floor premiums. The second is the builder's add-ons: development charges, parking, club, power backup. The third is money that passes through the builder or goes to the state: GST, the maintenance deposit, stamp duty and registration. Builders negotiate on the first block, sometimes on the second, and never on the third, because they don't keep it.
BSP, and the area it is multiplied by
The basic sale price is the per sq ft rate on the hoarding. The quiet part is the area next to it. Most NCR sheets multiply BSP by super built-up area, which includes your share of lobbies, corridors, lifts and the club. The area you actually live in is the carpet area, which the RERA Act requires the builder to state in the agreement for sale. In our example the super area is 1,500 sq ft and the carpet area 1,050 sq ft, a loading of 30% on super area.
Two builders quoting ₹5,500 and ₹6,000 per sq ft can be charging the same price for the same carpet space if their loading differs. Always ask for the carpet area in writing and work out the rate on that.
PLC: what you pay for the view
Preferential location charges are a premium for units the builder thinks are better: park-facing, corner, facing the club, away from the road. They are quoted per sq ft of super area or as a percentage of BSP, typically 2% to 5%. Some sheets stack them: park-facing plus corner. PLC is the most negotiable line on the sheet, because the builder decides which units carry it, and a tower with slow sales loses its "preferential" tag quickly.
Floor rise
Floor rise is a per sq ft charge for each floor above a base floor, usually the second or third, at ₹20 to ₹50 per sq ft per floor in Noida and Gurgaon. On a 25-floor tower the top floors can carry ₹10 lakh or more of floor rise on a mid-sized 3 BHK. Mumbai sheets work the same way; a few NCR builders also charge a premium for the lowest floors instead. Check which direction the charge runs before you pick a floor.
EDC and IDC
External and infrastructure development charges are levied by the state on the developer for roads, drains, water and power outside the project, and passed on to buyers per sq ft. Haryana itemises them on the sheet; in Noida and Greater Noida the equivalent levies are usually buried in the BSP or shown as a single "external development" line. They are not negotiable, but they should not rise after you sign unless the agreement has an escalation clause tied to a government notification. Read for that clause.
Parking, club and power backup
Covered parking is sold as a separate line in most projects, ₹3 lakh to ₹5 lakh per slot in the NCR, even though a 2010 Supreme Court ruling bars builders from selling open parking spaces as independent units. Club membership is a one-time charge of ₹1 lakh to ₹3 lakh. Power backup is priced per kVA, commonly ₹20,000 to ₹30,000 for each kVA, with a minimum load per flat. All three are negotiable in a slow quarter and tend to be the lines that festive offers waive.
IFMS: the deposit that outlives the builder
Interest-free maintenance security is a one-time deposit, usually ₹50 to ₹150 per sq ft, held by the builder against future maintenance and transferred to the residents' association when it takes over. In theory it is refundable. In practice it is a fund, not a refund. Ask two questions: whether the builder treats it as a deposit outside GST, and when, in writing, it moves to the RWA's account.
GST, stamp duty and registration
GST on an under-construction flat is 5% with no input tax credit, or 1% for affordable housing. It applies to the construction service, which in practice means every builder line on the sheet except the IFMS deposit; some builders charge it on IFMS too, so ask. A flat bought after the occupancy certificate is issued carries no GST.
Stamp duty and registration are paid to the state at the sub-registrar's office, not to the builder, on the higher of the agreement value and the circle rate. Uttar Pradesh charges 7% (6% for a woman buyer on a flat worth up to ₹1 crore) plus a 1% registration fee. Work out your own state's figure on the stamp duty calculator.
The worked example: a 3 BHK in Noida
Super area 1,500 sq ft, carpet area 1,050 sq ft, tenth floor, park-facing. The charge levels are illustrative but typical of NCR sheets in 2026. The BSP sits well under the indicative Noida median of about ₹16,000 per sq ft among projects listed on IndiProp in September 2026, so treat it as a mid-market sector along the expressway rather than Sector 150.
| Line | Basis | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Basic sale price | 1,500 sq ft at ₹5,500 | ₹82,50,000 |
| PLC (park-facing) | 1,500 sq ft at ₹150 | ₹2,25,000 |
| Floor rise | 7 floors above the 3rd at ₹25 per sq ft | ₹2,62,500 |
| EDC/IDC | 1,500 sq ft at ₹250 | ₹3,75,000 |
| Covered car parking | One slot | ₹4,00,000 |
| Club membership | One-time | ₹2,00,000 |
| Power backup | 5 kVA at ₹25,000 | ₹1,25,000 |
| Builder's price before tax | ₹98,37,500 | |
| GST | 5% of ₹98,37,500 | ₹4,91,875 |
| IFMS | 1,500 sq ft at ₹100 | ₹1,50,000 |
| Paid to the builder | ₹1,04,79,375 | |
| Stamp duty (UP, man buying alone) | 7% of ₹98,37,500 | ₹6,88,625 |
| Registration fee | 1% | ₹98,375 |
| Total to own the flat | ₹1,12,66,375 |
GST is applied to the builder's charges only; stamp duty and IFMS are outside it. Stamp duty here is worked on the agreement value, assuming it is above the circle rate. Loan processing fees, the society's share certificate and electricity and water connection charges would come on top.
Three rates come out of the same flat. The hoarding rate is ₹5,500 per sq ft. The all-in rate on super area is about ₹7,510. The all-in rate on the 1,050 sq ft you'll actually live in is about ₹10,730. Only the last one lets you compare this flat with a resale flat down the road, where the seller quotes on carpet area and there is no GST.
What buyers get wrong
They compare BSPs. Two sheets with the same ₹5,500 BSP can land ₹6 lakh apart once PLC, floor rise and parking are added, and ₹12 lakh apart once the loading on super area is accounted for. The only fair comparison between two projects is the total to own, divided by carpet area. Do that sum for every shortlisted flat before talking about discounts.
The second mistake is missing what the sheet leaves out. Look for an escalation clause (can EDC/IDC or the BSP rise later), the payment plan (which charges fall due at possession, when you're least able to say no), and a line for "other charges" with no definition. If the sheet has an undefined line, ask for the definition in writing before you sign anything.
Five questions to ask with the sheet in front of you
- What is the carpet area under RERA, and does it match the agreement for sale.
- Which lines carry GST, and is IFMS inside or outside it.
- Which of PLC, floor rise, parking and club are negotiable this quarter.
- Is there an escalation clause, and what triggers it.
- What is the total to own, including stamp duty, divided by carpet area, and how does it compare with the project next door.
Run the total, not the BSP, through the home affordability calculator, and compare it with current asking rates in the sector before you book.
Frequently asked questions
What is BSP in a builder's price sheet?
BSP is the basic sale price, the per sq ft rate the builder advertises. It is multiplied by the super built-up area in most NCR sheets, not the carpet area, so the rate you pay per sq ft of usable space is higher. Ask for the RERA carpet area and compute the rate on that.
Which charges on a price sheet are negotiable?
PLC, floor rise, car parking, club membership and power backup are set by the builder and can be reduced or waived, especially in a slow quarter or during festive offers. EDC/IDC, GST, IFMS, stamp duty and registration are statutory or pass-through and are not negotiable.
Is GST charged on PLC, parking and IFMS?
GST at 5% (1% for affordable housing) applies to the builder's charges that form part of the construction service, including BSP, PLC, floor rise, parking and club. IFMS is a deposit and should sit outside GST, but practice varies between builders, so get the treatment in writing.
How much extra does a ₹1 crore flat cost in total?
In the worked example a ₹98.4 lakh sheet price became ₹1.05 crore after GST and IFMS and about ₹1.13 crore after 7% stamp duty and 1% registration in Uttar Pradesh. Loan fees, connection charges and the society's share certificate come on top.
Sources: Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016: carpet area definition and agreement for sale · CBIC: GST rates on real estate (effective 1 April 2019) · IGRS Uttar Pradesh: stamp duty and registration fees · Supreme Court of India, Nahalchand Laloochand v Panchali Co-operative Housing Society (2010): sale of parking spaces
