RTI Fees by State and Online Portal Directory (2026)

The Central RTI fee is Rs 10 (rtionline.gov.in), and in most states the application fee is also Rs 10 — including Maharashtra, whose short-lived June 2026 hike was rolled back on 7 July 2026. Gujarat charges Rs 20. BPL applicants are fully fee-exempt. Additional copy fees are typically Rs 2 a page. Fee can be paid online, by IPO, by postal order, or in cash at the authority.

Fee amounts for Haryana, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Delhi and Maharashtra verified against state primary sources (SIC sites, state portals, gazette notifications) on 26 August 2026. See the linked state fee pages for payment modes and appeal fees.

Below Poverty Line (BPL) applicants pay no fee at any stage under Section 7(5) of the Act. Attach a copy of your BPL card or ration card with the application. States and UTs must respect this at parity with the Central Rules.

For any State RTI that matters, file simultaneously:

1. Online on the State portal (link in the table), AND
2. Speed Post with Rs 10 IPO to the PIO's address.

The portal gives you a digital receipt and SMS alerts. The Speed Post gives you a physical proof of filing that Information Commissions accept. Both costs together: Rs 10 for the fee, Rs 30 for Speed Post. Total Rs 40 for insurance that your RTI reaches the PIO.

• Paying higher fees without asking why. Demand the notification that supports the higher amount.
• Filing through an unreliable portal only. Always post a parallel Speed Post.
• Not specifying BPL status if eligible. Attach the BPL card copy upfront; do not wait to be asked.
• Using Indian Postal Order made out to the wrong payee. Payee is “Accounts Officer, [department name]” unless the department's own rule says otherwise.

Yes on rtionline.gov.in and on most modern State portals (Karnataka, Kerala, Delhi, Maharashtra). For postal filing and older State portals, use Indian Postal Order (IPO), Demand Draft, or Banker's Cheque from a nationalised bank.

Rule 3 of the Central RTI Fee Rules and the State rules list accepted payment modes. IPO is universally accepted for Central matters. For State matters, check the State's notification. Refusal to accept a valid IPO is a Section 19 first-appeal ground.

The Central RTI Act does not prescribe a filing fee for appeals, and the CIC charges none. Some states do: Maharashtra charges Rs 20 for each appeal under its July 2026 rules, and Bihar Rs 10 per appeal; Punjab, Chhattisgarh and Tamil Nadu prescribe no appeal fee. Check the SIC's own rules before filing.

Yes. Section 6 allows the official language of the State, Hindi, or English. The PIO has a duty to assist applicants who cannot write in the required language.

Kerala (Kerala portal currently unavailable — see CIC State IC directory) formerly had SMS alerts and strong routing. Maharashtra, Delhi, Karnataka, Odisha follow. See the State RTI Portals Directory

• State RTI Portal Rankings (scored 0-50) for full evaluations.

Pick your State in the table above. If it shows Working, click the portal URL and file online. If Post only, download the First RTI template, print, attach Rs 10 IPO, and send by Speed Post. For central matters, go directly to rtionline.gov.in.

• All RTI Rules (Central, Supreme Court, State, DPDP 2025)
• State RTI Portals Directory
• File RTI Online in India: 12 Steps (Central)
• rtionline.gov.in walk-through
• Central vs State RTI: Which Should You File?
• RTI Application Format (Copy-Paste)
• First Appeal Format (30-day rule)
• Inspection: fees + procedure
• Using AI to Draft Your RTI
• Why RTI Gets Rejected (and Fixes)

1. Right to Information Act, 2005, Sections 6, 7, 27.
2. Central RTI (Regulation of Fee and Cost) Rules, 2005.
3. State Government notifications (verified April 2026 on respective Government Gazette portals).
4. Central Information Commission, cic.gov.in.
5. Government of India, rtionline.gov.in.
6. Department of Personnel and Training, Guide on the RTI Act, 2005 (2013 updated).

1. What are the RTI fees for filing an application? (a) Central government: (i) Application fee: Rs 10 — for physical application, (ii) Online: Rs 10 — on rtionline.gov.in, (iii) BPL applicants: free — with BPL certificate, (b) State government fees: (i) Varies by state — Rs 10 in most states, Rs 20 in Gujarat, © Additional fees — for information: (i) After reply — CPIO may charge for: (1) Photocopy: Rs 2 per page, (2) CD/disk: Rs 50 per CD, (3) Printout: Rs 2 per page, (4) Inspection: first hour free — Rs 5 for each subsequent 15 minutes, (5) Postage: actual cost — by post, (ii) BPL: all free — with BPL certificate, (iii) Must pay within 30 days — of demand — or application deemed withdrawn.

1. State-wise RTI fee comparison. (a) States with Rs 10 application fee: (i) Andhra Pradesh: Rs 10, (ii) Assam: Rs 10, (iii) Bihar: Rs 10, (iv) Chhattisgarh: Rs 10, (v) Gujarat: Rs 20, (vi) Haryana: Rs 10, (vii) Jharkhand: Rs 10, (viii) Karnataka: Rs 10, (ix) Kerala: Rs 10, (x) Madhya Pradesh: Rs 10, (xi) Maharashtra: Rs 10, (xii) Odisha: Rs 10, (xiii) Punjab: Rs 10, (xiv) Rajasthan: Rs 10, (xv) Tamil Nadu: Rs 10, (xvi) Telangana: Rs 10, (xvii) UP: Rs 10, (xviii) Uttarakhand: Rs 10, (xix) West Bengal: Rs 10, (xx) Delhi: Rs 10, (b) Higher fee: Gujarat at Rs 20. Appeal fees are separate: Maharashtra charges Rs 20 per appeal and Bihar Rs 10 per appeal, while Punjab, Chhattisgarh and Tamil Nadu prescribe none.

1. Comparison table: RTI fees — application + photocopy. (a) Central govt: (i) Application: Rs 10, (ii) Photocopy: Rs 2/page, (iii) CD: Rs 50, (iv) Inspection: first hour free — Rs 5/15 min, (v) BPL: free, (b) Maharashtra: (i) Application: Rs 10, (ii) Photocopy: Rs 2/page, (iii) CD: Rs 50, (iv) Inspection: first hour free — Rs 5/15 min, (v) BPL: free, © Tamil Nadu: (i) Application: Rs 10, (ii) Photocopy: Rs 2/page, (iii) CD: Rs 50, (iv) Inspection: first hour free — Rs 5/15 min, (v) BPL: free, (d) Gujarat: (i) Application: Rs 20, (ii) Photocopy: Rs 2/page, (iii) CD: Rs 50, (iv) Inspection: first hour free — Rs 5/15 min, (v) BPL: free, (e) Himachal Pradesh: (i) Application: Rs 10, (ii) Photocopy: Rs 10/page, (iii) CD: Rs 100, (iv) Inspection: Rs 20 per 30 min from the start — no free first hour, (v) BPL: free. (Note: Application fee varies. Photocopy + inspection fees mostly uniform — Rs 2/page + Rs 5/15 min.)

1. How to pay RTI fees? (a) Online: (i) rtionline.gov.in — pay by net banking / UPI / debit card / credit card, (ii) State portals — if available — similar payment, (b) Offline: (i) Indian Postal Order (IPO) — in favour of CPIO — payable at post office, (ii) Court fee stamp — on application — in some states, (iii) Cash — at CPIO office — with receipt, (iv) Demand Draft / Banker's Cheque — in favour of CPIO, © BPL applicants: (i) Attach BPL certificate — copy, (ii) No fee — application + information both free.

1. Practical tips. (a) Check your state's fee — before filing, (b) Online filing — easiest — pay by UPI/card, © BPL: attach certificate — all fees waived, (d) Keep receipt/IPO number — as proof of payment, (e) Example: Applicant in Gujarat paid Rs 20 IPO — instead of Rs 10 — because Gujarat charges Rs 20; application accepted; got reply in 25 days.

See RTI Fees by State and How to File RTI and RTI Time Limits.