JoSAA 2026 Counselling Fee, Category-Wise Seat Acceptance Fee

JoSAA 2026 Counselling Fee

JoSAA 2026 does not charge any fee for registration or choice filling. The only fees a candidate pays are the Seat Acceptance Fee (SAF) after a seat is allotted in any round, and, for NIT+ system candidates, an additional Partial Admission Fee (PAF) after the final JoSAA round.

Understanding the fee structure is important before counselling begins, because missing a payment deadline results in automatic cancellation of the allotted seat and permanent exit from all subsequent JoSAA rounds.

There are two distinct fee components:

Seat Acceptance Fee (SAF): A one-time fee paid to confirm your acceptance of an allotted seat. It includes a non-refundable JoSAA processing component. The SAF is the same for both the IIT system and the NIT+ system.

Partial Admission Fee (PAF): An additional fee paid by NIT+ system candidates after the final JoSAA round to confirm institute-level admission. IIT candidates do not pay PAF.

Important: There is no separate registration fee for JoSAA 2026. You pay only when a seat is allotted to you. If no seat is allotted in any round, no fee is charged.

Check your expected institute and branch using the Cracku JEE Mains College Predictor before choice filling so you can plan your fee budget accordingly.

JoSAA 2026 Seat Acceptance Fee Category Wise

The Seat Acceptance Fee for JoSAA  Counselling 2026 is identical for the IIT system and the NIT+ system. Fees are divided into two slabs: one for General, EWS and OBC-NCL candidates, and the other is a concessional rate for SC, ST, and PwD candidates.

JoSAA 2026 SAF for IIT System

Note: The above fee includes JoSAA processing fee of 5000. NIT+ system candidates must pay SAF immediately upon seat allotment in any round. PAF is paid separately after the close of Round 5. The PAF transaction does not take place on the JoSAA portal.

Note: The JoSAA 2026 official fee notification confirms no change from the 2025 fee structure. Always verify the exact amounts on josaa.nic.in once you receive your seat allotment letter, as the official brochure for 2026 is the binding reference.

When to Pay the JoSAA Counselling Fee 2026?

The SAF must be paid within the online reporting window of the round in which you are first allotted a seat. You cannot defer payment to a later round. The payment deadline is round-specific and non-extendable except through the official failed-payment resolution window.

All deadlines below are from the official JoSAA 2026 Schedule of Events published by the Joint Apex Board.

Note: The Failed Payment Buffer column is only for candidates who made a Payment Attempt (uploaded documents and clicked Pay Seat Acceptance Fee but could not complete the transaction). It is not an extension of the regular payment deadline. The Withdrawal Initiation Window and Final Query Response Deadline are two distinct steps: a candidate must submit their withdrawal request during the initiation window; the final query response date is strictly for resolving system-generated queries on an already-submitted request. A candidate cannot initiate a fresh withdrawal on the final query response day.

Key rules on payment timing:

First allotment is binding on payment. When you receive a seat for the first time in any round, you must pay SAF within that round's reporting window. Failure to pay is treated as rejection of the seat and results in permanent exit from JoSAA 2026.

Subsequent rounds carry forward your SAF. If you have already paid SAF in Round 1 and receive an upgraded seat in Round 2, you do not pay SAF again. The original payment carries forward.

Withdrawal initiation and query response are two separate steps. Round 2 withdrawal can only be initiated between July 1 (10:00 IST) and July 3 (17:00 IST). Round 3 between July 7 (10:00 IST) and July 8 (17:00 IST). Round 4 between July 11 (10:00 IST) and July 14 (17:00 IST). The final query response deadlines are strictly for resolving system-generated queries on already-submitted withdrawal requests. You cannot initiate a fresh withdrawal on those final query response days.

Round 5 NIT+ withdrawal. For NIT+ system candidates only, withdrawal from Round 5 can be initiated between July 16 and July 20, 2026 (17:00 IST). The query response window closes on July 21, 2026 (17:00 IST). IIT system Round 5 does not have a withdrawal window.

PAF is paid after Round 5 via csab.nic.in. NIT+ system candidates who have an active seat at the close of Round 5 must pay the Partial Admission Fee (PAF) between July 22 and July 24, 2026 (by 17:00 IST) via the CSAB website at https://csab.nic.in. The PAF transaction does not occur on the JoSAA portal. IIT system candidates do not pay PAF.

Pre-payment option available. JoSAA 2026 allows pre-payment of SAF and pre-upload of documents from June 2, 2026 onwards, before any seat is allotted, to speed up the post-allotment reporting process

Also Read: JoSAA Schedule 2026

How to Pay JoSAA Counselling Fee 2026?

Fee payment for JoSAA 2026 is done entirely online through the official JoSAA portal at josaa.nic.in. No offline or cash payment is accepted. The step-by-step process is as follows:

Step 1: After seat allotment is published for your round, log in to josaa.nic.in using your JEE Main or JEE Advanced application number and password.

Step 2: Navigate to the online reporting section and download your provisional seat allotment letter.

Step 3: Verify your allotted institute, programme, category, and quota details on the allotment letter.

Step 4: Proceed to the fee payment page. Select your response option: Freeze, Float, or Slide.

Step 5: Choose your preferred payment method and complete the transaction. Accepted modes are:

Debit card (Visa, Mastercard, RuPay)

Credit card

Net banking

UPI (BHIM, PhonePe, Google Pay, and others)

SBI e-Challan (offline payment through SBI branch, with processing time of 1 to 2 working days)

Step 6: After successful payment, download and save the payment confirmation receipt. This is required for future reference and dispute resolution.

Step 7: Upload the required documents within the same online reporting window. Fee payment and document upload must both be completed before the round's reporting deadline.

Failed Transaction: If your payment is initiated but does not complete (transaction fails or is pending), do not attempt a fresh payment immediately. Check your bank account after 24 hours. If the amount is debited but the JoSAA portal does not reflect the payment, use the failed payment resolution window before the round-specific buffer deadline to report the issue. Carry your transaction reference number and bank statement

Also Read: JoSAA Previous Year Cutoff

JoSAA Counselling Fee Refund Policy 2026

JoSAA 2026 has a partial refund policy for candidates who withdraw from the seat allocation process after paying the SAF. For a voluntary online withdrawal initiated before the final round, the standard JoSAA policy deducts Rs. 7,000 as a withdrawal penalty, meaning Rs. 23,000 is refunded to a General/OBC-NCL/GEN-EWS candidate from the Rs. 30,000 SAF paid. A separate Rs. 5,000 processing fee deduction applies if a seat is cancelled by the JoSAA system due to non-compliance or invalid documents during verification.

Key refund rules to remember:

• No refund after the final round closes. For IIT candidates, this is after Round 5 closes on July 21, 2026. For NIT+ candidates, no refund is possible after the CSAB Round 2 deadline. Candidates must initiate withdrawal before these cutoffs.
• Withdrawal is done online and requires a signed form. Candidates must log in to josaa.nic.in, fill in the bank account details for the refund, upload a cancelled cheque, and download and sign the withdrawal request letter (co-signed by a parent or guardian).
• SAF is non-transferable. The amount paid as SAF cannot be transferred to a different institute or round. It is either adjusted against your admission fee or partially refunded upon withdrawal.
• Do not confuse seat cancellation with withdrawal. If the JoSAA system cancels your seat due to non-payment, you do not get a refund and you cannot continue participating. Withdrawal is a voluntary process initiated by you before the final round.
• PAF refund rules. PAF is paid via the CSAB portal at csab.nic.in. If you withdraw before the PAF deadline (July 24, 2026), the Rs. 7,000 withdrawal penalty applies to your SAF and your PAF obligation is waived. Once PAF is paid, refer to csab.nic.in for the applicable PAF refund process
  

Refund Timeline: After successful withdrawal and submission of bank account details, refunds are typically processed within 2 to 4 weeks by JoSAA. The refunded amount is credited to the same bank account from which the payment was made (or the account specified in the withdrawal form)..

Documents Required After JoSAA Fee Payment

After paying the Seat Acceptance Fee, you must upload all required documents within the same online reporting window. Document upload and fee payment together constitute the online reporting process for each round. Failure to upload documents even after paying SAF may be treated as incomplete reporting.

The following documents must be uploaded on josaa.nic.in in the prescribed format and file size:

• Class 10 marks sheet, Birth Certificate, or valid Passport (any one accepted for date of birth verification)
• Class 12 mark sheet and passing certificate
• JEE Main 2026 admit card and scorecard (mandatory for NIT, IIIT, and GFTI seats)
• JEE Advanced 2026 admit card and score card (mandatory for IIT and IISc seats)
• Category certificate (OBC-NCL, SC, ST, or EWS) issued by the competent authority. OBC-NCL certificates must be for the current financial year and must explicitly mention Non-Creamy Layer status. If a valid category certificate is not uploaded, the candidate may be moved to the General (Open) category and their allotted reserved-category seat cancelled.
• PwD certificate from the competent medical authority, if applicable
• Recent passport-size photograph (scanned; same as used during JEE registration)
• Scanned signature (in the prescribed format and dimensions)
• Valid government-issued photo identity proof (Aadhaar card, PAN card, Voter ID, or passport)
• Bank account details (for refund processing in case of withdrawal: account number, IFSC code, and a scanned cancelled cheque)

Additional notes on document upload:

• All documents must be uploaded within the online reporting deadline for your round. The deadline for Round 1 is June 26, 2026 at 17:00 IST, with a failed-payment resolution buffer until June 29, 2026.
• Documents uploaded in earlier rounds are carried forward. You do not need to re-upload the same documents if you receive an upgraded seat in a later round, unless the portal prompts you to.
• File format and size requirements are specified on the josaa.nic.in upload page. Blurred, incomplete, or incorrectly cropped documents may trigger a query from the system, which must be responded to within the round-specific query response deadline.

Stay updated on all JEE and counselling developments with the Cracku JEE Daily Target and visit josaa.nic.in for the official JoSAA 2026 brochure and fee notification.

JoSAA 2026 Counselling Fee: Conclusion

Understanding the JoSAA 2026 counselling fee is crucial for all aspirants planning admissions to IITs, NITs, IIITs, and GFTIs. Candidates must know the SAF and PAF structure, round-wise payment windows, and the impact of missed deadlines. Timely payments ensure your seat remains confirmed, while pre-payment and document uploads streamline reporting and reduce post-allotment delays.