IRCTC Agent Charges Per PNR vs Yearly Fixed Fees

Everyone who thinks about becoming an IRCTC agent ends up asking the same thing: “Will the ticket charge cover what I pay every year?” Nobody can answer that for you, because the answer depends on how many tickets your counter books. But you can work it out yourself with a pen, paper and a few numbers.

The inputs are your own booking counts, your plan and your login type. No provider has your counts. And a figure quoted for someone else’s counter says very little about yours.

What do you need to write down first?

Four things.

1. AC PNRs per month. The PNRs you expect to book in AC classes.
2. Non-AC PNRs per month. The PNRs you expect to book in non-AC classes.
3. Your plan. Standard or Premium, because the sign-up amount differs.
4. Your login type. OTP login, DSC login, or both, because a Class 3 DSC adds its own charge.

Use counts you can defend. If you’ve booked tickets before, use your own record. If you haven’t, start with a low count and then try a second one. A number copied from someone else carries their footfall and their location, not yours.

What is the agent charge per PNR?

The agent charge is ₹40 per PNR for AC classes (1A, 2A, 3A, CC, EC) and ₹20 per PNR for non-AC classes (SL, 2S), as of 17 October 2026. The key word is PNR. An AC PNR with four passengers carries one ₹40 charge, not four. The amount is printed on the ticket, and SiOnline’s published position is that the agent collects it from the customer.

IRCTC’s Norms for Internet Cafe Scheme list the same two amounts as the maximum agent charge, inclusive of GST. The PDF was created in June 2021. The norms also say Indian Railways fixes these charges and they are liable to change without notice, so check the current figure before you rely on it. They list IRCTC’s own fee too, ₹15 for sleeper and ₹30 for AC plus taxes, as a separate amount. That one isn’t yours.

IRCTC’s Revised Agent Policy, effective 29 November 2019, says the agent’s invoice should contain details such as the railway fare, IRCTC’s charges, the agent’s charge and the payment-gateway charge. The tax included in the agent’s charge is shown separately (Annexure A, II.vii). The policy also says the agent’s charge applies only during the booking transaction (Annexure A, II.viii). So a cancellation adds nothing to your gross figure.

Agents may charge the customer nothing beyond the fixed ₹20 or ₹40 per PNR, as of 17 October 2026, and IRCTC does not allow extra charges. Payment-gateway charges: being confirmed with IRCTC. SiOnline pays agents no commission and shares no payment-gateway charges; it charges the agent only ticket fare + PG charges + IRCTC charges.

What is the formula?

Call your monthly AC PNR count A and your non-AC count N. Using the charges above, as of 17 October 2026:

Gross agent charges per month = (₹40 × A) + (₹20 × N)

That’s the total you collect from customers under the agent charge in a month. It includes GST as IRCTC lists it, and it’s before any cost. It isn’t income, profit or a forecast. As of 17 October 2026, every ten AC PNRs add ₹400 to the gross figure and every ten non-AC PNRs add ₹200.

Now put both sides of the comparison on the same period. A yearly sheet works best, because renewals fall due once a year. Here’s the sheet.

Go from top to bottom and don’t skip lines. People tend to fill in the gross charges and then stop. The lines underneath are the ones that decide whether the sums work.

What fixed charges come back every year?

These are SiOnline’s published figures for an IRCTC agent ID as of 17 October 2026.

Twelve monthly payments of ₹236 come to ₹2,832, as of 17 October 2026, assuming all twelve months are charged. Ask which month it starts and how GST applies. Renewal depends on your ID plan, so ask which of the two renewals applies to you. Here are the recurring totals for a full year, as plain arithmetic on the figures above:

• Agent ID renewal (₹2,360) plus the twelve payments (₹2,832): ₹5,192.
• OTP login renewal (₹1,180) plus the twelve payments (₹2,832): ₹4,012.
• Both renewals (₹2,360 and ₹1,180) plus the twelve payments (₹2,832): ₹6,372.

The registration amount is paid once, so add it as its own line in year one and keep it out of these totals. A Class 3 DSC costs ₹6,000 incl. GST for two years. That’s ₹3,000 a year if you spread it evenly, though you pay it as one amount. Wallet top-up and the minimum wallet balance are on the fees page, linked below.

A retail agent can log in with OTP, or with a Class 3 DSC if they hold one (IRCTC integration policy, 2 September 2020). A DSC is optional.

How many PNRs would cover the fixed figure?

This table uses no booking volume of yours. It takes each yearly fixed figure, divides it by the charge and rounds up, using the rates above as of 17 October 2026.

These counts are for a whole year. They aren’t a target and they aren’t typical. Treat the table as a cost-coverage check, not as an earnings figure.

Two warnings. First, ask a chartered accountant whether GST applies to you on these charges. If it does, the figures overstate what you keep. Second, the table leaves out a lot: payment-gateway charges, the first-year registration amount, any DSC, the wallet balance you must hold, and your premises, power, internet, printer and staff. Covering the fixed figure is the start of the sums, not the finish.

What mistakes do people make with this sum?

Most errors come from the same few places.

• Counting passengers instead of PNRs. Four people on one PNR is one charge.
• Counting cancellations. The agent’s charge applies only during the booking transaction, so a cancellation adds nothing.
• Forgetting the monthly maintenance. It’s ₹236 a month as of 17 October 2026, separate from both renewals, and it recurs.
• Putting the registration amount in the yearly figure. It’s paid once, so it belongs in year one only.
• Treating gross charges as income. Your own costs come off, and so do any payment-gateway charges.
• Borrowing someone else’s monthly count. Their shop, their footfall.

If you spot yourself doing any of these, go back to the sheet and redo that line.

How do you read your result?

Multiply your monthly gross by 12. Then compare three yearly numbers: your gross charges, the fixed recurring figure and your own costs. If the gross falls below the other two, the sums say so, whatever a sales page says.

If you can’t give a count you’d defend yet, finish the fixed side first and enquire before you pay. Use cautious inputs, because a busy season can make a whole year look better than it is. And treat any monthly figure from a provider, a video or a forwarded message as a guess unless it’s built from your own inputs. The per-PNR rate is fixed. Your volume is yours.

For booking windows, read the Tatkal guide for agents.

What should you ask before you finish the sheet?

The sheet is only as good as the answers behind it. Ask SiOnline by phone or WhatsApp on +91 91091 35959, or any provider you compare, and get the answers in writing (SiOnline figures as of 17 October 2026):

• Which month does the ₹236 monthly maintenance start, and do the renewal and maintenance amounts include GST?
• Which renewal or renewals apply to the plan you are choosing?
• Who bears payment-gateway charges on a ticket?
• Is a DSC separate, and which login option applies to your ID?
• What is the refund position on the Premium registration amount?

The agent charge page explains the rate in more detail, and the fees page and pricing page hold the full tables. To start, the registration page has an enquiry form, and the first instalment is due at signup.

Questions agents ask

Is the agent charge per passenger or per PNR?

Per PNR. A PNR with four passengers in an AC class carries one ₹40 charge, as of 17 October 2026. Non-AC classes carry ₹20 per PNR.

Is an agent charge collected on a cancellation?

No. IRCTC’s Agent Policy, effective 29 November 2019, says the agent’s charge applies only during the booking transaction. Read that as no agent charge on a cancellation.

Can I add my own fee on top of the agent charge?

No. IRCTC does not allow extra charges. Payment-gateway charges: being confirmed with IRCTC.

Can you tell me what an IRCTC agent earns each month?

No. The charge per PNR is fixed, but your booking count is yours, so any figure quoted without your own counts is a guess. Use the formula above.

Which charges come back every year?

Agent ID renewal, OTP login renewal and monthly maintenance are listed as recurring on SiOnline’s fees page. Ask which renewals apply to your plan. A Class 3 DSC is optional, and if you choose one it recurs every two years.

Sources

• IRCTC, Norms for Internet Cafe Scheme, file prints no date; PDF created 14 June 2021.
• IRCTC, Revised Agent Policy for E-Ticketing PSPs, Internet Cafe and B2B Schemes, w.e.f. 29 November 2019.

Figures on this page were checked on 17 October 2026. Fees, charges and rules change, so confirm them at the source before you act.