Vested charges explained: Basic vs Premium plan, brokerage, FX markup, and TCS

Vested offers two tiers: a free Basic plan and a Premium plan at ₹4,500 per year. Both support the full NYSE/NASDAQ universe via LRS, both carry the same $35 brokerage cap, and both give access to expert curated portfolios. The differences are brokerage rate, withdrawal fees, research depth, tax-loss harvesting information, and support priority.

This article breaks down every cost on both plans, shows when Premium pays for itself, and compares Vested to the alternatives.

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Basic vs Premium: the full comparison

Feature	Basic (Free)	Premium (₹4,500/year)
Account opening	₹0	₹0
Annual plan fee	₹0	₹4,500
Brokerage — stocks	0.25% per trade	0.15% per trade
Brokerage — ETFs	0.25% per trade	0.15% per trade
Brokerage cap	$35 per order	$35 per order
FX markup on INR→USD	≈75–100 paise above interbank	≈75–100 paise above interbank
FX markup on USD→INR	≈75–100 paise above interbank	≈75–100 paise above interbank
Withdrawal / repatriation fee	$5 per withdrawal + FX markup	2 free per year; $5 thereafter + FX markup
Expert curated portfolios	Yes	Yes
Strategy lists (signals)	2 lists	7 lists
Capital gains-level tax-loss harvesting info	No	Yes
AlphaScreener Plus	Add-on ($12.99/month extra)	Add-on ($12.99/month extra)
Customer support	Standard	Priority
TCS on LRS	0% up to ₹10L; 20% above	0% up to ₹10L; 20% above

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Brokerage: 0.25% Basic vs 0.15% Premium, both capped at $35

Basic: 0.25%

• ₹50,000 buy (≈$590): ₹125
• ₹2L buy (≈$2,350): ₹500
• ₹5L buy (≈$5,900): ₹1,250
• ₹12L buy (≈$14,100): $35 cap — you pay ≈₹2,975, not ₹3,000

Premium: 0.15%

• ₹50,000 buy (≈$590): ₹75
• ₹2L buy (≈$2,350): ₹300
• ₹5L buy (≈$5,900): ₹750
• ₹20L buy (≈$23,500): $35 cap — same as Basic on large single trades

When the $35 cap neutralises the rate difference

The $35 cap kicks in at ≈$14,000 (≈₹12L). For single trades above ₹12L, both plans cost $35 — the 0.15% Premium rate advantage disappears. For investors who deploy capital in multiple smaller orders (SIPs, monthly buys of ₹50K–₹3L), the 0.15% rate saves meaningfully across the year.

Annual brokerage saving: Premium vs Basic

Annual buy turnover	Basic at 0.25%	Premium at 0.15%	Annual saving
₹3L	₹750	₹450	₹300
₹6L	₹1,500	₹900	₹600
₹10L	₹2,500	₹1,500	₹1,000
₹20L	₹5,000	₹3,000	₹2,000
₹30L	₹7,500	₹4,500	₹3,000

Brokerage break-even on the ₹4,500 Premium fee: approximately ₹15L in annual buy turnover on the buy side alone. Add ₹15L in sell turnover and the saving doubles — ₹4,500 break-even is reached at roughly ₹15L buy + ₹15L sell per year (₹30L total turnover).

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FX markup: same on both plans, and the biggest cost

Both Basic and Premium carry the same FX markup on INR-to-USD and USD-to-INR conversions: approximately 75–100 paise above the interbank mid-market rate. This is embedded in the exchange rate — not shown as a separate fee.

Transfer amount	FX markup at ≈85 paise	Effective cost
₹2 lakh	≈₹2,000
₹5 lakh	≈₹5,000
₹10 lakh	≈₹10,000
₹25 lakh	≈₹25,000

The same markup applies when you repatriate. A round-trip at 85 paise per USD costs approximately 1.6–2.0% of your investment in FX spread alone — substantially more than brokerage at either tier.

Verify the live rate before transferring ₹5 lakh or more. Check what Vested offers against xe.com — the gap is the effective markup.

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Withdrawal fees: $5 on Basic, 2 free on Premium

Basic: Every repatriation incurs a $5 platform fee plus FX markup on the conversion.

Premium: 2 withdrawals per year are platform-fee-free. The FX markup on conversion applies regardless of plan. Beyond 2 free withdrawals per year, the $5 fee applies.

For investors who repatriate once or twice a year, this saves $10 (≈₹850) — modest by itself, but it adds to the overall Premium break-even calculation.

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Research tools

Expert curated portfolios (both plans)

Both Basic and Premium include access to expert curated portfolios — pre-built US stock/ETF portfolios designed around specific investment themes. These are ready-made portfolio ideas for investors who want a starting point rather than picking individual stocks.

Strategy signal lists: 2 (Basic) vs 7 (Premium)

Vested provides fundamental and technical analysis-based stock screening lists with trade signals. Basic gives access to 2 strategy lists; Premium gives access to 7. If you actively use screener-driven signals for stock ideas, the expanded Premium coverage is relevant.

AlphaScreener Plus ($12.99/month — not included in either plan)

AlphaScreener Plus is a dedicated stock research and screening tool that can be added on top of either plan. It is not bundled with the ₹4,500 Premium subscription.

	Basic	Premium	Premium + AlphaScreener
Annual plan cost	₹0	₹4,500	₹4,500 + ≈₹13,200 = ≈₹17,700

If you want AlphaScreener Plus, budget ≈₹17,700/year in plan fees alone before brokerage.

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Tax-loss harvesting information: Premium only

Capital gains-level tax-loss harvesting information is not available on the Basic plan. Premium provides data to help you identify which positions have unrealized losses — useful for making informed sell decisions to crystallise losses and carry them forward for 8 years against future gains.

Note: Vested's tax-loss harvesting data is informational. For full lot-level INR cost basis tracking with vest-date SBI TT rates, specific-lot identification at sell (HIFO/LIFO/FIFO), automated Schedule FA, and Form 67/44 prep, Rovia offers more comprehensive tax tooling specifically built for Indian RSU holders.

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Support: priority on Premium

Basic users get standard support. Premium users get priority support — faster response times. For investors managing large positions or time-sensitive transfers, priority support matters when you have an urgent question.

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TCS: standard LRS rules, same on both plans

Annual LRS remittance	TCS rate	TCS amount	Capital blocked
Up to ₹10 lakh	0%	₹0	₹0
₹15L total	20% on ₹5L	₹1,00,000	₹1,00,000
₹25L total	20% on ₹15L	₹3,00,000	₹3,00,000

TCS is collected by your Indian bank at the time of your LRS wire. It is creditable against your income tax at ITR filing — not a permanent cost, but capital is blocked until your refund, typically 4–12 months after year-end.

If TCS avoidance is a priority, Dhan's GIFT City route may avoid TCS under the prevailing interpretation — verify with your CA before assuming it applies.

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Is Premium worth it?

Premium pays for itself if:

• You invest ₹15L+ per year in buy turnover — the brokerage saving across buy and sell starts to cover the ₹4,500 fee
• You repatriate twice a year and the 2 free withdrawals are useful
• You actively use strategy signal lists and want the broader set of 7
• You want priority support on a large or active portfolio

Stick with Basic if:

• You invest under ₹10L per year — the brokerage saving (₹1,000) is well below the ₹4,500 fee
• You make one or two large lump-sum buys above ₹12L — the $35 cap means both plans cost the same on those trades
• You don't use strategy signals and won't use AlphaScreener Plus

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Total cost example: ₹10L invested, held 2 years, sold

Cost component	Basic	Premium
Plan fee	₹0	₹4,500
FX markup on buy (≈85 paise, ≈1%)	≈₹10,000	≈₹10,000
Brokerage on buy	₹2,500 (0.25%)	₹1,500 (0.15%)
TCS (0% — ₹10L investment is at the threshold)	₹0	₹0
FX markup on repatriation (≈1% of ₹14L)	≈₹14,000	≈₹14,000
Brokerage on sell	₹3,500 (0.25%)	₹2,100 (0.15%)
Withdrawal fee	$5 (≈₹425)	₹0 (1 of 2 free)
LTCG on ₹4L gain (12.5%, 24+ months)	₹50,000	₹50,000
Non-refundable platform + brokerage	≈₹30,425	≈₹32,100

At ₹10L deployed, Basic is slightly cheaper because the ₹4,500 Premium fee exceeds the ₹1,500 brokerage saving. Premium overtakes Basic at higher investment levels.

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Vested vs alternatives

Platform	Plan fee	Brokerage	Brokerage cap	FX markup	TCS route
Vested Basic	₹0	0.25%	$35	≈85 paise	20% above ₹10L
Vested Premium	₹4,500/yr	0.15%	$35	≈85 paise	20% above ₹10L
Rovia	₹0	0.15%, capped at $15	None	≈50–60 paise inbound; $5 flat outbound	20% above ₹10L
INDmoney	₹0	0.25%	$35	≈50–80 paise	20% above ₹10L
Dhan	₹0	0.25%	None	Not prominently disclosed	Potentially none (GIFT City)

Rovia matches Vested Premium's 0.15% brokerage with no annual fee, a lower inbound FX markup (≈50–60 paise vs ≈85 paise), and a flat $5 outbound repatriation cost — versus Vested's percentage-based outbound FX markup that scales with portfolio size. For RSU holders needing lot-level INR tax tooling, Rovia adds specific-lot identification, automated Schedule FA, and Form 67/44 prep.

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What Vested does not provide on either plan

• Specific-lot identification at sell: Defaults to FIFO. No lot selection at time of sell.
• Vest-date SBI TT cost basis per lot: INR P&L statements are available; lot-level INR cost basis with per-vest SBI TT rates is not a featured workflow.
• Automated Schedule FA: Tax documents are provided but daily-snapshot Schedule FA automation is not a core feature.
• US options or futures: Cash equities and ETFs only.
• London-listed ETFs: No LSE access.

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Real-world cost scenarios: four investor profiles

Profile 1: Monthly SIP investor, ₹25,000/month

An employee investing ₹3 lakh/year in monthly SIPs of ₹25,000 each.

Cost	Basic	Premium
Annual plan fee	₹0	₹4,500
Brokerage: 12 buys × ₹25,000 × 0.25%/0.15%	₹750	₹450
FX markup: ₹3L × ≈0.9%	≈₹2,700	≈₹2,700
TCS (below ₹10L threshold)	₹0	₹0
Annual platform cost (excl. tax)	≈₹3,450	≈₹7,650

At ₹3L/year in SIPs, Basic wins decisively. Premium's ₹4,500 fee far outweighs the ₹300 brokerage saving.

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Profile 2: RSU holder, ₹25L/year in lump sums

A software engineer at a US-listed company investing ₹25 lakh/year in 3–4 larger buys after each vesting quarter.

Cost	Basic	Premium
Annual plan fee	₹0	₹4,500
Brokerage: 4 buys × ₹6.25L × 0.25%/0.15%	₹6,250	₹3,750
FX markup: ₹25L × ≈0.9%	≈₹22,500	≈₹22,500
TCS: 20% on ₹15L (above ₹10L)	₹3,00,000 (blocked, refundable)	₹3,00,000 (blocked, refundable)
Annual non-refundable cost	≈₹28,750	≈₹30,750

At ₹25L/year, Premium's ₹2,500 brokerage saving is more than offset by the ₹4,500 plan fee. Premium still does not pay for itself on buys alone — you need to factor in sell-side brokerage if you're actively trading, plus any repatriation savings.

The break-even works when you consider full-cycle brokerage: if you're deploying ₹25L/year and selling a similar amount (realising LTCG to fund Indian expenses), total trade turnover is ₹50L. At 0.25% vs 0.15%, the saving is ₹5,000/year — just enough to cover the ₹4,500 Premium fee.

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Profile 3: RSU sell-and-repatriate workflow

An employee who receives ₹18L in RSU vests annually, sells half on vest (₹9L) for living expenses, holds the other half.

Cost	Basic	Premium
Annual plan fee	₹0	₹4,500
Brokerage on ₹9L sell (0.25%/0.15%)	₹2,250	₹1,350
FX markup: ₹9L inbound (vest transfer)	≈₹8,100	≈₹8,100
FX markup: ₹9L outbound (repatriation)	≈₹8,100	≈₹8,100
Withdrawal fee	$5 (≈₹425)	₹0 (within 2 free)
Annual cost (excl. tax)	≈₹18,875	≈₹22,050

For an RSU holder who repatriates frequently, Premium's 2 free withdrawals save $10/year (≈₹850) — not enough to move the needle. The FX markup on both legs is the dominant cost on both plans.

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Profile 4: Large portfolio, ₹50L+ annual investing

An HNI investor deploying ₹50L/year in quarterly tranches.

Cost	Basic	Premium
Annual plan fee	₹0	₹4,500
Brokerage: 4 buys × ₹12.5L — all capped at $35	4 × ₹2,975 = ₹11,900	4 × ₹2,975 = ₹11,900 (Premium rate caps same)
FX markup: ₹50L × ≈0.9%	≈₹45,000	≈₹45,000
TCS: 20% on ₹40L above ₹10L	₹8,00,000 (blocked)	₹8,00,000 (blocked)
Annual non-refundable cost	≈₹56,900	≈₹61,400

At ₹50L/year in single large quarterly tranches (each >₹12L), the $35 brokerage cap means Basic and Premium cost the same per trade. Premium is strictly worse at this profile because the plan fee adds ₹4,500 with zero brokerage saving. At ₹50L+ invested annually, IBKR's near-interbank FX (saves ≈₹40,000 on the ₹45,000 Vested FX cost) is the dominant consideration.

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RSU-specific considerations: cost basis and tax tracking

Vested supports inbound ACATS transfers from employer brokers (Fidelity, E*TRADE, Schwab, Morgan Stanley) via its DriveWealth clearing partnership. This is genuinely useful — RSU holders can consolidate shares without selling first and triggering immediate capital gains.

Where Vested's tooling has limitations relevant to RSU holders:

Cost basis in INR: Vested provides INR P&L statements, but per-vest SBI TTBR lookup at the exact vest date is not the core user-facing workflow. For ITR-2 Schedule CG, you need the INR cost basis as shares × FMV at vest × SBI TTBR on vest date. Verify whether Vested's tax documents reflect this precisely or whether you need to calculate it manually using SBI TTBR records.

Specific-lot identification at sell: Vested defaults to FIFO. You cannot select a specific lot (e.g., sell the highest-cost-basis lot to minimise gain) at sell time. For RSU holders accumulating multiple vests at different prices, FIFO may not be tax-optimal.

Capital-gains level tax-loss harvesting: Available on Premium — it helps you identify positions at a loss. This is informational; the actual sell decision and ITR filing are yours. For automated lot-tracking and Schedule FA with vest-date SBI TT rates, Rovia's tooling is built specifically for this workflow.

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FX markup: how to verify it yourself

Before transferring ₹5 lakh or more to Vested, verify the actual markup:

1. Note the live USD/INR interbank rate at xe.com at the exact time of transfer initiation
2. Record the rate Vested's payment flow shows you
3. The difference × (transfer amount / interbank rate) = total FX cost in INR

A 100 paise markup on ₹10L at ₹85/$ = ₹11,765 in FX cost. A 75 paise markup = ₹8,824. The exact markup varies with market conditions and the banking partner in use at the time.

For large annual transfers (₹20L+), this check is worth doing every quarter, not once. FX markup can change.

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What Vested does not provide on either plan

• Specific-lot identification at sell: Defaults to FIFO. No lot selection at time of sell.
• Vest-date SBI TT cost basis per lot: INR P&L statements are available; lot-level INR cost basis with per-vest SBI TT rates is not a featured workflow.
• Automated Schedule FA: Tax documents are provided but daily-snapshot Schedule FA automation is not a core feature.
• US options or futures: Cash equities and ETFs only.
• London-listed ETFs: No LSE access.
• US stock SIPs: No automated recurring buy at a set rupee amount (unlike Dhan's GIFT City product).

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Related reading

• Vested vs Rovia: which is right for your situation?
• Tickertape vs Vested for US stocks
• INDmoney vs Vested: which is right for you?
• Best US stock platform for Indian investors 2026
• LRS, TCS, and Schedule FA: the compliance guide
• SBI TTBR and RSU perquisite calculation

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Vested.blog is the editorial publication of Rovia.