Last updated: October 2026
You pay Kerala road tax online on the Vahan service inside parivahan.gov.in: open Online Services, choose Vehicle Related Services, select Kerala, choose Pay Your Tax, enter your registration number and the last 5 digits of the chassis number, verify with the OTP sent to the registered mobile number, pick the tax mode, pay, and download the receipt. Most private cars and bikes do not pay this way every year, because their tax was collected once as lifetime tax (15 years) at registration. The Pay Your Tax screen matters most for transport vehicles paying quarterly tax, for a private vehicle at re-registration after 15 years, for vehicles brought into Kerala from another state, and for clearing arrears. Only Vahan can compute your total, from your vehicle record, so the portal total is the figure to pay.
Road tax is a state tax under the Kerala Motor Vehicles Taxation Act, and the period it covers depends on the vehicle class.
| Vehicle | How tax is normally charged | When online payment is used |
|---|---|---|
| Private car or bike, first registration | Lifetime tax for 15 years, paid once at registration, usually through the dealer | Normally nothing separate is due until that period ends |
| Private vehicle at re-registration after 15 years | Tax for a further 5 years at a time, with the renewal | Pay the 5-year tax Vahan shows. See our re-registration after 15 years guide; green tax is separate, see our green tax guide |
| Transport goods vehicle | Quarterly tax in the usual case, from the class and weight record | Pay each quarter and keep the receipt with the vehicle papers |
| Transport passenger vehicle (taxi, bus, contract carriage) | Quarterly or yearly tax as shown for that permit and seating record | Choose the period Vahan offers and pay before it runs out |
| Vehicle brought into Kerala from another state | Kerala tax becomes due on re-registration or continued use in Kerala | Pay the amount Vahan computes. New-car rates are in our Kerala road tax calculator |
Lifetime does not mean tax is never paid again: it means 15 years were paid in one go at the start. Quarterly does not mean you pick an amount: Vahan works out the tax for the period, and arrears for a late period are added on the same screen.
No documents are uploaded for a routine tax payment. This is a payment against an existing Vahan record, not a fresh application.
The same flow doubles as the check. Up to the fee panel you have paid nothing: the details screen shows the tax paid upto position, and the fee panel shows what is due for the period you select. If no tax is due for a private vehicle, its lifetime period is usually still running. If the Vahan record and your last receipt disagree, take both to the RTO.
If money left your bank but the portal shows the transaction as pending, do not pay again straight away. On Vahan, use Status and the re-verify payment transactions option with your transaction or application number, so the portal can confirm the bank result. If you closed the window without saving the receipt, use Status and then the reprint receipt option: search by application number, receipt number, bank transaction number, or registration number, and download it again. A traffic challan is a different record, and paying tax does not clear it: challans follow the route on our e-challan payment page.
Be careful with exact penalty percentages on private sites: they conflict with each other, and I could not verify a current Kerala additional tax or interest table for late road tax on parivahan.gov.in or mvd.kerala.gov.in for this post (both were unreachable at research time in October 2026). The practical position is certain: Vahan adds whatever additional amount applies to a late period into the fee panel total, and that total is what brings the record current. If arrears run over several quarters or years, confirm the total at the RTO before paying, and ask whether any current settlement scheme applies, rather than relying on an old scheme reported in the news.
You can still pay at the RTO where the vehicle is registered. Carry the RC and the last tax receipt if you have it. The counter computes the tax from the same Vahan record and issues a receipt. If someone offers to pay for you, treat any amount above the Vahan total as a service charge and ask for the official receipt, not just their own bill.
Yes, for a tax period that is due on an existing Vahan record. Open Vehicle Related Services on parivahan.gov.in, select Kerala, choose Pay Your Tax, validate with the registration number and the last 5 digits of the chassis number, verify the OTP, choose the tax mode, pay, and save the receipt.
No. A new private vehicle pays lifetime tax for 15 years once, at registration. After 15 years, tax is paid for 5 years at a time with re-registration. Yearly or quarterly payment is mainly a transport vehicle pattern.
It is the period you are paying for: quarterly, yearly, monthly, or a one-time or multi-year period, depending on what Vahan offers for your vehicle class. Pick the period that matches your due date, and check the total before confirming.
Only Vahan can tell you for your vehicle, because the amount is computed from its class, weight or seating record, price record, and paid upto date. Run the Pay Your Tax flow up to the fee panel to see the due total before you pay.
Use the reprint receipt option under Status on the Vahan portal, searching by registration number, application number, receipt number, or bank transaction number. If the payment itself shows as pending, use the re-verify payment option first and do not pay again until it resolves.
No. Road tax, traffic e-challans, and green tax are three separate records with separate payments, even though all of them sit around the same vehicle record. Pay each one on its own service and keep each receipt.
Fees, tax rates and rules change without notice. Verify all amounts on parivahan.gov.in before paying: the total Vahan shows for your vehicle is the final figure.
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