BBMP Is Gone, Five Corporations Are In: What Changes for Your Property Tax, Khata and Ward

“Bengaluru did not get five new cities. It got five new offices that all want the same property tax you were already paying.”

• Tariq Sallam, on the most confusing rebrand in Bengaluru's civic history

For about eighteen years, every complaint, tax receipt and khata in this city carried four letters: BBMP. Then, almost quietly, those letters started disappearing. Your property tax receipt now names a city corporation. Your e-Khata comes from a GBA portal. Your local councillor still does not exist, because the elections that were due years ago still have not happened. If you are confused, you are paying attention.

I own property in this city, I help other people buy and sell it, and I have spent more evenings than I would like reading notifications so you do not have to. Here is the plain-English version of what the Greater Bengaluru Authority is, which of the five corporations you now belong to, and what that means for your property tax, your khata and your ward.

The short version: much less has changed for your wallet than the headlines suggest, but a few things have changed for your paperwork, and those are worth ten minutes of your time today.

What Is the Greater Bengaluru Authority?

The Greater Bengaluru Authority is the new umbrella body that replaced BBMP as the city's top civic authority. It was created under the Greater Bengaluru Governance Act, 2024, came into existence on 15 May 2025 and took over fully on 2 September 2025, the day the five new city corporations were notified and BBMP was formally superseded.

Think of it as a three-storey building. On the top floor sits the Authority itself, chaired by the Chief Minister, with ministers, MLAs, MPs and senior officials as members. It handles the big, citywide stuff: planning, coordination between agencies, and the projects that cross boundaries. On the middle floor are the five city corporations, each with its own commissioner and, once elections happen, its own mayor and council. On the ground floor are the ward committees, which are meant to bring decisions down to your street.

Why did Bengaluru split BBMP at all?

The official argument is size. BBMP was trying to run a city of well over a crore people, spread across roughly 700 square kilometres, from one head office near Hudson Circle. Smaller corporations are supposed to be closer to residents, quicker on complaints and easier to hold accountable. Whether that works in practice depends on the next two years, not the notification.

Which Are the Five New City Corporations?

Bengaluru is now split into Bengaluru Central, North, South, East and West City Corporations, each with its own commissioner, headquarters and set of wards. Here is how they stack up, using the official ward map and the areas commonly listed for each.

Notice something funny? East has the fewest wards but the biggest area. That is because ward boundaries follow population, not acreage, and large parts of the east are still tech parks, lakes and half-built layouts. West, on the other hand, is packed with dense older neighbourhoods, which is why it ended up with 112 wards.

How Do I Find Out Which Corporation and Ward My Property Is In?

The fastest way is to look at your most recent property tax receipt or your e-Khata, both of which now name the corporation and ward. If you do not have either handy, there are three reliable routes.

• Your tax receipt. Log in to the property tax site with your SAS application number or PID and download last year's receipt. The corporation and ward are printed on it.
• Your e-Khata. Search your property on GBA e-Aasthi 2.0. The draft or final e-Khata shows the ward and the ePID, which is your property's unique number in the new system.
• The GBA ward map. The final ward map for all 369 wards was published by the state, and civic data groups such as OpenCity have mapped it. Useful if you are buying somewhere new and want to know whose problem the potholes will be.

Bookmark the answer. You will need your corporation and ward for complaints, building plan approvals, trade licences and, very soon, for knowing who to vote for.

Has My Property Tax Changed Under GBA?

No, the way your property tax is calculated has not changed; only the body collecting it has. The Self Assessment Scheme, the zone classifications and the guidance-value based method carried over from BBMP, and your bill now names your city corporation instead.

• Where you pay. Still online at bbmptax.karnataka.gov.in, using your SAS application number or PID. The old address survived the rebrand, which is the one piece of continuity everyone should be grateful for.
• Who gets the money. Your corporation. Property tax is the single biggest source of its own revenue, so expect each corporation to chase arrears more seriously than BBMP did.
• The early-bird rebate. There is still a 5 percent rebate for paying the full year's tax early. For 2026-27 the state extended it to 31 May 2026, and it applied across GBA and all five corporations. Watch for the 2027-28 window next April.
• Arrears. Old dues do not vanish with the BBMP name. Unpaid tax carries interest and penalties, and it will block your e-Khata. Clear it before you apply for anything.

“If anyone calls to say your tax has changed because of GBA and offers to fix it for a fee, hang up and check the portal yourself.”

• Tariq Sallam

Will property tax go up because of the split?

Not because of the split itself. Any change in rates would need a fresh government decision, and none has been notified for the corporations at the time of writing. What will probably change is enforcement: smaller corporations with their own budgets have every reason to find under-assessed buildings, extra floors that never made it onto the tax records and commercial use hiding behind residential bills. If your declared built-up area is lower than reality, now is a good time to correct it voluntarily.

Do I Need a New Khata Because BBMP Became GBA?

No, you do not need a new khata just because BBMP became GBA. Existing A khata and B khata records remain valid, and nobody has to re-register a property because of the transition.

What has changed is where khata work happens. Transfers, name changes, bifurcations and corrections are now handled by your corporation, and most of it runs online through the GBA e-Aasthi 2.0 portal, which went live on 22 September 2026. More than 25 lakh e-Khatas had already been issued online before the upgrade.

• Draft to final e-Khata. Converting your draft e-Khata into a final one is part of the first phase of e-Aasthi 2.0. A final e-Khata is what banks, buyers and the sub-registrar actually want.
• Mutation after a sale. The portal is integrated with Kaveri, the state's registration system, so khata transfer after a registered sale is meant to need far less running around.
• Download with your SAS ID. Since April 2026, owners of around 13 lakh properties with linked SAS IDs can download their e-Khata directly. If your SAS ID is not linked, you will still need a ward office visit with your sale deed, a recent tax receipt and ID.
• Track it. Applications can be tracked in real time, which mostly means you can now watch your file sit in a queue from the comfort of your sofa.

I have written a full, step-by-step guide to getting your final e-Khata, fees and rejections included, in our e-Khata in Bangalore guide. If yours still says DRAFT, start there.

What Happens to B Khata Properties Under GBA?

B khata properties stay exactly as valid, and exactly as limited, as they were under BBMP. The split does not regularise anything, and it does not take anything away.

The genuinely useful change is that B khata to A khata conversion is one of the first services on e-Aasthi 2.0, so the application can now start online. The catch, and it is a big one, is eligibility. An online form does not mean every B khata property qualifies. Layout approvals, conversion orders, setback rules and tax history still decide the outcome. If you are buying a B khata property on the promise that conversion is now easy, get a property lawyer to read the file first.

What Changes for Building Plans, Occupancy Certificates and Trade Licences?

Building plan sanctions, occupancy certificates and trade licences are now issued by your city corporation, but the process is broadly the same as under BBMP. The online building plan system carries on; the approving office is simply closer to you.

• Building plans. Applied for online as before, approved by the corporation where the plot sits.
• Occupancy certificate. Issued by the same corporation. Without one, banks and buyers get nervous, and rightly so.
• Trade licences and complaints. Routed to your corporation and zone. Complaint helplines and apps are being moved across gradually, so check the latest official notice before you assume an old number still works.

What Does My Ward Mean Now, and When Are the GBA Elections?

Your ward is now one of 369 across the five corporations, and it will elect one councillor in the first corporation polls, which the Supreme Court has said must be held by 31 December 2026. Bengaluru has had no elected council since September 2020, so for many younger residents this will be their first civic vote.

• The deadline has moved before. The Supreme Court first set 30 June 2026, then 31 August, then 31 December, after the state cited the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. The court said it would not extend again.
• The voter list. About 88.9 lakh voters are on the GBA rolls. The draft roll came out in August and the final roll was scheduled for late October. Check your name now; it is far easier than arguing at a polling booth.
• Reservations. Ward-wise reservations have been published, with 176 of the 369 seats reserved for women across categories.
• Mayors. Each corporation will choose its own mayor and deputy mayor after the polls, for a 30-month term. So yes, Bengaluru is about to have five mayors.

At the time of writing, the State Election Commission had not announced polling dates. I will update this guide the day it does.

What Should Property Owners Do Right Now?

Do five small things this month and the transition will barely touch you.

• 1. Find your corporation and ward. From your latest tax receipt or e-Khata. Write it on the front of your property file.
• 2. Clear any property tax arrears. They block e-Khata, mutation and sale. Pay on the official site only.
• 3. Check your e-Khata line by line. Owner name, site dimensions, built-up area, property type and survey number. If it still says DRAFT, apply for the final one.
• 4. Correct under-declared area voluntarily. Cheaper now than after a corporation survey finds it for you.
• 5. Check your name on the voter list. Your ward councillor will decide which drains get cleaned first. Have a say.

Is the GBA Split Good News for Bengaluru Property Buyers?

It can be, but only if the corporations deliver faster approvals and better local services, and that is still unproven. On paper, smaller corporations mean shorter queues, a commissioner who knows your area and budgets that are spent closer to where they are collected.

In practice, the first year has been mostly about letterheads, portals and transfers of staff. The things buyers care about, such as clean khata records, quicker mutation and roads that survive a monsoon, will show up in the corporations' first full budgets after elections. My honest take: do not pay a premium because a locality is in a particular corporation. Pay for the property, the paperwork and the neighbourhood, exactly as you would have under BBMP.

Same city, new stories, always.

Related Stories

PROPERTY Bangalore's Property Market Explained: What Drives It and Where It Goes Next August 11, 2026 PROPERTY What It Costs to Buy or Rent in Bangalore: The Full Breakdown August 5, 2026 PROPERTY Bangalore's Emerging Corridors: Where the City Grows Next August 11, 2026 PROPERTY East vs North vs South Bangalore: Where Should You Buy? August 9, 2026 PROPERTY Buying Property in Bangalore: The Documents, the Costs and the Checks That Matter July 23, 2026 PROPERTY e-Khata in Bangalore: How to Get Yours Online Now That GBA Runs the Show November 2, 2026