Stamp duty is IRAS’s tax on the documents that transfer property, leases, mortgages and shares. On a home purchase three duties can arise: Buyer’s Stamp Duty on every purchase (up to 6%), Additional Buyer’s Stamp Duty by buyer profile (up to 60% for foreigners), and Seller’s Stamp Duty of up to 16% if a home is sold within four years.
Key takeaways
- Buyer’s Stamp Duty is charged on the higher of the price and market value in marginal bands — 1% on the first SGD 180,000 rising to 6% on residential value above SGD 3 million (5% top rate for non-residential) since 15 February 2023.
- Additional Buyer’s Stamp Duty depends on the buyer’s profile on the date of purchase: Citizens pay none on a first home, 20% on a second and 30% on a third; PRs 5% / 30% / 35%; foreigners 60%; entities and trusts 65%. Joint buyers pay at the highest profile among them.
- Seller’s Stamp Duty applies to residential property sold within its holding period — four years for purchases on or after 4 July 2025 — at 16%, 12%, 8%, 4% for sales in years one to four.
- Documents signed in Singapore must be stamped within 14 days, those signed overseas within 30 days of receipt; lease duty is 0.4% of total rent (exempt where average annual rent is SGD 1,000 or less) and mortgage duty 0.4% of the loan, capped at SGD 500.
- The first instrument in a sale — usually the Option to Purchase acceptance or the Sale and Purchase Agreement — carries the full duty; later documents for the same sale are not dutiable again.
Three duties on one property
Stamp duty is a tax on documents, not on people, so what is dutiable is the instrument that transfers or creates an interest. On a home purchase the buyer meets two of the three duties at completion and the seller may meet the third years later.
The ABSD page works through the buyer-profile matrix, and the stamp duty calculator computes all three duties for any price and profile.
Duties on a SGD 1,500,000 home
BSD is the same for every buyer; ABSD is where profiles diverge. The table applies the residential BSD bands band by band, and the side card shows what each profile pays on top.
| Band | Residential | Non-residential |
|---|---|---|
| First SGD 180,000 | 1% | 1% |
| Next SGD 180,000 | 2% | 2% |
| Next SGD 640,000 | 3% | 3% |
| Next SGD 500,000 | 4% | 4% |
| Next SGD 1,500,000 | 5% | 5% |
| Above SGD 3,000,000 | 6% | — |
Total duty on SGD 1,500,000 by buyer profile
ABSD is rounded down to the nearest dollar. Where a home is sold within a year of purchase the seller would also owe SSD of 16% of the sale price.
Where stamp duty lands in a purchase
Five things people get wrong
- IRAS — Buyer’s Stamp Duty (BSD) — BSD bands from 15 Feb 2023, which document is dutiable
- IRAS — Additional Buyer’s Stamp Duty (ABSD) — profile matrix from 27 Apr 2023, joint buyers, trusts
- IRAS — Seller’s Stamp Duty (SSD) for residential property — four-year holding period and rates from 4 Jul 2025
- IRAS — Stamp duty for property — lease and mortgage duty, stamping deadlines
Official statistics for general information only. Not financial advice.
This page is provided for educational and informational purposes only. It does not constitute financial advice. All figures and worked examples are estimates for illustrative purposes, are subject to change, and do not reflect any individual’s circumstances. Always refer to IRAS and seek independent professional advice before making any financial decisions.