Updated 15 September 2026. A S$550,000 home attracts S$11,100 in residential Buyer’s Stamp Duty (BSD), assuming its market value is no higher. At S$1.5 million, the bill is S$44,600. These amounts sit outside the advertised price, so include them before deciding how much you can offer.
This guide focuses on a home purchase. It shows how to calculate the bill, distinguish it from Additional Buyer’s Stamp Duty (ABSD), and plan the cash needed before completion.
Calculate BSD on the right value
IRAS uses the higher of purchase price and market value. The residential schedule below applies to acquisitions from 15 February 2023. Each rate applies only to its slice of value. Duty is rounded down to whole dollars, with a S$1 minimum. See the IRAS BSD guidance.
| Slice of value | Rate | Duty on full slice |
|---|---|---|
| First S$180,000 | 1% | S$1,800 |
| Next S$180,000 | 2% | S$3,600 |
| Next S$640,000 | 3% | S$19,200 |
| Next S$500,000 | 4% | S$20,000 |
| Next S$1,500,000 | 5% | S$75,000 |
| Amount above S$3,000,000 | 6% | Depends on remainder |
For S$550,000, add S$1,800 + S$3,600 + (S$190,000 × 3%) = S$11,100. For S$1.5 million, all of the first four slices are filled: S$1,800 + S$3,600 + S$19,200 + S$20,000 = S$44,600.
A move from S$1.5 million to S$1.6 million adds S$100,000 to the price and S$5,000 to BSD. It does not make the entire S$1.6 million taxable at 5%. This distinction matters when negotiating around a band boundary.
Use a quick estimate, then check the transaction
| Higher of price or market value | BSD |
|---|---|
| S$400,000 | S$6,600 |
| S$550,000 | S$11,100 |
| S$700,000 | S$15,600 |
| S$1,000,000 | S$24,600 |
| S$1,500,000 | S$44,600 |
| S$2,200,000 | S$79,600 |
| S$3,000,000 | S$119,600 |
| S$3,500,000 | S$149,600 |
These are arithmetic examples, not evidence of what a particular flat or condo costs. At a S$1.45 million price and S$1.5 million market value, BSD is S$44,600, rather than the S$42,600 calculated from price alone. Ask your lawyer to confirm the dutiable value before treating an estimate as final.
Do not automatically deduct a furniture voucher or other non-cash incentive. IRAS distinguishes qualifying documented cash discounts from benefits that cannot reduce the duty basis. Send the complete incentive terms to your lawyer.
BSD and ABSD need separate budget lines
Buying a first home or an HDB flat does not itself exempt you from BSD. ABSD is a separate duty whose treatment depends on the buyer profile, ownership and applicable reliefs. Check every purchaser against the IRAS ABSD rules.
For example, an upgrader should not describe a condo as a first property merely because it is their first private home. Establish what each buyer owns at the relevant date and whether a remission actually applies. Keep any expected refund separate from money available to pay a bill now.
Start a purchase worksheet with the price, subtract the approved loan, then add BSD, applicable ABSD, fees, works and reserves. Our downpayment guide helps separate the cash and eligible CPF portions. For an investor, include acquisition duties in the investment cost when assessing returns.
CPF eligibility does not settle the payment timing
Eligible OA savings can cover BSD and ABSD. CPF Board says buyers generally pay cash first and seek reimbursement when the CPF charge can be lodged. For completed properties, payment is processed on completion; for a property under construction, direct CPF payment may be possible if the necessary legal documentation and lodgment are completed within the required period. HDB loan applicants should check with HDB. See CPF Board’s property-fee guidance.
Before exercising an option, ask your lawyer for a dated payment schedule showing what must arrive in cash and when CPF can be used. A large OA balance does not solve a cash shortfall next week. Avoid counting the same savings towards both the downpayment and duty.
Confirm the stamping deadline before signing
IRAS says to stamp before signing. If already signed, stamping within 14 days after signing in Singapore, or 30 days after receipt in Singapore for a document signed overseas, avoids a late-stamping penalty. Electronic execution has specific rules. Use the IRAS stamping guidance and have your lawyer identify the document, execution date and deadline for your transaction.
Do not substitute the key-collection or completion date. Confirm who will arrange stamping and payment, then retain the certificate and payment record. Put the funding date in your calendar with enough time for the transfer to clear.
Commercial property and special transfers need a separate calculation
The non-residential schedule has a 5% top marginal rate, not the outdated 4% cap previously shown here. Residential land and mixed-use property cannot simply be treated as wholly non-residential because a building is absent or a shop is involved. Use the classification and component values required by IRAS.
Gifts, inheritance, divorce-related transfers and other unusual arrangements should be checked against their exact instruments and applicable reliefs. A family relationship alone is not a sufficient basis to budget zero duty.
Editorial correction, 15 September 2026: corrected the non-residential rate cap, the S$400,000, S$550,000 and S$700,000 examples, CPF payment wording and rebate treatment. Removed unsupported policy forecasts, blanket relief claims and outdated charts. The residential examples above have been recalculated independently.
Featured photograph: Choa Chu Kang HDB blocks, photographed in 2025 by 33Loading, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. The example prices do not identify homes in the photograph.
