How to calculate stamp duty in Singapore

The three duties, briefly

Singapore has three property stamp duties and people mix them up constantly. Here is the short version.

• BSD — everyone pays it when they buy. Tiered, 1% to 6%.
• ABSD — an extra flat percentage on top, based on your residency and how many homes you already own. This is the one that hurts.
• SSD — only when you sell within four years of buying (for purchases on/after 4 Jul 2025).

If you are buying your first home as a citizen, you pay BSD and nothing else. Everyone else should read on.

Step 1: get the dutiable value right

Duty is charged on the purchase price or the market valuation, whichever is higher. Buyers who negotiate hard sometimes assume the lower price is what gets taxed. It isn't. If the flat values at $1.6m and you got it for $1.5m, IRAS charges you on $1.6m.

Step 2: work out BSD

BSD is tiered, so each slice of the price is taxed at a different rate:

• 1% on the first $180,000
• 2% on the next $180,000
• 3% on the next $640,000
• 4% on the next $500,000
• 5% on the next $1,500,000
• 6% on anything above $3,000,000

On a $1,500,000 purchase that works out to $1,800 + $3,600 + $19,200 + $20,000 = $44,600. The full BSD guide has the tier table if you want to check the arithmetic.

Step 3: check if ABSD applies

ABSD is flat, not tiered, which makes it easy to calculate and painful to pay. On that same $1.5m property:

• Citizen, first property — nothing
• Citizen, second property — 20%, or $300,000
• PR, first property — 5%, or $75,000
• Foreigner — 60%, or $900,000

Yes, a foreigner pays more in ABSD than the BSD on a $3m house. That's the policy working as intended. If you're buying with a spouse of a different residency status, the higher rate applies to the whole purchase — worth reading the ABSD guide before you sign anything.

Step 4: add it up

BSD plus ABSD is your total. For a PR buying their first $1.5m property: $44,600 + $75,000 = $119,600, due within 14 days.

Try it with your own numbers

Change the price below to see BSD move, or open the full calculator to include ABSD and SSD in one go.

Where people get this wrong

• Using the price instead of the valuation. Always take the higher number.
• Assuming ABSD is tiered like BSD. It isn't — it's one flat percentage on the whole value.
• Forgetting that a property held overseas doesn't count toward your Singapore property count, but a partial share in a local property does.
• Budgeting for duty out of the loan. It has to be cash on the day.

The steps, in order

1. Take the higher of price or valuation. Stamp duty is charged on the purchase price or the market valuation, whichever is higher. Use that figure for everything below.
2. Work out BSD tier by tier. 1% on the first $180,000, 2% on the next $180,000, 3% on the next $640,000, 4% on the next $500,000, 5% on the next $1,500,000, then 6% on anything above $3,000,000.
3. Check whether ABSD applies. Citizens pay nothing on a first property, 20% on a second and 30% on a third. PRs pay 5% on a first property. Foreigners pay 60% on any residential purchase.
4. Multiply for ABSD. ABSD is a flat percentage of the same dutiable value. There are no tiers.
5. Add BSD and ABSD together. The sum is what you owe on the purchase. Payment is due within 14 days of signing the agreement in Singapore.