Real Estate Transfer Tax Calculator
Price & rates
Your result will appear here
Fill in the fields on the left and this updates as you type.
Know what this estimate is based on
- Jurisdiction
- United States — state and local practice
- Scope and limitations
- Educational estimate only. U.S. real estate costs are local: property tax rates, transfer and recording taxes, title practice, who customarily pays which closing cost, and landlord-tenant rules all change by state and often by county or city. Agent commission is negotiable and, since the 2024 NAR settlement, buyer-agent compensation is negotiated separately rather than assumed. Only a lender's Loan Estimate, a title company's fee sheet or a signed contract binds a number.
- Source links checked
- Jul 30, 2026
Built and regression-tested by Smart Tools Lab. It has not been individually reviewed by a licensed financial, tax, or legal professional.
How to use
- 01
Enter the sale price.
- 02
Enter the state, county and city transfer tax rates that apply where the property is. Many places charge at more than one level.
- 03
Open Advanced options for recording fees and the mansion-tax threshold and rate, if your jurisdiction has one.
- 04
Set the share you pay — custom varies, and it is negotiable.
- 05
Read the total and the effective rate, then check whether the mansion tier was triggered.
Formula
Each jurisdiction's tax is the sale price times its rate, and the three stack: state plus county plus city. The mansion tier is triggered when the sale price reaches the threshold, and when it triggers it applies to the whole sale price rather than to the excess — that is how New York's works, and it is the trap the page exists to show. Recording fees are flat and added on top. The total is all of it summed; your share is that total times the percentage you pay, since custom varies and the split is negotiable. The effective rate is the total as a percentage of the price, which is usually higher than the stacked rate once fees and any mansion tier are counted.
Example
A $420,000 sale with a 0.5% state rate, a 0.11% county rate, no city rate, $250 of recording fees, and a $1,000,000 mansion threshold. State: $420,000 x 0.5% = $2,100. County: $420,000 x 0.11% = $462. City: none. Mansion tier: not triggered at $420,000. Recording: $250. Total: $2,812, an effective 0.67%. At a 100% seller share, all of it is yours. Now move the price to $1,000,000 with the same rates. State and county come to $6,100 — but the mansion tier triggers, adding 1% of the entire price, or $10,000. The total jumps to $16,350. Sell at $999,000 instead and the mansion tier does not trigger at all: the bill is $6,344. So the last $1,000 of price costs $10,006 in tax. That is the cliff, and it is the single most useful thing to know before pricing a home anywhere near one of these thresholds.
Definitions
- Transfer tax
- A tax on transferring title to real property, charged on the sale price at closing.
- Documentary stamp tax
- The same tax under a different name, used in Florida and several other states.
- Conveyance tax
- Another regional name for a transfer tax, common in New England.
- Mansion tax
- An additional tier above a price threshold, usually applying to the whole price rather than the excess.
- Recording fee
- A modest flat charge for entering the deed in the public record. Distinct from a transfer tax.
- Stacked rate
- State plus county plus city rates added together. Where the real cost usually hides.
- Effective rate
- The total bill as a percentage of the sale price, including any mansion tier and fees.
- Cliff
- A threshold where crossing by a dollar applies a rate to the entire amount. How a mansion tax works.
- Exemption
- A transfer type excluded from the tax — spouses, gifts, inheritance, some entity transfers.
- Mortgage recording tax
- A separate tax on recording a mortgage, charged in a few jurisdictions including New York.
- Settlement statement
- The closing document itemizing every charge, where these lines appear.
- Local custom
- Who conventionally pays a given closing cost in a given market. A default, not a rule.
Good to know
A tax with a different name in every state
Transfer tax, deed tax, documentary stamp tax, conveyance tax, realty transfer fee, excise tax, mortgage recording tax — they are the same idea under a dozen labels, charged for the privilege of recording a change in ownership. The variation in size is extreme. Several states impose none at all, including Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota, Utah and Wyoming. At the other end, Delaware and parts of Pennsylvania and New York can exceed 3% once state, county and city layers stack. Here 0.5% state and 0.11% county come to 0.61% stacked, or $2,562 on a $420,000 sale, and $2,812 once recording fees are added. Before budgeting a sale, look up the specific county and city rather than the state rate, because the local layer is often the larger one.
Who pays is custom, not law, in most places
A few states specify the payer by statute. Most leave it to local custom, and custom varies within a single state. Sellers customarily pay in California and much of the Northeast; buyers customarily pay in much of the Midwest and in Pennsylvania it is conventionally split. Because it is custom rather than law, it is negotiable — and in a buyer's market or on a property that has sat, asking the other side to carry it is an ordinary term rather than an unusual one. On a $420,000 sale the whole bill is $2,812, which is real money in a negotiation where the price has already been agreed. Whatever the local custom, get the allocation written into the purchase agreement, because a settlement statement that assumes custom and a contract that says nothing is where these disputes start.
Mansion taxes are cliffs, not brackets
A growing number of jurisdictions add a surcharge above a threshold, and the structure matters enormously: most of them apply the higher rate to the entire price, not to the excess above the threshold. New York's 1% mansion tax applies to residential sales at $1 million and above; New Jersey's applies at the same level; Los Angeles's Measure ULA adds 4% above roughly $5 million and 5.5% above $10 million; Washington state uses a graduated structure that is genuinely bracketed. Where the tax is a cliff, a sale at $1,000,001 costs $10,000 more than a sale at $999,999 — which is why properties cluster just below these thresholds and why a price negotiation near one is worth conducting with the number in front of you. This calculator treats the threshold as a cliff because that is how most of them are written.
Exemptions worth checking before you pay
Most jurisdictions exempt a set of transfers, and the list is longer than sellers expect. Transfers between spouses and in a divorce settlement, transfers to and from a revocable trust, gifts to family members in some states, transfers to a wholly-owned LLC, corrections of a deed, transfers to or from a government body, and foreclosures or deeds in lieu are commonly exempt or reduced. Several states offer a first-time buyer reduction on the buyer's portion. A few exempt low-value transfers below a stated amount. The exemptions are claimed on the recording form rather than granted automatically, so a transaction that qualifies and does not claim simply pays. If the transfer is anything other than an arm's-length sale between unrelated parties, it is worth asking the title company specifically which exemptions the county recognises.
Where it fits in the total cost of selling
At 0.67% including recording fees, transfer tax is a small line next to commission but not a negligible one, and it belongs in the total before you commit to a price. A full picture of seller costs runs roughly: 5% to 6% of commission, 0% to 3% of transfer and recording taxes depending on jurisdiction, 1% to 2% of title, escrow, attorney and settlement fees, prorated property tax and HOA dues, any negotiated repair credits, and the mortgage payoff including per-diem interest to the closing date. The Break-Even Sale Price Calculator combines them into the price you need. Transfer tax is also not deductible as a tax on a personal residence — it is instead added to your basis as a cost of sale, which reduces the capital gain rather than the current year's tax bill.
Frequently asked questions
What is a real estate transfer tax?
A tax on transferring title, charged by many states and by many counties and cities on top. It is paid at closing and calculated on the sale price. Thirteen states charge none at all, which makes the geography of this bill wildly uneven.
Who pays it, the buyer or the seller?
Local custom, and it is negotiable. Many states put it on the seller, some on the buyer, and some split it. In a few markets it is genuinely a term of the contract rather than an assumption — which is why this page lets you set your share.
How much is it typically?
Enormously variable. Some states charge under 0.1%; Delaware and parts of New York and Washington reach 2% or more once every layer stacks. On a $420,000 sale that is a difference between a few hundred dollars and over $8,000.
What is a mansion tax?
An additional tier on sales above a threshold — classically New York's 1% above $1 million, though several cities have their own. The critical detail is that it usually applies to the entire price, not just the amount above the threshold.
So crossing the threshold by a dollar costs a full percent?
Exactly, and that is why it is a cliff rather than a bracket. On a $1,000,000 threshold at 1%, selling at $1,000,001 costs $10,000 more than selling at $999,999. It is the reason homes list just under those lines, and why negotiating to just below one can save more than the discount costs.
Is it the same as recording fees?
No. Recording fees pay the county to enter the deed in the public record and are usually modest and flat — $50 to $250 in most places. Transfer tax is a tax on the transaction itself. Both appear at closing and both are on this page.
Why does it have so many names?
Because it was enacted separately in each state. Documentary stamp tax, deed tax, conveyance tax, realty transfer fee and excise tax are all the same thing. If a settlement statement shows one of those, it belongs on this page.
Is transfer tax deductible?
Not as a deduction. For a seller it reduces the amount realized, which reduces any taxable gain. For a buyer it is added to the basis, which reduces the gain when they eventually sell. Either way the benefit is deferred rather than immediate.
Are there exemptions?
Commonly yes — transfers between spouses, gifts, inheritance, transfers into a trust or a wholly-owned entity, and sometimes first-time buyers or below-threshold sales. Exemptions are jurisdiction-specific and worth asking the title company about before assuming the tax applies.
Can I negotiate who pays?
In a buyer's market, frequently. It is a line on the settlement statement like any other and can be traded against price or repairs. In a hot market, custom generally holds because the seller has no reason to move.
Does a refinance trigger it?
Usually not, since no transfer of title occurs — though a few jurisdictions charge a mortgage recording tax that behaves similarly. New York's is the best-known example, and it applies to a refinance as well as a purchase.
How do I find my rates?
The title or escrow company handling your closing knows them precisely and will quote them on request. County recorder websites publish them too. Do not rely on a statewide figure — the county and city layers are where the surprises live.