How to Calculate Additional Buyer's Stamp Duty (ABSD) in Singapore: A Step-by-Step Guide
Calculates ABSD by buyer profile and the number of residential properties owned, using the rates in force since 27 April 2023.
Property is the largest purchase most Singaporeans make, and stamp duties, loan limits and cash requirements are front-loaded. Small mistakes in these figures can mean a shortfall at completion, so it pays to run the numbers before you commit to an option to purchase.
What you need
- Purchase price or market value, whichever is higher (S$)
- Buyer profile
- Which residential property is this?
Step by step
- Enter the purchase price or market value, whichever is higher (S$).
- Enter the buyer profile.
- Enter the which residential property is this?.
- The results update as you type, or press Calculate.
- Read the absd rate first, then the supporting figures below it.
The formula
Citizens: 0% / 20% / 30%. PRs: 5% / 30% / 35%. Foreigners: 60%. Entities: 65%.
Worked example
For example, with these inputs:
- Purchase price or market value, whichever is higher (S$): 1,200,000
- Buyer profile: Singapore Citizen
- Which residential property is this?: First
the calculator returns:
- ABSD rate: 0.00%
- ABSD payable: S$0.00
A second example
Now change the inputs to:
- Purchase price or market value, whichever is higher (S$): 1,500,000
- Buyer profile: Singapore Citizen
- Which residential property is this?: First
the calculator returns:
- ABSD rate: 0.00%
- ABSD payable: S$0.00
Practical tips
- Banks test your TDSR at a stress-test rate, not the advertised rate, so your borrowing limit is lower than you might expect.
- A second housing loan drops the LTV limit sharply and raises the minimum cash downpayment to 25%.
- Seller's Stamp Duty can wipe out the gains on a quick resale, so check your holding period before selling.
- HDB loans are capped at 25 years and must be fully repaid by age 65.
Background
Stamp duties are paid upfront. Buyer's Stamp Duty applies to every purchase at tiered rates up to 6%, while ABSD depends on the buyer's residency status and how many residential properties they already own. Sellers who dispose of a property within the holding period pay Seller's Stamp Duty.
CPF Ordinary Account savings can pay for the downpayment, stamp duties and monthly instalments, but using CPF reduces the money compounding for retirement, and the amount withdrawn plus accrued interest must be refunded to your CPF account when you sell.
Singapore's property market is shaped by cooling measures introduced since 2009, including Additional Buyer's Stamp Duty, loan-to-value limits and debt servicing ratios. These rules are adjusted when the market runs hot, so the numbers you see today may differ from what friends paid a few years ago.
Related calculations
- Rental Yield Calculator: Measures the return from rent before and after costs such as property tax, maintenance fees and agent fees.
- Home Loan Refinancing Calculator: Compares your current mortgage with a new rate to show the monthly saving and how long switching costs take to recover.
- Property Downpayment Calculator: Splits the downpayment into cash and CPF and shows the remaining loan.
- Buyer's Stamp Duty (BSD) Calculator: Calculates Buyer's Stamp Duty on a Singapore residential property using the tiered rates from 1% to 6%.
Want to skip the arithmetic? The free Additional Buyer's Stamp Duty (ABSD) Calculator does all of this instantly and updates as you type.
Run your own numbers: Additional Buyer's Stamp Duty (ABSD) Calculator