How to Calculate Buyer's Stamp Duty (BSD) in Singapore: A Step-by-Step Guide
Calculates Buyer's Stamp Duty on a Singapore residential property using the tiered rates from 1% to 6%.
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$)
Step by step
- Enter the purchase price or market value, whichever is higher (S$).
- The results update as you type, or press Calculate.
- Read the buyer's stamp duty first, then the supporting figures below it.
The formula
1% on the first S$180,000, 2% on the next S$180,000, 3% on the next S$640,000, 4% on the next S$500,000, 5% on the next S$1.5 million and 6% above S$3 million.
Worked example
For example, with these inputs:
- Purchase price or market value, whichever is higher (S$): 1,200,000
the calculator returns:
- Buyer's Stamp Duty: S$32,600.00
- BSD as % of price: 2.72%
A second example
Now change the inputs to:
- Purchase price or market value, whichever is higher (S$): 1,500,000
the calculator returns:
- Buyer's Stamp Duty: S$44,600.00
- BSD as % of price: 2.97%
Practical tips
- Stamp duty must be paid within 14 days of signing, so have the cash ready before you exercise the option.
- Seller's Stamp Duty can wipe out the gains on a quick resale, so check your holding period before selling.
- 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%.
Background
Beyond the price, buyers should budget for legal fees, valuation, home insurance, renovation and furnishing. Running the figures in advance helps you decide how much cash to hold back and whether a smaller loan or longer tenure makes more sense.
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.
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.
Related calculations
- Loan-to-Value (LTV) Calculator: Shows the maximum bank loan and the minimum downpayment under MAS loan-to-value limits for loans up to 30 years (25 years for HDB flats).
- Property Affordability Calculator: Estimates the biggest loan and property price your income supports under TDSR, using the stress-test rate banks apply.
- 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.
Want to skip the arithmetic? The free Buyer's Stamp Duty (BSD) Calculator does all of this instantly and updates as you type.
Run your own numbers: Buyer's Stamp Duty (BSD) Calculator