Buyer Stamp Duty
Buyer Stamp Duty (BSD) is tax paid on the acceptance or exercising of an Option to Purchase (OTP) / Sale & Purchase Agreement (S&P). BSD is payable on the higher of actual price or market value. The buyer is responsible for paying BSD to IRAS within 14 days of exercising the OTP or S&P if signed in Singapore, and within 30 days after receiving the document in Singapore if signed overseas.
Important: BSD rates change. The schedule and example below are the historical structure as published with this guide (Aug 2019) — a four-tier residential scale topping at 4%. From 15 February 2023, IRAS introduced higher marginal tiers for residential property (including 5% and 6% bands). Always confirm live rates and computation on IRAS before you act. This site does not calculate stamp duty.
Historical payment schedule (as published)
| Payment schedule | % of stamp duty |
|---|---|
| First S$180,000 | 1% |
| Next S$180,000 | 2% |
| Next S$640,000 | 3% |
| Remaining amount | 4% |
Worked example (historical rates)
If you are buying an S$1,500,000 Singapore residential property under the schedule above, BSD payable is S$44,600:
| Payment schedule | Buyer stamp duty payable |
|---|---|
| On the first S$180,000 | 1% of S$180,000 = S$1,800 |
| On the next S$180,000 | 2% of S$180,000 = S$3,600 |
| On the next S$640,000 | 3% of S$640,000 = S$19,200 |
| Remaining S$500,000 | 4% of S$500,000 = S$20,000 |
| Total | S$44,600 |
Re-price the same ticket with current IRAS BSD tiers before you commit capital.
Related costs
BSD is only one line item. Multi-property and foreign purchases may also face Additional Buyer’s Stamp Duty (ABSD). For a fuller cost stack, see cost of buying Singapore property.
See also
Next step
Modelling cash for a purchase (BSD + ABSD + down payment)? Send the scenario on WhatsApp — we structure trade-offs with sourced figures, without a stamp-duty calculator on this site.