What taxes and fees does a foreigner pay when buying a home in Singapore?
A foreigner buying a home in Singapore pays two stamp duties to the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS) within 14 days of signing: buyer's stamp duty, in bands from 1 to 6 per cent, and additional buyer's stamp duty at 60 per cent of the price or market value, whichever is higher, unless a free trade agreement treats the buyer's nationality as a citizen's. On a S$2 million home that is about S$1.27 million in duty. Property tax follows every year, a sale within four years attracts seller's stamp duty, and legal fees and any agent's commission are not fixed by anyone.
Buyer's stamp duty: the bands everyone pays
IRAS computes buyer's stamp duty on the purchase price or the market value, whichever is higher. For residential property bought on or after 15 February 2023 the rates are 1 per cent on the first S$180,000, 2 per cent on the next S$180,000, 3 per cent on the next S$640,000, 4 per cent on the next S$500,000, 5 per cent on the next S$1.5 million and 6 per cent on the remainder. IRAS's own example, a terrace house bought for S$4,500,100, comes to S$209,606. On a S$2 million home the bands give S$69,600: S$1,800, S$3,600, S$19,200, S$20,000 and S$25,000 on the last S$500,000, which falls in the 5 per cent band.
Additional buyer's stamp duty: 60 per cent for a foreigner
On top of that, IRAS charges additional buyer's stamp duty by the buyer's profile, on the same base. Since 27 April 2023 a foreigner buying any residential property pays 60 per cent (with the exception below for free trade agreement nationals); a permanent resident pays 5 per cent on a first residential property, 30 per cent on a second and 35 per cent on a third; a citizen pays none on a first, 20 per cent on a second and 30 per cent on a third; an entity or a trustee pays 65 per cent. IRAS's example: a foreigner buying a unit worth S$2 million on or after 27 April 2023 pays S$1,200,000. Nationals of countries whose free trade agreement with Singapore provides for it are treated as citizens; IRAS's page gives a citizen of the United States as its example.
Both duties must be paid within 14 days after the contract or agreement is signed, or within 30 days of its receipt in Singapore if it was signed overseas. IRAS says a document counts as stamped only when the duty is paid in full, that it audits payment, and that the Stamp Duties Act provides for a penalty of up to four times the duty. A buyer who received the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority's (ICA) in-principle approval of permanent residence or citizenship before the purchase may appeal for a refund of the difference, paying the full duty first; one whose approval came after the purchase cannot.
If you sell within four years: seller's stamp duty
IRAS charges seller's stamp duty on residential property sold within a holding period, on the higher of the selling price and the market value. For a property bought on or after 4 July 2025 the rates are 16 per cent if sold within a year, 12 per cent within two, 8 per cent within three and 4 per cent within four; after four years there is none. Property bought earlier follows the table IRAS publishes for its purchase date.
Every year: property tax
IRAS charges property tax every year on a home's annual value, its estimated yearly rent. From 1 January 2025 an owner who lives in the home pays nothing on the first S$12,000 of annual value, 4 per cent on the next S$28,000, then 6, 10, 14, 20 and 26 per cent in further bands and 32 per cent above S$140,000. A home the owner does not live in, including one that is let out, pays the non-owner-occupier rates: 12 per cent on the first S$30,000, 20 per cent on the next S$15,000, 28 per cent on the next S$15,000 and 36 per cent above S$60,000. A foreign owner who lives in the home qualifies for the owner-occupier rates like anyone else.
What is not fixed: legal fees and commission
No authority fixes the conveyancing lawyer's fee or a property agent's commission. The Council for Estate Agencies (CEA) says there are no fixed commission rates and no prescribed guidelines on commission amounts, that the amount and terms should be agreed with the agent before work starts and may be recorded in CEA's prescribed estate agency agreement, that GST may apply, that the commission is paid to the agency and not the agent, and that an agent may not collect commission from more than one party in the same transaction. The ranked list of conveyancing law firms on this site shows which firms publish their fees, and the ranked list of property consultancies says what each provider handles for buyers from abroad.