How to
Real estate transfer tax: how much will the sale cost in taxes?
Short answer
A transfer tax is charged when the deed for a sale is recorded, as a rate on the price. It ranges from $0.70 per $100 in Florida to stacked state and city taxes in New York City and Los Angeles, and New York adds a mansion tax on homes of $1,000,000 or more. Law or contract decides who pays.
Estimator · 7 states
How much transfer tax on your sale?
Each rate read from the state or city's official page · checked Oct 14, 2026
Each rule comes from the official source linked in the result. It runs on your device: nothing you type is stored or sent. General information, not legal advice.
Key points
- What it is
- A tax on transferring real estate, usually paid when the deed is recorded and figured as a rate on the price.
- Who pays
- Sometimes the law says: in New York the seller pays the state tax and the buyer the mansion tax; New Jersey charges the seller. Otherwise the contract decides.
- Big cities
- New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago and Philadelphia add their own taxes, often far more than the state's.
- Thresholds
- Several taxes apply one rate to the whole price once it crosses a line, so a price just over a threshold can cost much more.
Transfer taxes are one of the largest costs of selling or buying property, and they are set by law, not by the deal. The state, and in some places the county and the city, take a share of the price when the deed is recorded. The rates and who must pay differ by state, and big cities add their own.
Below: the rates in seven states and their main cities, how the thresholds work, who pays, exemptions to ask about, and how to plan the cost into the deal, each with its official source.
Transfer tax rates in seven states and their cities
| State | Statewide | Cities and counties | Law |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York | State tax $2 per $500 (seller), over $500. Mansion tax 1% of a home sale of $1,000,000 or more (buyer). | NYC also: $1.25 per $500 more on homes from $3,000,000 and other property from $2,000,000 (seller); supplemental tax on homes from $2,000,000: 0.25%, 0.5% from $3,000,000, 1.25% from $5,000,000, 2.25% from $10,000,000, 2.5% from $15,000,000, 2.75% from $20,000,000, 2.9% from $25,000,000 (buyer); city RPTT on homes 1%, or 1.425% over $500,000; other property 1.425%, or 2.625% over $500,000. | N.Y. Tax Law §§ 1402(a), 1402-a, 1402-b, 1404 |
| California | County documentary transfer tax $0.55 per $500 when the price is over $100. | Los Angeles city $2.25 per $500, and Measure ULA 4% over $5,400,000 and 5.5% from $10,900,000, for sales closing after June 30, 2026. San Francisco, one rate per $500 on the whole price: $2.50 over $100, $3.40 over $250,000, $3.75 from $1,000,000, $11.25 from $5,000,000, $27.50 from $10,000,000, $30.00 from $25,000,000. | Cal. Rev. & Tax. Code § 11911 |
| Florida | Documentary stamp tax $0.70 per $100 or part of $100. | Miami-Dade $0.60 per $100, plus a surtax of up to $0.45 per $100 on documents for anything other than a single-family home or condo. | Fla. Stat. §§ 201.02(1)(a), 201.0205, 125.0167 |
| Illinois | State $0.50 per $500. | Counties may add $0.25 per $500 (Cook County does). Chicago $5.25 per $500: $3.75 usually paid by the buyer, $1.50 by the seller. | 35 ILCS 200/31-10 |
| Pennsylvania | State 1%. | Philadelphia adds 3.578%, 4.578% in all. Most other places add a local tax. | Pa. Department of Revenue |
| New Jersey | Realty transfer fee, per $500 of each slice, paid by the seller. Up to a $350,000 total: $2.00 to $150,000, $3.35 to $200,000, $3.90 above. Over $350,000: $2.90, $4.25, $4.80 to $550,000, $5.30 to $850,000, $5.80 to $1,000,000, $6.05 above. | Graduated percent fee on the whole price over $1,000,000: 1%, 2% over $2,000,000, 2.5% over $2,500,000, 3% over $3,000,000, 3.5% over $3,500,000 (seller). | P.L. 2025, c. 69 |
| Washington | State excise tax by slice: 1.1% to $525,000, 1.28% to $1,525,000, 2.75% to $3,025,000, 3% above (through 2026). | Local rate usually 0.25% or 0.50%. From 2027 the brackets move to $551,000, $1,551,000 and $3,051,000. | RCW 82.45.060 |
Thresholds: why $1 can cost thousands
Most transfer taxes charge a rate on the whole price, not only on the part above a line. When the price crosses a threshold, the higher rate applies to everything:
- New York mansion tax: a home sale of $999,999 pays none; at $1,000,000 it pays 1%, $10,000.
- New York City RPTT: a home at $500,000 pays 1%; above $500,000 the whole price pays 1.425%.
- Los Angeles Measure ULA: above $5,400,000 the whole price pays 4% on top of the other taxes.
- New Jersey: above $1,000,000 the seller pays a percentage of the whole price.
Washington is different: its state rates apply slice by slice, like income tax brackets, so crossing a line only raises the rate on the part above it.
Who pays the transfer tax?
- New York. The seller (grantor) pays the state transfer tax; if the seller doesn't pay or is exempt, the buyer must. The buyer pays the mansion tax and New York City's supplemental tax.N.Y. Tax Law §§ 1402-a, 1402-b, 1404(a)
- New Jersey. The seller pays the realty transfer fee and, since July 10, 2025, the graduated percent fee on sales over $1,000,000.P.L. 2025, c. 69
- Pennsylvania. Buyer and seller are both liable for the full state tax, and in Philadelphia the City can collect all of it from either; splitting it is a matter of custom and the contract.Pa. Department of Revenue · City of Philadelphia
- Chicago. In general, the buyer pays the city portion of $3.75 per $500 and the seller the transit portion of $1.50 per $500.Chicago Municipal Code ch. 3-33
Exemptions to ask about
Each tax has its own exemptions, and they matter most for transfers that are not sales. Ask the recorder, the county clerk or the state tax department about:
- Transfers between spouses, or to a former spouse under a divorce judgment.
- Gifts and transfers into a revocable living trust.
- Corrective deeds that fix an error and change nothing else.
- Transfers to or from the government.
- New Jersey's reduced fee for senior, blind and disabled sellers and some low- and moderate-income housing.
- Florida's rule that its Miami-Dade surtax doesn't apply to a single-family home or condominium unit.
How to plan for transfer taxes
- Run the numbers early. Use the calculator with your expected price, and again with a price just above and below any threshold.
- Read the contract. Find the clause that says who pays transfer taxes and recording costs.
- Ask your closing agent for the exact figure. Title companies and closing attorneys prepare the transfer tax returns and know the local add-ons.
- Check for a ballot change. Cities change these taxes by vote: San Francisco has transfer tax measures on the November 3, 2026 ballot.
Do I need a real estate lawyer?
In some states, such as New York, a lawyer usually handles the closing; in others, a title or escrow company does. Talk to a real estate lawyer before you sign if the sale is near a threshold, if you claim an exemption, or if the transfer is part of a divorce, a trust or an estate.
Common questions
What is a real estate transfer tax?
A tax a state, county or city charges when ownership of real estate passes from one person to another, usually paid when the deed is recorded and figured as a rate on the price.
Who pays the transfer tax, the buyer or the seller?
It depends on the state. In New York the seller pays the state tax and the buyer pays the mansion tax; in New Jersey the seller pays; in Pennsylvania both are liable. Where the law doesn't say, custom and the contract decide.
What is the mansion tax?
In New York, a 1% tax the buyer pays on a home sale of $1,000,000 or more. In New York City, a supplemental tax adds 0.25% to 2.9% on homes from $2,000,000. New Jersey's similar fee, now paid by the seller, starts above $1,000,000.
How much is the transfer tax in New York City?
For a home, the state tax of $2 per $500 plus the city tax of 1%, or 1.425% above $500,000, plus the 1% mansion tax from $1,000,000 and the supplemental tax from $2,000,000. Use the calculator for your price.
How much is the documentary stamp tax in Florida?
$0.70 per $100 of the price, or part of $100. In Miami-Dade the rate is $0.60 per $100, and a surtax of up to $0.45 per $100 applies to documents conveying anything other than a single-family home or condo.
Is transfer tax deductible?
Transfer taxes are not generally deductible as a tax for a home, but the IRS treats them as part of the cost of selling or buying: the seller reduces the amount realized, and the buyer adds what they pay to the basis.
Does a transfer between spouses pay transfer tax?
Often not. Many states exempt transfers between spouses or under a divorce judgment. Ask the recorder or your state tax department, and see Quitclaim deeds.
Official sources
- New York State Department of Taxation and Finance: real estate transfer tax tax.ny.gov
- Form TP-584-NYC instructions: supplemental tax rate chart tax.ny.gov
- N.Y. Tax Law § 1402-a: additional tax on residential property of $1 million or more nysenate.gov
- N.Y. Tax Law § 1402-b: supplemental tax in cities of one million or more nysenate.gov
- N.Y. Tax Law § 1404: who pays nysenate.gov
- NYC Department of Finance: Real Property Transfer Tax (RPTT) nyc.gov
- Fla. Stat. § 201.02: documentary stamp tax on deeds flsenate.gov
- Fla. Stat. ch. 201 (including § 201.0205 for Miami-Dade) flsenate.gov
- Fla. Stat. § 125.0167: discretionary surtax on documents flsenate.gov
- Fla. Stat. § 201.031: surtax, single-family exemption flsenate.gov
- Pennsylvania Department of Revenue: realty transfer tax pa.gov
- City of Philadelphia: realty transfer tax phila.gov
- Washington Department of Revenue: real estate excise tax dor.wa.gov
- Washington Department of Revenue: local REET rates, May 2026 dor.wa.gov
- Illinois Department of Revenue: real estate transfer tax tax.illinois.gov
- Cook County Clerk: transfer tax by municipality (October 2025) cookcountyclerkil.gov
- City of Chicago: real property transfer tax chicago.gov
- Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder: documentary transfer tax lavote.gov
- City of Los Angeles Office of Finance: Measure ULA finance.lacity.gov
- City and County of San Francisco: transfer tax affidavit (rates) media.api.sf.gov
- New Jersey Division of Taxation: Realty Transfer Fee nj.gov
- New Jersey Division of Taxation: fee schedule over $350,000 nj.gov
- New Jersey Division of Taxation: graduated percent fee (P.L. 2025, c. 69) nj.gov
Related
This page explains the law in general terms. It is not legal advice about your situation. Justice is not a law firm and is not affiliated with any court or government agency.