In the event that refund can be granted, the refund will be made to the party who is liable for stamp duty.
Refunds are only allowed on documents which have been rescinded or cancelled, due to the reasons provided under Section 22(6) and Section 57 of the Stamp Duties Act (Cap 312).
IRAS allows refunds on rescinded sale & purchase agreements in the following circumstances:
When the document is rescinded under circumstances not listed in Section 22(6), an application for Stamp Duties (Aborted Sale and Purchase Agreements) (Remission) Rules 2005 may be made.
Refunds are allowed on other documents in the following circumstances:
No refund can be allowed on an instrument if it has been made used of. An instrument is 'made used of' if any of the parties to the instrument has enforced his/her rights under the instrument or has in any way acted on the terms of the instrument.
Examples of this are when payment has been made, deposit has been forfeited, compensation has been obtained, possession of the property has been taken or the lease term has commenced.
The application must be made within 6 months from:
1 Date of Sale / Disposal refers to:a) Date of Acceptance of the Option to Purchase by the buyer or b) Date of Sale and Purchase Agreement signed by the buyer orc) Date of Transfer where (a) and (b) are not available nor applicable
For Leases/ Sale and Purchase Agreements
Please apply for the refund via the e-Stamping Portal > "Request" > "Apply for Refund". You will have to login with your SingPass or Registered Account.
For all other documents
Please approach the legal representative who acted for you in the transaction for the refund application.
Please retain the following documents and submit to IRAS when requested: For rescinded or cancelled document 1. Original executed document 2. Documentary evidence supporting the cancellation of the document For other refunds 1. Copies of the executed document2. Any other supporting documents
You will need the following when submitting the application:
The table below lists the reasons for refund for the different document types:
The sale and purchase/ tenancy/ lease was aborted.
Lease/ Tenancy
Example: A foreign buyer is unable to obtain approval under the Residential Property Act to buy the property.
Sale & Purchase Agreements (for Buyer’s Stamp Duty, Additional Buyer’s Stamp Duty and Seller’s Stamp Duty, where applicable)
Examples:
Refunds of Stamp Duty are accorded to parties by: