Your lawyer usually performs the following tasks as part of conveyancing or the legal process of transferring ownership of property. Please check with your lawyer to find out more about the status of the tasks.
You may also check our infographic on the overview of what to look out for before and after purchase of a private residential property.
A) Make a legal requisition on the property
Once the property is transferred to you, you will be liable for any outstanding property tax including arrears that should have been paid by the previous owner. Thus, it is important for your lawyer to make a legal requisition to check on any outstanding property tax.
B) Apportion property tax between you and the seller
If there is an outstanding tax amount, your lawyer will assist you to settle the outstanding amount with the seller. Your lawyer will also apportion the current year tax between the seller and yourself. IRAS does not apportion property tax liabilities between the parties.
C) File a Notice of Transfer to IRAS
The seller's lawyer will file a Notice of Transfer to IRAS within one month of the sale or property transfer .
For correspondence and payment, IRAS communicates with the owner who is listed first in the Notice of Transfer filed by the seller's lawyer. If there is a preference among owners on who IRAS should correspond with, please inform your lawyer. Your lawyer will then liaise with the seller's lawyer to ensure the Notice of Transfer is filed correctly.
Once the Notice of Transfer has been processed by IRAS, the record of ownership will be updated for property tax purposes.
A) Update your address
IRAS sends the property tax bill or notice to:
- The address listed on your identity card; or
- The corporate owner's registered office address listed in the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA) records.
To receive all your correspondence promptly, please ensure that your address is updated. Please see change mailing address if you need to update your address.
B) Receive Acknowledgement Notice on Transfer of Property
IRAS will issue an Acknowledgement Notice to inform you about the updated record of ownership.
If there is any outstanding tax for your property, please arrange for payment to be made.
C) Automatic Application of Owner-Occupier Tax Rates
Owners who live in their homes enjoy lower property tax rates. The Acknowledgement Notice will inform you if your property has been granted the owner-occupier tax rates. If you have another residential property granted the owner-occupier tax rates, the concession will not be automatically applied. You will have to apply for the owner-occupier tax rates once you have moved in to the property.
For more details, please refer to Lower Property Tax Rates for Owner Occupied Residential Properties .
D) Calculate your Property Tax
To calculate the annual property tax payable, multiply the Annual Value (AV) of the property with the set of Property Tax Rates that applies to you. You can use this calculator to calculate your tax payable.
E) Arrange to pay your Property Tax
When there is more than one owner, all the owners are collectively responsible for paying property tax.
Payment of property tax must be made within 1 month from the date of Acknowledgement Notice. You are encouraged to arrange to pay your property tax by GIRO to enjoy up to 12 interest-free monthly instalments.
Alternatively, you can opt for one-time GIRO deductions or use any of the modes of payment available to pay your property tax.
A) Stamp Duty
When you buy any property, you need to pay Stamp Duty within 14 days of the date of Contract/Agreement. In most instances, your lawyer acting on your behalf in purchasing the property will arrange for payment of Stamp Duty.
B) Income Tax from Rental
If you partially or fully rent out your property, your rental income is subject to income tax. Find out more on Rent from property.