Liable buyers are required to pay ABSD on top of the existing Buyer’s Stamp Duty (BSD). ABSD and BSD are computed on the purchase price as stated in the dutiable document or the market value of the property (whichever is the higher amount).
All buyers / transferees (i.e. individuals, entities including housing developers) are required to complete the ABSD Declaration Form (PDF, 277KB) to be witnessed by their lawyers (if applicable). The completed form need not be submitted to IRAS but it should be retained for at least 5 years from the date of purchase / acquisition of the property as IRAS may request for it for audit purposes.
On this page:
Determining ABSD liability
The ABSD liability will depend on the profile of the buyer as at the date of purchase or acquisition of the residential property: A. Whether the buyer is an individual or an entity B. The profile of the buyer C. The
count of residential properties owned by the buyer (including residential property beneficially owned and held in trust) and D. Whether the residential property is to be held in a living trust
Date of execution of the Acceptance to the Option to Purchase or
Date of Sale & Purchase Agreement or
Date of instrument which places the residential property on trust or
Date of transfer to a beneficiary where the residential property was originally held on trust for non-identifiable beneficial owner(s) or
Date of transfer where (1), (2), (3) and (4) are not available nor applicable.
Residential properties held on trust - ABSD (Trust)
Any conveyance, assignment or transfer on sale of residential property to a trustee to hold on trust and any instrument chargeable in like manner will be subject to the ABSD (Trust) rate of 65%.
For the purposes of stamp duty, the date of document of the purchase instrument will be taken as the date on which the document is signed (i.e. the Acceptance to Option to Purchase/Sale and Purchase Agreement should be signed on the date it is to be executed and delivered to the Vendor). The trust instrument should also be signed, sealed and delivered on the day it is to be executed.
Remission of ABSD (Trust) may be provided via a refund where the conveyance, assignment or transfer on sale of residential property to a person i.e. trustee, is held on trust for one or more identifiable individual beneficiaries only (whether or not the
conveyance, transfer or assignment is also made to another person).
The amount remitted will be based on the difference between the ABSD (Trust) rate of 65% and ABSD rate corresponding to the profile of the beneficial owner with the highest applicable ABSD rate. ABSD
(Trust) of 65% is to be paid upfront, and an application for the refund must be made to IRAS within six months after the date of execution of the instrument.
Residential properties transferred into trusts for housing developers are subject to ABSD rate of 40% (5% non-remittable; plus 35% remitted upfront subject to conditions).
A. Whether the buyer is an individual or an entity
An entity means a person who is not an individual. It includes the following:
An unincorporated association
A trustee for a collective investment scheme when acting in that capacity
A trustee-manager for a business trust when acting in that capacity
The partners of the partnership whether or not any of them is an individual, where the property conveyed, transferred or assigned is to be held as partnership property
B. The profile of the buyer
The applicable ABSD rate is based on the profile of the buyer on the date of purchase. You must have been granted the Singapore Citizenship status or Singapore Permanent Resident status by the Immigration and Checkpoint Authority (ICA) as at the date of property purchase in order to enjoy lower ABSD liability.
For purchases made jointly by two or more buyers of different profiles, the highest applicable ABSD rate will apply on the entire value of the property purchased.
C. The count of residential properties owned by the buyer
If a contract or an agreement to purchase the property has been signed, that property is to be included in the count of properties owned by a buyer (A) from the date of acceptance of the agreement, even if it has not been legally
transferred to him as he already has an equitable interest in the property.
This also includes the purchase of an uncompleted unit from the developer if the Sale & Purchase Agreement has been signed.
Similarly, the property is to be excluded from the count of properties owned by a buyer (A) if there is already a contract or an agreement to sell his property and the new buyer (B) has executed his
option to buy the property.
As long as a buyer owns any interest in a property, that property will be included in the count of properties owned by him. For example, if a person jointly owns a property with his wife, and owns 20% share of another property with his sibling, the number of properties owned by him is counted as two properties.
If the buyer acquires additional interest in a residential property in which the buyer already has interest in, this is considered an acquisition of an additional residential property.
If A purchases a residential property to be held on trust for an identifiable beneficial owner (B),
the property will be included as a count for B.
Although many properties may be bought under a single contract, each property will be counted as a separate property. Where applicable, the buyer may choose any one of the multiple properties to be subject to ABSD. For example, if a Singapore Citizen
who does not own any residential property decides to purchase two residential properties in one contract, he may choose any one of the units to be subject to ABSD.
If multiple properties are jointly purchased by buyers of different profiles, each property will be counted as a separate property and the profile with the highest ABSD rate will apply on each property as if the buyers are acquiring the properties jointly under separate instruments. For example, a Singapore Citizen who owns one residential property decides to purchase three residential properties ("Property A, B and C") together with a Singapore Permanent Resident who does not own any residential property, in a single contract. The ABSD rates applicable on the purchase of Property A, B and C are 20%^, 30%* and 35%# respectively.
^20% because Property A is the Singapore Citizen's second residential property, whose profile is higher than his co-purchaser's (Singapore Permanent Resident's first residential property).
*30% because Property B is the Singapore Citizen's third residential property and the Singapore Permanent Resident's second residential property. Both profiles attract a 30% ABSD rate.
#35% because Property C is the Singapore Permanent Resident's third residential property, whose profile is higher than his co-purchaser's (Singapore Citizen's third and subsequent property).
Apart from properties that have been purchased, properties acquired or transferred by way of gift, inheritance, release, settlement, declaration of trust (where the beneficial owners of the trust property are identifiable), letter of authority and exchange are to be included in the property count.
HDB shops with living quarters or shophouses with a portion permitted for residential use will be included as a residential property count.
All residential properties gazetted for compulsory acquisition are to be excluded from the count of properties.
All residential properties located outside Singapore are to be excluded.
Rates and computation
ABSD Rates on the higher of the purchase price or market value
Profile of buyer
ABSD rates from 16 Dec 2021 to 26 Apr 2023
ABSD rates on or after 27 Apr 2023
Singapore Citizens (SC) buying first residential property1
Not applicable
Not applicable
SC buying second residential property1
17%
20%
SC buying third and subsequent residential property1
25%
30%
Singapore Permanent Residents (SPR) buying first residential property1
5%
5%
SPR buying second residential property1
25%
30%
SPR buying third and subsequent residential property1
30%
35%
Foreigners (FR) buying any residential property1
30%
60%
Entities2buying any residential property1
35%
65%
Housing Developers3 buying any residential property1
35%4
(Plus additional 5% (non-remittable)5)
35%4
(Plus additional 5% (non-remittable)5)
From 9 May 2022 onwards, any transfer of residential property into a living trust will be subject to an ABSD rate that is the same as entities.
Profile of buyer
ABSD rates from 9 May 2022 to 26 Apr 2023
ABSD rates on or after 27 Apr 2023
Trustee6 buying any residential property1
35%
65%
ABSD is to be rounded down to the nearest dollar, subject to a minimum duty of $1.
1 Whether owned wholly, partially or jointly with others.
2 An Entity means a person who is not an individual. It includes the following:
An unincorporated association,
A trustee for a collective investment scheme when acting in that capacity,
A trustee-manager for a business trust when acting in that capacity
The partners of the partnership whether or not any of them is an individual, where the property conveyed, transferred or assigned is to be held as partnership property.
3 Housing Developers refer to entities in the business of housing development (i.e. construction and sale of housing units) with respect to the subject property acquired. These include trustees for housing developers, which will continue to be subject to the same ABSD rate as Housing Developers.
4 As entities, Housing Developers will also be subject to the ABSD rate for entities as follows:
For the period on or after 16 Dec 2021, Housing Developers will be subject to the ABSD rate of 35%.
Housing Developers may apply for remission of 35% ABSD, subject to conditions.
5 This 5% ABSD for Housing Developers is in addition to the 35% (on or after 16 Dec 2021) ABSD. This 5% will not be remitted, and is to be paid upfront upon purchase of residential property.
6 Trustee refers to a trustee of any trust when acting in that capacity, but excludes the following:
Trustee for a collective investment scheme when acting in that capacity;
Trustee-manager for a business trust when acting in that capacity; and
Trustee for a housing developer when acting in that capacity.
Computation of ABSD
60% of $2,000,000
= $1,200,000
ABSD payable
$1,200,000
Profile of buyer
ABSD rates from 12 Jan 2013 to 5 Jul 2018
ABSD rates from 6 Jul 2018 to 15 Dec 2021
Singapore Citizens (SC) buying first residential property
Not applicable
Not applicable
SC buying second residential property
7%
12%
SC buying third and subsequent residential property
10%
15%
Singapore Permanent Residents (SPR) buying first residential property
5%
5%
SPR buying second residential property
10%
15%
SPR buying third and subsequent residential property
10%
15%
Foreigners (FR) buying any residential property
15%
20%
Entities buying any residential property
15%
25%
Housing Developers buying any residential property
Entities who are acquiring residential properties with no intention to carry out housing development (i.e. construction and sale of housing units) with respect to the subject property acquired should pay the ABSD rate of 65%.
It is important for the purchasing entity to decide whether it will undertake housing development of the subject property at the point of purchase, in order to ascertain the applicable ABSD treatment. Any subsequent change of
intention will not be considered for stamp duty purposes. For example, entities who have paid the ABSD rate of 65% will not qualify for the ABSD Housing Developers Remission, even if they fulfil the remission conditions subsequently.
FAQs
ABSD treatment for trusts
The intent of the ABSD (Trust) remission is to equalise the ABSD treatment for transfers of residential properties, irrespective of whether a trust is involved or not. Remission can be obtained only if all the conditions are met. Please refer to Remission of ABSD (Trust) for more details.
The residential property transferred into the trust will be added to property count of any identifiable beneficial owner of that property, regardless of whether there is a remission of ABSD (Trust).
You can stamp via myTax Portal (Stamp Duty Login) > "Stamping" > "Stamp Sale and Purchase Documents – Purchase/ Acquisition" > Select the relevant form. You will have to login with your Singpass (under Individual or Business User). Please note that this service is available only on desktop and not on mobile devices.
For purchase by Singapore Citizens (SC)
If you have contracted to sell your only apartment before you execute the Acceptance to the Option to Purchase for the terrace house, you do not need to pay ABSD.
But if you have not contracted to sell your apartment, your purchase of the terrace house will be your second property on which you need to pay ABSD at 20%.
For purchases of second residential property on or after 16 Feb 2024, if you are a single SC senior aged 55 and above, you may be eligible for a refund of ABSD paid on the second residential property, subject to conditions.
The ABSD of 20% is payable as the terrace house will be your second property. However, if you dispose of your apartment within 6 months from the date of TOP/CSC (whichever is earlier) of the terrace house, you may be eligible for the refund of ABSD.
Ownership of a partial interest in a property will add to the count of property owned by you. Thus you would have owned two residential properties before you purchase the condominium unit. The purchase of the condominium unit with your son will be your third residential property. Hence you and your son would have to pay ABSD at 30% on the full purchase price/market value (whichever is higher) of the condominium unit based on your ABSD profile which is the higher of the two profiles.
Although the acquisition of your mother's 80% share would have been considered your second property, however, as you are a Singapore citizen who only owns one residential property and are acquiring additional interest in the same property from the co-owner, no ABSD is payable on the acquisition.
However, please note that BSD is still payable on the acquisition of your mother’s 80% share of the property.
Your subsequent purchase of the private flat would be your second property which would attract the ABSD rate of 20%.
The matrimonial home will be your second property and therefore both of you will have to pay ABSD at 20% based on your ABSD profile which is the higher of the two profiles. However, you may be eligible for the ABSD refund if you dispose of your interest in the house that is co-owned with your mother within 6 months from the date of purchase/TOP/CSC (whichever is applicable or earlier) of your matrimonial home.
As you are a Singapore citizen owning two properties (albeit partial interest in each property), the acquisition of your husband’s half share would be counted as your third property and subject to 30% ABSD.
However, as you are a Singapore citizen who owns two properties and are acquiring additional interest in one of the two properties which you already have a partial interest in, you may be eligible for partial ABSD remission for Acquisition of Additional Interest in Property which Buyer has Interest which would reduce the ABSD to 20%.
Please note that BSD is still payable on the acquisition of your husband’s half share. You can stamp at myTax Portal (Stamp Duty Login) to obtain the remission certificate.
As you are a Singapore citizen owning three properties, the acquisition of your husband’s half share would be counted as your fourth property and subject to 30% ABSD.
Please note that BSD is still payable on the acquisition of your husband’s half share.
For purchases of second residential property on or after 16 Feb 2024, Single SC seniors aged 55 and above may be eligible for a refund of ABSD paid on the second residential property, subject to conditions.
If both you and your son are Single Singapore Citizens and aged 55 and above, you may apply for a refund of ABSD if you and your son fulfil the conditions.
Otherwise, you and your son will need to dispose of your terrace house first if you wish to avoid paying ABSD on your next purchase.
For purchase by SC and others (Singapore Permanent Residents (SPR) and Foreigners (FR))
The purchase of the house will be your second property for both yourself and your spouse. As your spouse is a SPR, both of you will have to pay ABSD at 30% of the purchase price/market value (whichever is higher) of the house. However, you may be eligible for the
ABSD refund if you and your spouse dispose of your first property within 6 months from the date of purchase/ TOP/ CSC (whichever is applicable or earlier) of your second property.
As HDB’s rules require buyers to dispose of their existing flats within 6 months from the possession of new HDB flats, ABSD remission will be given upfront. You do not need to pay ABSD when you buy the 5-room HDB flat.
The purchase of the house will be your second property for both yourself and your spouse. As your spouse is a SPR, both of you will have to pay ABSD at 30% of the purchase price/market value (whichever is higher) of the house. However, you may be eligible for the ABSD refund for second residential property if you and your spouse dispose of the HDB flat within 6 months of the date of purchase/ TOP/ CSC (whichever is applicable or earlier) of your private flat.
SPRs are required to pay ABSD at 5% if they buy their first residential property on their own or jointly with SC. However, if both you and your SPR spouse do not own any property and the matrimonial home is the only residential property owned by you and
your spouse, you may be eligible for the ABSD remission for SC married couples.
ABSD liability is determined based on the buyer’s profile at the point of purchasing a property and does not change notwithstanding subsequent changes to the buyer’s profile.
The point of purchase refers to the date you signed your:
a) Date of Acceptance of the Option to Purchase* or
b) Date of Sale and Purchase Agreement or
c) Date of Agreement for Lease (for new HDB flat) or
d) Date of Transfer where the above a), b) and c) are not applicable.
*Excludes an Option to Purchase that is subject to the execution/ signing of the Sale and Purchase Agreement
If you received the in-principle approval for your application for SC/ SPR by the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) before purchasing the property, please submit an appeal through the myTax Portal (Stamp Duty Login). Please note that this service is available only on desktop and not on mobile devices. Notwithstanding your appeal request, you will need to pay the ABSD within 14 days of purchasing the property.
Your appeal will be assessed on a case-by-case basis and if successful, the ABSD will be refunded to you after all the remission conditions have been met.
If you only received ICA’s in-principle approval after purchasing the property, your appeal will not be successful.
From 12 Jan 2013, SPR buying their first residential property including HDB flat would have to pay ABSD at 5%.
As HDB’s rules require buyers to dispose of all their private properties within 6 months from the completion date of the HDB resale flats, the ABSD remission will be given upfront. You only need to pay ABSD at 5% instead of 30% when you buy the HDB flat.
As you are a Singapore Permanent Resident buying your second residential property, you will need to pay ABSD at 30% of the purchase price/market value (whichever is higher) of the private apartment.
As you are a Singapore Permanent Resident buying your third or subsequent residential property you will need to pay ABSD at 35% of the purchase price/market value (whichever is higher) of the private apartment.
You will be accorded the same treatment as a Singapore Citizen. You do not need to pay ABSD on your first property purchase. The ABSD rates of 20% and 30% will apply when you buy the second and additional residential properties respectively.
The applicable ABSD rate is based on the profile of the buyer on the date of purchase. You must have been granted the Singapore Citizenship status or Singapore Permanent Resident status by the Immigration and Checkpoint Authority (ICA) as at the date of purchase in order to enjoy lower ABSD liability.
As you are a Singapore Permanent Resident who owns one property (albeit partial interest in the property), the acquisition of your mother’s half share would be counted as your second residential property and subject to 30% ABSD.
However, as you are a Singapore Permanent Resident who owns one residential property and are acquiring additional interest in the property which you already have a partial interest in, you may be eligible for the partial ABSD remission for Acquisition of Additional Interest in Property which Buyer has Interest which would reduce the ABSD to 5%.
Please note that BSD is still payable on the acquisition of your mother’s half share. You can stamp at myTax Portal (Stamp Duty Login) to
obtain the remission certificate.
Property type
ABSD is payable only on the apportioned value of the living quarters. You may get a professional valuer to value the living quarters.
If the strata unit is permitted to be used as a shop by a Written Permission given under section 14(4) of the Planning Act for a period exceeding 10 years, ABSD is not payable.
As the land is zoned ‘Residential’ and hence the development is capable of being developed or used for fully residential purposes, ABSD is payable.
ABSD is payable as this is a residential property and the use as a child care centre is only a temporary permitted use.
Property Count
Only residential properties in Singapore are included in the property count which is used to determine ABSD liability. As this is your first residential property in Singapore, ABSD is not payable.
Properties gazetted for compulsory acquisition will be excluded from the count of properties. As such, your count of properties owned is zero and hence ABSD will not be payable on your purchase of the next residential property.
Payment
Where the terms of the document do not state who is liable to pay stamp duty, the party to pay stamp duty will follow that as specified in the Third Schedule of the Stamp Duties Act. For ABSD, this is generally the purchaser (buyer) or transferee. Please refer to Who Should Pay Stamp Duty for more details.
BSD and ABSD must be paid within 14 days after the date of the signed Contract or Agreement. Where the Contract or Agreement is executed (signed) overseas, BSD and ABSD must be paid within 30 days after the receipt of the Contract or Agreement in Singapore. A document is considered to be duly stamped only when stamp duty is fully paid. Audit checks will be conducted by IRAS to ensure that BSD and ABSD are duly paid. Under the Stamp Duties Act, a penalty of 4 times the amount of unpaid duty can be imposed.
Stamp duty is an upfront cost that a buyer has to consciously set aside when he decides to purchase a property. It must be paid in full and cannot be deferred. Inadequate payment or late payment of stamp duty is tantamount to non-stamping and penalties would apply.
Using CPF funds to pay stamp duty is subject to the terms and conditions under the Private Properties and Public Housing Schemes. You may wish to check with CPF Board for more details.
Others
Yes, it is an offence under Section 62 of Stamp Duties Act to evade stamp duty by executing a document where facts and circumstances are not fully and truly set forth. Any person guilty of such an offence shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $10,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 3 years or to both.
IRAS takes a stern view of any arrangements for the purpose of reducing or avoiding tax. This includes the scenario where buyers purchase properties under a contrived or artificial arrangement in order to reduce or avoid the Stamp Duties they have to pay.
In cases of tax avoidance, the Commissioner of Stamp Duties will disregard or vary any tax avoidance arrangement, claw back the rightful amount of stamp duty and impose a 50% surcharge on the additional duty payable. Further penalties of up to 4 times the outstanding amount may be imposed if the stamp duty and surcharge are not paid by the deadline.
The amount of direct cash discount may be deducted from the purchase price
to determine what is the amount of consideration for stamp duty purpose. This is provided that the nett price is still reflective of the market value.
You are to disclose to IRAS the failed sale of your previous property and the circumstances of the aborted sale. Whether ABSD would be clawed back from you and what further action would be taken by IRAS would depend on the circumstances of the case. For information, the Commissioner of Stamp Duties may invoke the anti-avoidance provision under Section 33A of the Stamp Duties Act if there is reason to suspect that the sale of your previous property was fictitious and was schemed to avoid or reduce payment of ABSD.
Yes, based on your profile, ABSD is still payable even on a transfer by way of gift. The calculation is based on the market value of the property since there is no consideration. This is as ABSD is calculated based on the consideration or market value of the property, whichever is higher.
If your inheritance is in accordance with a Will, Intestacy Law or Muslim Inheritance Law, ABSD is not payable.
Based on your respective profiles, ABSD is payable as the change in manner of holding results in a transfer of interest in property.
