Learn about how the revised stamp duty rates (as of April 2023) work, and how exactly they might affected the purchasing price of the property that you might be interested in.
Introduction
Anyone that wishes to purchase a property in Singapore is subjected to pay what is known as a Buyer’s Stamp Duty (BSD). Depending on certain factors such as an individual’s residency status or number of properties owned, a second stamp duty fee known as Additional Buyer’s Stamp Duty (ABSD) might be required to be paid.
Those who are active in the property market in Singapore, these two terms might be commonly thrown around and today we are going to dissect what they actually mean, and how they might affect your next property purchase!
This is due to the fact that ABSD rates have recently gone up in April 2023 as part of the Singapore government’s efforts to ‘cool’ the property market. This increase in ABSD has made it substantially more expensive to own multiple properties in Singapore and is meant to discourage people from buying properties (which are an exclusive commodity in Singapore) as an investment avenue.
Buyer’s Stamp Duty
BSD rates are payable according to the purchase price or market value of the property (whichever is higher). As of today, these are the current BSD rates and the manner in which they are calculated:
Purchjase price/Market value of property | BSD rates for residential properties | BSD rates for non-residential properties |
First $180,000 | 1% | 1% |
Next $180,000 | 2% | 2% |
Next $640,000 | 3% | 3% |
Next $500,000 | 4% | 4% |
Next $1,500,000 | 5% | 5% |
Remaining amount | 6% | 5% |
Source: IRAS
An example of this calculation would be as follows:
If I were to purchase an executive condominium valued at $1,500,000, the BSD fee that I would have to pay would follow the following calculation:
(1% of first $180,000) + (2% of next $180,000) + (3% of next $640,000) + (4% of next $500,000)
Resulting in a final BSD fee of:
$1,800 + $3,600 + $19,200 + $20,000 = $44,600
Additional Buyer’s Stamp Duty (ABSD)
The aforementioned cooling measures that took place in April 2023 shot ABSD rates up across the board up to an all-time high of 65% for some parties. Let’s have a look at the current ABSD rates for all parties.
Profile of Buyer | ABSD Rate Payable |
Singaporean Citizen (SC) buying 1st residential property | N.A. |
SC buying second residential property | 20% |
SC buying third and subsequent residential property | 30% |
Singapore Permanent Resident (SPR) buying first residential property | 5% |
SPR buying second residential property | 30% |
SPR buying third and subsequent residential property | 35% |
Foreigners buying any residential property | 60% |
Entities/Trusts buying any residential property | 65% |
Housing Developers buying any residential property | 35% (additional 5% non-remittable) |
Source: IRAS
While it is evident that the recent increase in ABSD is targeted at foreign investors and trusts/entities, the overall increase across the board affects every single person in Singapore looking to purchase an additional property for investment purposes.
Real estate investment has always been seen as a lucrative avenue for those wanting to make their money work for them, due to the lack of land in Singapore and the subsequent premium being placed on properties, especially in ‘prime’ areas.
Those that caught onto this early have certainly reaped the benefits and have paved the way for countless others who have followed suit. This became an increasing concern in recent years, with absurd growth in the market spurred on not only by Singaporeans, but foreigners looking to get a slice of the pie. This resulted in the floor prices of property in Singapore rising dramatically due to a skewed demand-supply curve.
These cooling measures have made it considerably harder to make an ‘easy profit’ off property investment by increasing the entrance cost for those who want to play the game. In fact, there are demographics of people that might be discouraged from doing so at all due to the large amount of upfront cash needed to even get started.
For those who are looking to cut costs during transacting their property in this climate can follow a few quick tips:
Look to sell your property before buying another one if you are looking for a buy-to-live-in situation. This makes it so the property that you are buying is not marked as a second property (avoiding the second property ABSD).
Get a good valuation for your property from a professional. By getting a good valuation for your property and subsequently avoiding COV, you not only avoid paying the upfront cash, but also save on the additional ABSD percentage.
Lastly, using a smart sale program such as MOGUL.sg’s very own 0% Commission, you save on traditional transaction fees by utilising technology and pay a flat $150 fee instead. Click here to learn more.
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