What is Seller's Stamp Duty?
SSD is a tax on selling residential property too soon after buying it. It applies to residential property and residential land acquired on or after 20 February 2010, and it is charged only if the property is disposed of within the holding period.
It is charged on the actual sale price or the market value, whichever is higher — not on the gain. Selling at a loss does not reduce it. If you bought at S$2 million and sell at S$1.8 million within the first year, SSD is calculated on the S$1.8 million.
SSD exists to deter short-term flipping, so it is deliberately blunt. It does not care whether you made money or why you are selling.
What are the SSD rates after 4 Jul 2025?
For residential property acquired on or after 4 Jul 2025, the holding period runs for four years and the rates start at 16%.
| Holding period | SSD rate | On a S$1,800,000 sale |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 1 year | 16% | S$288,000 |
| More than 1 year, up to 2 years | 12% | S$216,000 |
| More than 2 years, up to 3 years | 8% | S$144,000 |
| More than 3 years, up to 4 years | 4% | S$72,000 |
| More than 4 years | No SSD payable | — |
Which table applies to me — the old one or the new one?
The one in force on the date you acquired the property. Not the date you sell. This single point causes more confusion than the rates themselves, and getting it wrong in either direction is expensive.
If you bought in 2024 and sell today, you are on the old 11 Mar 2017 – 3 Jul 2025 table: three years, 12% / 8% / 4%. If you bought in August 2025 and sell today, you are on the new four-year table at 16%.
| Holding period | SSD rate | On a S$1,800,000 sale |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 1 year | 12% | S$216,000 |
| More than 1 year, up to 2 years | 8% | S$144,000 |
| More than 2 years, up to 3 years | 4% | S$72,000 |
| More than 3 years | No SSD payable | — |
The practical effect is that two neighbours selling identical units on the same day can owe different amounts of SSD, purely because one bought a month before the other.
What counts as the date I acquired the property?
IRAS works down a defined list, and the first item that applies is your acquisition date. It is usually much earlier than completion, which works in your favour.
- The date you accepted the Option to Purchase — excluding an OTP that is itself subject to the execution of the Sale and Purchase Agreement.
- Otherwise, the date of the Sale and Purchase Agreement.
- Otherwise, for a new HDB flat, the date of the Agreement for Lease.
- Otherwise, the date of transfer to a beneficiary where the property was originally held on trust for non-identifiable beneficial owners.
- Otherwise, the date of transfer.
For a property bought off-plan, the holding period starts when you accepted the option — years before you get the keys. By the time a new condominium is completed, a large part of the holding period has often already run.
What exactly changed on 4 Jul 2025?
Two things at once, which is why the change bites harder than it first appears. The holding period was extended from three years to four, and every rate within it was raised by four percentage points.
A seller in year three went from 4% to 8%. A seller in year four went from paying nothing at all to paying 4%. On a S$1.8 million property, the year-three seller now pays S$144,000 instead of S$72,000, and the year-four seller pays S$72,000 where they previously paid nothing.
| Holding period | Before | After | Difference on S$1,800,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Up to 1 year | 12% | 16% | S$72,000 |
| 1 to 2 years | 8% | 12% | S$72,000 |
| 2 to 3 years | 4% | 8% | S$72,000 |
| 3 to 4 years | No SSD | 4% | S$72,000 |
| Over 4 years | No SSD | No SSD | — |
Does SSD apply to HDB flats?
In practice, rarely. HDB flats are subject to a Minimum Occupation Period of five years, and five years is longer than the four-year SSD holding period. A flat sold after MOP is therefore outside the SSD window in the ordinary case.
Where SSD does come into play on public housing is in the unusual situations — a flat disposed of before MOP under HDB approval, or certain transfers. Private residential property has no MOP, which is why SSD does most of its work there.
How do I avoid paying SSD?
By holding for the full period, which for anything acquired since July 2025 means more than four years. There is no remission for changed circumstances, and none for selling at a loss.
The planning point is at the buying end, not the selling end. If there is any realistic chance of needing to move within four years — a posting, a growing family, an uncertain job — that risk now carries a four-year tail rather than three, and the first-year cost is 16% of the whole sale price.
If you are selling and buying, remember these are separate calculations. You may owe SSD on the sale and BSD plus ABSD on the purchase, and the ABSD refund clock for an upgrading couple runs independently of the SSD holding period.
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Open the calculator →Frequently asked questions
What is the current Seller's Stamp Duty rate in Singapore?
For residential property acquired on or after 4 Jul 2025: 16% if sold within the first year, 12% in the second, 8% in the third, 4% in the fourth, and nothing after four years. For property acquired between 11 Mar 2017 – 3 Jul 2025, the older table applies at 12%, 8% and 4% over three years.
Is SSD based on when I bought or when I sell?
When you bought. The table in force on your acquisition date governs the whole holding period, so a property bought in 2024 and sold today still runs on the three-year table even though the four-year table is now in force.
Is SSD charged on my profit or the sale price?
On the actual sale price or the market value, whichever is higher. It is not a capital gains tax and selling at a loss does not reduce it.
Do HDB flats attract Seller's Stamp Duty?
Usually not. The five-year Minimum Occupation Period is longer than the four-year SSD holding period, so a flat sold after MOP falls outside the window. SSD can still apply in the unusual cases where a flat is disposed of earlier with HDB approval.
What is the difference between SSD and ABSD?
ABSD is paid by the buyer when purchasing residential property, based on residency status and property count. SSD is paid by the seller when disposing of residential property within the holding period. If you are selling one home and buying another you may owe both, on two separate transactions.
How long do I need to hold a property to avoid SSD?
More than four years for anything acquired on or after 4 Jul 2025, or more than three years for property acquired between 11 Mar 2017 – 3 Jul 2025. The clock starts on the acquisition date, which for an off-plan purchase is when you accepted the Option to Purchase, not when the property was completed.
Does SSD apply to commercial property?
The residential SSD regime described here applies to residential property and residential land. Industrial property has its own separate SSD rules with different rates and a different holding period. Commercial property such as shops and offices is not subject to residential SSD.
Can SSD be waived if I have to sell for personal reasons?
There is no general hardship waiver. SSD is deliberately mechanical — it turns on the acquisition date and the holding period, not on the reason for selling. Check the specific facts with IRAS if you believe an exemption applies to your transfer.
Sources
Every rate on this page was read directly from IRAS on . Stamp duty rules change with little notice — confirm against IRAS before you commit to a purchase.
- ↗ IRAS — Seller's Stamp Duty (SSD) for residential property
- ↗ IRAS — Additional Buyer's Stamp Duty (ABSD)
- ↗ IRAS — Buyer's Stamp Duty (BSD)
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