Seller’s Stamp Duty — What It Costs to Sell Early
SSD is the reason “should we sell now or wait?” is often a maths question rather than a market-view question. If you bought recently, it can be the largest single cost of selling.
What SSD is
Seller’s Stamp Duty is a tax on selling a residential property within a set period after buying it. It exists to discourage short-term flipping, and it applies to HDB flats, private condominiums and landed homes.
You pay it as the seller, and it’s charged on the higher of the selling price or the market value.
The rates
On 3 July 2025 the holding period was extended from three to four years, and each tier rose by four percentage points. The new schedule applies to properties purchased on or after 4 July 2025. There is no transition period.
Purchased on or after 4 July 2025:
| Holding period | SSD rate |
|---|---|
| Up to 1 year | 16% |
| More than 1 year, up to 2 years | 12% |
| More than 2 years, up to 3 years | 8% |
| More than 3 years, up to 4 years | 4% |
| More than 4 years | None |
Purchased between 11 March 2017 and 3 July 2025 — the previous schedule still applies:
| Holding period | SSD rate |
|---|---|
| Up to 1 year | 12% |
| More than 1 year, up to 2 years | 8% |
| More than 2 years, up to 3 years | 4% |
| More than 3 years | None |
Source: IRAS. Check iras.gov.sg before you transact.
How the holding period is counted
This is where people get caught out.
The clock starts from the date of acceptance of the Option to Purchase — not the date you moved in, not the date of completion, not the date of the sale and purchase agreement.
If you exercised your OTP on or after 4 July 2025, the four-year schedule applies to you.
Two consequences worth knowing:
Partial interests are counted separately. If parts of the property were acquired at different times, each part has its own holding period.
SERS replacement flats can still attract SSD. Even after the MOP is served, the SSD clock runs from the Agreement for Lease — so check before assuming you’re clear.
Worked example
You bought at $1,800,000 on 7 July 2025 and sell 22 months later, at $1,800,000.
Holding period: more than 1 year, up to 2 years → 12%.
SSD payable: $1,800,000 × 12% = $216,000.
That’s before commission, legal fees, or the CPF you have to return. It is frequently the difference between a sale making sense and not.
What this means for your timing
If you’re inside the SSD window, three questions:
- How many months until the window drops a tier? Moving from 12% to 8% on a $1,800,000 sale is $72,000. Waiting is sometimes the highest-paid work available.
- Does the sale still work after SSD? Sometimes yes. If the reason for selling is strong enough, the tax is a cost of doing it, not a reason not to.
- Is there a structure that avoids it? Occasionally — decoupling, for example, or waiting for a specific date. Both need proper advice.
Exemptions
SSD does not apply to licensed housing developers selling units they’ve developed, to public authorities such as HDB and JTC, and in various other circumstances set out in the Stamp Duties Act. If you think one applies, confirm it properly rather than assuming.
BEFORE YOU DECIDE.
Work Out Your SSD First
Tell me when you bought and what you’re considering. I’ll tell you what you’d pay, and what it does to your net proceeds.
Perry Siow · CEA Registration No. R006056B
Salesperson with PropNex Realty Pte Ltd · Estate Agent Licence No. L3008022J
+65 9455 6807
Before you buy a property, build a strategy. Property strategy, insights and advisory for Singapore homeowners.
© 2026 Perry Siow. All Rights Reserved.
CEA Reg: R006056B, a licensed real estate salesperson with PropNex Realty Pte Ltd L3008022J
Location Map: 480 Lorong 6 Toa Payoh #11-03a, Singapore 310480