Land Transfer Tax Calculator
Calculate real estate transfer tax for any state, city, and sale price. Check mansion tax brackets, find first-time buyer exemptions, and see who pays in your state.
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How to Use This Calculator
Transfer Tax tab
Select your state, choose a county or city (for states with local surcharges like New York, California, Illinois, Pennsylvania), and enter the sale price. The calculator breaks down state tax, city/county tax, mansion tax (if applicable), and shows the total, effective rate, and who customarily pays. Toggle first-time buyer under "More options" if applicable.
Mansion Tax tab
Enter a sale price and select a state and city to check whether mansion tax applies. The tab shows the mansion tax rate, threshold, additional tax amount, and total transfer tax including mansion tax. It also lists all states and cities that impose mansion tax — NY, NJ, CT, and several California cities.
Exemptions tab
Select your transaction type (purchase, gift, inheritance, divorce, LLC transfer) and toggle first-time buyer status. The calculator shows which exemptions apply, the exempt amount, and your net transfer tax after exemptions. Common exemption scenarios are listed for reference.
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The Formula
Transfer tax is calculated differently by state. The three main approaches:
Transfer Tax = Sale Price × State Rate
Progressive/tiered (WA, NJ):
Each portion of the price is taxed at the rate for that bracket.
E.g., WA REET: first $525K at 1.1%, next $1M at 1.28%, next $1.5M at 2.75%, above $3.025M at 3.0%
With city surcharge (NYC, SF, LA, Chicago):
Total = State Tax + City/County Tax + Mansion Tax (if applicable)
NYC mansion tax (buyer pays):
Flat rate on entire price based on bracket: 1% ($1–2M), 1.25% ($2–3M), 1.5% ($3–5M), up to 3.9% ($25M+)
Unlike progressive income tax, NYC’s mansion tax applies the entire rate to the full price, not just the amount over the threshold. A $1M purchase pays $10,000 in mansion tax, but a $999,999 purchase pays $0.
Example
The Chens — buying a $950K condo in Brooklyn, NYC
Wei and Mei Chen are purchasing a 2-bedroom condo in Park Slope for $950,000. They need to budget for transfer taxes on top of their closing costs.
Transfer Tax tab (New York — NYC residential)
At $950K, the Chens are just under the $1M mansion tax threshold. If the price were $1M, they’d owe an additional $10,000 in mansion tax as the buyer. This cliff effect makes pricing negotiations around $1M very strategic in NYC.
What if the price were $1.2M?
Moving from $950K to $1.2M nearly doubles the total transfer tax — from $17,338 to $33,900 — largely because the mansion tax kicks in on the full purchase price.