Additional Buyer’s Stamp Duty (ABSD) is a stamp duty to be paid on top of the Buyer’s Stamp Duty (BSD). Whether or not you need to pay for it depends on factors such as your residency status and the number of residential properties you own.

What is the current ABSD rate?

As of 27 April 2023, the current ABSD rate for Singaporeans is 20% for the second residential property, and 30% for the third residential property onwards.

Additional Buyer's Stamp Duty (ABSD) in Singapore, explained (2023)

Once in a while, 99.co picks a piece of property jargon to explain it. Today we look at the notorious ABSD, which is a stamp duty (tax) on your house.

Additional Buyer’s Stamp Duty (ABSD)

Taxes chasing a man with a money bag — For Singapore Citizens, ABSD applies on the second property and beyond.

The most notorious of the cooling measures, the Additional Buyer’s Stamp Duty (ABSD) is a stamp duty paid on your residential property. The cost is a percentage of your property price or valuation, whichever is higher.

For example, say you’re buying a residential property valued at S$2 million. The seller’s price, however, is S$2.1 million. If this is your second residential property, as a Singaporean, you’re subjected to an ABSD rate of 20%. This means you would need to pay a stamp duty of 20% of S$2.1 million (that’s S$420,000).

The amount payable varies, based on:

Your citizenship or residency status
The number of residential properties you own
Whether you’re an individual, an entity or developer

		ABSD rate from 16 Dec 2021 to 26 Apr 2023	ABSD rate from 27 Apr 2023	Increased by
Singapore citizens	First residential property	0%	0%	–
	Second residential property	17%	20%	3%
	Third and subsequent residential property	25%	30%	5%
Permanent Residents (PR)	First residential property	5%	5%	–
	Second residential property	25%	30%	5%
	Third and subsequent residential property	30%	35%	5%
Foreigners^	Any residential property	30%	60%	30%
Entities	Any residential property	35%	65%	30%
Trustees	Any residential property	35%*	65%	30%
Housing developers	Any residential property	35% (remittable) + 5% (non-remittable)	35% (remittable) + 5% (non-remittable)	–

^Excluding Nationals and Permanent Residents of Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland, and Nationals of the United States of America, who will be subject to the same ABSD rate as Singaporeans.

*The ABSD rate for trustees was from 9 May 2022 to 26 April 2023.

What if you’re purchasing the property with another person?

If you’re jointly buying the house with another person with a different profile (eg. different residency status and/or number of houses owned), you’ll be subjected to a higher ABSD rate.

SC-PR buyer with no residential properties

Let’s say you’re buying a S$2 million condo with your partner, who is a PR. This is the first property for both of you as an unmarried couple. However, given your partner’s PR status, both of you will be subjected to a 5% ABSD rate. This means that the ABSD to be paid will be S$100,000.

SC-SC buyer, with one buyer owning a house

Likewise, if both you and your partner are Singaporeans, and your SO has another property to their name, you’ll be subjected to the higher rate. In this case, both of you will be subjected to an ABSD rate of 20%. So the ABSD to be paid will be S$400,000.

Here’s an infographic summarising how to calculate the ABSD.

Alternatively, use 99.co’s stamp duty calculator to calculate how much ABSD to pay!

But if you’re married already, you may be eligible for the ABSD remission.

What is ABSD remission, and how do you get it?

You can apply for ABSD remission if

You are a married couple in Singapore,
At least one spouse is a Singapore Citizen
Jointly purchase the property

Man cutting a tax form — Want to get your money back? Sell your old house within six months of buying another.

If you purchase a second house, you’ll first have to pay the ABSD as usual (this is within 14 days of the date of purchase). However, you can apply for a remission if you sell your first home within six months of buying the second one.

For example, say you just got married, and upgrading from your shoebox unit to a bigger condo unit. For convenience, you purchase the condo unit before you sell your shoebox apartment.

1-bedder 2-bedder 3-bedder 4-bedder 5-bedder and larger

You would have to pay the ABSD within 14 days of signing the Option to Purchase (or Sale and Purchase Agreement if no OTP is issued) to buy the condo unit. You can then apply to get the money back if you sell your shoebox within six months of getting your condo.

Note that you must remain married at the time you apply for the remission, and you must not have bought more properties before applying.

Hold on, what if the second property is still being built?

If the second property is under development (eg. a new launch condo), you must sell your first house within six months of the second property getting its Temporary Occupation Permit (TOP) or Certificate of Statutory Completion (CSC), whichever is earlier.