- SSD applies when residential or industrial property is sold within the holding period.
- For homes bought on or after 4 July 2025, the holding period is four years (as at August 2026).
- Which rates apply depends on when you bought, not when you sell.
- SSD is charged on the higher of the selling price or market value, even if you sell at a loss.
- There is no SSD on commercial property such as offices and shops.
What Seller's Stamp Duty is
Seller's Stamp Duty is a tax payable by a seller who disposes of residential or industrial property within a specified holding period after acquiring it. It is not a tax on profit: it is charged on the higher of the selling price or the market value at the time of sale, whether you made money or not.
Rates for residential property
On 3 July 2025 the Government announced higher SSD rates and a longer holding period for residential property bought on or after 4 July 2025. As at August 2026, the rates are:
- sold within 1 year of purchase: 16%
- more than 1 year and up to 2 years: 12%
- more than 2 years and up to 3 years: 8%
- more than 3 years and up to 4 years: 4%
- more than 4 years: no SSD
For residential property bought between 11 March 2017 and 3 July 2025, the earlier rates continue to apply: 12% in the first year, 8% in the second, 4% in the third, and no SSD after three years. The schedule that applies depends on the date you acquired the property, not the date you sell it.
To see the effect, on a $1.5 million home sold within its first year, 16% comes to $240,000, compared with $180,000 under the older 12% rate.
Industrial and commercial property
Industrial property has its own schedule, unchanged since 12 January 2013: 15% if sold within one year, 10% within two years, 5% within three years, and none after three years. There is no SSD on commercial property such as offices and shops, so it is worth confirming whether a property is classed as commercial or industrial.
Details that change the amount
Getting the acquisition date right matters, because one day can move a sale into a different band. Some situations need particular care:
- where parts of a property were acquired at different times, each part is counted from its own acquisition date
- decoupling, where one co-owner transfers a share to the other, gives the receiving owner a new acquisition date for that share
- an inherited share may have a different acquisition date from a share that was bought
- an unplanned sale, for example after a divorce or a move overseas, does not stop the clock
When it is paid
Where SSD is payable, it follows the same deadlines as other stamp duty: within 14 days after the sale documents are signed in Singapore, or within 30 days after they are received in Singapore if signed overseas.
When to speak to a lawyer
If you may sell within four years of buying, work out the SSD before you grant an Option to Purchase, not after. Once the option has been exercised there is little room to restructure. If a sale falls close to the end of a band, a lawyer can check the dates that apply to you.
This article is general information on Singapore law and is not legal advice. Rules and agency policies change, and every situation is different. For advice on your own circumstances, speak with one of our lawyers.
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