# Seller's Stamp Duty (SSD)

- Topic: Taxes & duties
- Last updated: 5 Nov 2026
- Fact-checked against official government sources: 5 Nov 2026
- Canonical URL: https://propertymeter.sg/glossary/ssd/

## What is SSD (Seller's Stamp Duty)?

Seller's Stamp Duty (SSD) is a tax on selling a residential property in Singapore within a set period of buying it. For homes bought on or after 4 July 2025, it applies to sales within four years, at 16% down to 4% of the selling price or market value, whichever is higher.

## Rule change

SSD was raised on 4 July 2025: the holding period went from three years to four, and each rate rose by four percentage points. Homes bought before that date keep the old rates.

## Key facts

- **Who pays:** The seller
- **Holding period:** 4 years for homes bought on or after 4 July 2025; 3 years for homes bought from 11 March 2017 to 3 July 2025
- **Rates (bought on or after 4 July 2025):** 16%, 12%, 8% or 4%, falling each year you hold the property
- **Charged on:** The selling price or market value, whichever is higher
- **Deadline:** Within 14 days of signing the sale contract

## How SSD works

SSD discourages short-term speculation. If you sell a residential property soon after buying it, you pay a percentage of the selling price or market value, whichever is higher. The longer you hold the property, the lower the rate, until it falls to zero.

The rate you pay depends on **when you bought** the property, because the rules changed on 4 July 2025.

## SSD rates

| Holding period | Bought on or after 4 Jul 2025 | Bought 11 Mar 2017 to 3 Jul 2025 |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Up to 1 year | 16% | 12% |
| More than 1 year, up to 2 years | 12% | 8% |
| More than 2 years, up to 3 years | 8% | 4% |
| More than 3 years, up to 4 years | 4% | No SSD |
| More than 4 years | No SSD | No SSD |

Industrial property has its own SSD rules, which are not covered here.

## Example

You buy a condominium on 1 September 2025 and sell it on 1 June 2027 for $1,250,000, which is also its market value. You have held it for 1 year and 9 months.

| Item | Amount |
| --- | --- |
| Holding period band | More than 1 year, up to 2 years |
| SSD rate | 12% |
| **SSD payable** | **$150,000** |

Had you waited until after 1 September 2029, more than four years after buying, no SSD would apply.

## Common mistakes

- **Counting from key collection.** The holding period starts on the purchase date, not when you get the keys or the property is completed.
- **Using the old three-year rule.** It applies only to homes bought before 4 July 2025.
- **Forgetting the deadline.** SSD is due within 14 days of the sale contract. Late payment incurs a penalty of 5% a year, calculated daily.

## Frequently asked questions

### When does the SSD holding period start and end?

It runs from the date you bought the property, usually the date you exercised the Option to Purchase or signed the sale and purchase agreement, to the date you sell it.

### Do HDB flat owners pay SSD?

Rarely. Most HDB flats must be held for at least five years (the Minimum Occupation Period) before they can be sold, which is longer than the SSD holding period.

### Do I pay SSD in an en bloc sale?

Yes, if you bought within the holding period. IRAS says all owners in a collective sale are liable for SSD on units sold within the holding period, whether or not they consented to the sale.

## Sources

1. [Seller's Stamp Duty (SSD) for residential property](https://www.iras.gov.sg/taxes/stamp-duty/for-property/selling-or-disposing-property/seller's-stamp-duty-(ssd)-for-residential-property) (IRAS)

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Source: PropertyMeter (https://propertymeter.sg/glossary/ssd/). General information only, not financial, legal or tax advice.