Buy first or sell first: what rule decides the stamp duty?

If you buy a second home before selling the first, Additional Buyer's Stamp Duty (ABSD) is paid upfront, and a refund may be claimed in some cases if the first home is sold within 6 months.

Reviewed by the Swee Homes data desk on 7 Oct 2026. Sources: IRAS, HDB. Next check due 5 Jan 2027.

ABSD on a second home is paid upfront

ABSD rates on or after 27 Apr 2023 for Singapore Citizens: first residential property, not applicable (no ABSD); second residential property, 20%; third and subsequent residential property, 30%. Rates are on the higher of the purchase price or market value.

These are the rates for Singapore Citizens. The refund sections that follow apply only after this ABSD has been paid.

Stamp duty is an upfront cost. It must be paid in full and cannot be deferred or paid by instalments.

Refund for married couples

A married couple purchasing a second residential property jointly, where the couple includes a Singapore Citizen and the property is in both names only, may get an ABSD refund if: they did not own interest in more than one residential property each at the date of purchase; ABSD has been paid on the second property; the first property is sold within 6 months of the second property's purchase date (completed property) or the TOP/CSC issue date (uncompleted property), whichever is earlier; they remain married with no change of ownership in the second property; they have not bought or acquired any other residential property since; and the refund application is made within 6 months after the date of sale of the first property.

IRAS states that an extension of the six-month timeline will not be acceded to, and encourages couples to secure a buyer for the first property before buying the next.

For stamping forms submitted on or after 2 Jul 2023, if the purchasers meet the Stamp Duties (Spouses) (Remission of ABSD) conditions, declare their intention to sell the first residential property and claim the refund in the e-Stamping form, ABSD is refunded automatically within 6 weeks from the stamping of the sale of the first property.

Refund for single Singapore Citizens aged 55 and above

For purchases of a second residential property on or after 16 Feb 2024, single Singapore Citizen (SC) seniors aged 55 and above can claim a refund of the ABSD paid, if conditions are met. IRAS lists these: ABSD has been paid on the second property; each first property is solely owned by a single SC aged 55 and above, or with single SCs aged 55 and above who are immediate family members; the owners of the first property are the owners of the second; the buyers do not own more than one residential property each at the purchase of the second and have not bought another since; the first property is sold within 6 months after the purchase date of the second property (completed property), or the TOP/CSC issue date if uncompleted at purchase, whichever is earlier; there is no change of ownership in the second property at the time of sale of the first; the value of the second property is less than the value of each first property sold; and the refund application is made within 6 months after the date of sale of the first property.

For single SC seniors, the refund is applied for through myTax Portal (Stamp Duty Login). If the document has not been stamped, IRAS says to stamp it and pay the 20% ABSD before applying for the refund. For successful applicants the refund is made to the party liable for payment of stamp duty.

The timeline: which dates count

The refund rules run on dates, so it helps to know which event IRAS counts. Four dates matter, and IRAS defines two of them for each group.

The first date is the purchase of the second home, and the second is the sale of the first home. For a home still under construction when you buy it, the window does not start at purchase. It starts at the TOP or CSC issue date, as the sections above set out. TOP is the Temporary Occupation Permit and CSC is the Certificate of Statutory Completion.

For married couples, IRAS defines the date of purchase of the second property as: the date of acceptance of the Option to Purchase; or the date of the Sale and Purchase Agreement; or the date of transfer where the first two are not available or applicable. The date of sale of the first property is: the date the buyer accepts the Option to Purchase; or the date of the Sale and Purchase Agreement signed by the buyer; or the date of transfer where the first two are not available or applicable.

For single SC seniors, IRAS defines the date of purchase of the second property as: the date of acceptance of the Option to Purchase; or the date of the Sale and Purchase Agreement only where the first is not available or applicable; or the date of transfer only where neither is available or applicable. The date of sale of the first property is: the date the buyer accepts the Option to Purchase; or the date of the Sale and Purchase Agreement signed by the buyer only where the first is not available or applicable; or the date of transfer only where neither is available or applicable.

The fourth date is the refund claim. A couple who declared the claim in the e-Stamping form is refunded automatically, as the section on couples says. A couple who did not declare it applies by hand.

For a married couple claiming the ABSD refund by application rather than automatically, IRAS says to apply through myTax Portal (Stamp Duty Login), then Request, then Apply for Refund, on a desktop (the service is not available on mobile devices). For stamping submitted before 2 Jul 2023, couples still submit this application.

A single senior always applies through myTax Portal, as described above.

What happens if: cases IRAS states

IRAS answers a number of "what if" questions on its refund pages. These are its answers, grouped by the situation.

The first home is not sold in time.

IRAS answers no to couples who asked whether they could still get the ABSD refund after missing the sale timeline because of poor market conditions (including Government cooling measures, the Seventh Month, festivals and public holidays), an old property, or price cuts and several agents engaged. It also answers no to requests for more time for personal reasons such as children's exams or time to move into the second property. IRAS says the refund conditions are applied consistently and there will be no extension of the six-month timeline. The COVID-19 temporary extension covers only couples whose second property was jointly purchased on or before 1 Jun 2020.

An agent or lawyer gave wrong advice about the conditions.

IRAS says couples who missed the refund conditions because an agent (for example a lawyer or estate agent) advised them wrongly cannot still get the refund. IRAS says buyers should seek recourse from their agents, and may file a complaint with the regulatory or professional body governing the agent. Taxpayers and agents can check with IRAS if the rules are unclear.

The buyer is neither a married couple nor a single senior.

IRAS says the ABSD refund concession is not extended to buyers other than Singapore married couples and single SC seniors aged 55 and above, because that would undermine the policy intent of moderating demand among Singaporeans for second residential properties.

IRAS says that, generally, for SCs, ABSD applies to the purchase of a second and subsequent residential property regardless of whether the buyer later disposes of the first, because buying the second adds to demand for residential property at the time of purchase.

The buyer is a single senior who wants the ABSD waived at purchase.

IRAS says the single SC senior concession is a refund, not an upfront remission. SCs buying an HDB flat or a new EC unit from developers get an upfront ABSD remission because HDB regulations require them to own no other residential property, or to dispose of it within HDB's timeframe. IRAS says there are no such regulations for private residential property, so remission there is granted only once the first property is sold within the required timeline.

The buyers are seniors who buy together.

IRAS says that to qualify for the single SC senior refund, all buyers must be SC seniors aged 55 and above who are single. A senior buying the second property with someone who is married or under 55 (for example a single child) is not covered, and IRAS says cases with extenuating circumstances are considered case by case.

IRAS defines immediate family members, for the single SC senior concession, as one's parent, child or sibling, or any stepsibling, step-parent or stepchild.

IRAS gives these cases for single SC siblings above 55 who buy a second property together and pay 20% ABSD. Both own a first property in sole name and sell both within six months of buying the completed second property: eligible if the other conditions are met, including the value condition against each first property. Only one owns a first property and sells it, and both buy the second: eligible if the other conditions are met, including the value condition against that first property. The two co-own the first property and only one buys the second property, in sole name: not eligible, because the other co-owner of the first property is not an owner of the second.

The second home is worth more than a first home.

For the single SC senior value condition, IRAS says the value is the higher of the purchase price or market value. The second property is valued as at the date of its purchase, and each first property as at the date of its sale.

IRAS example: two single SC siblings above 55 each own a first property in their sole names and buy a second property for $1,400,000 as joint owners, paying 20% ABSD. They sell their first properties at $1,100,000 and $2,500,000 within six months of buying the completed second property. IRAS says they are not eligible, because the second property's value is higher than the value of one of the first properties.

HDB's own rule on an existing flat

HDB sets its own rule for buyers who already own a flat. In this rule, the application means your HDB flat application.

If you or any person listed in the application owns or has an interest in any HDB flat, you must dispose of the interest in the flat within 6 months of completing your flat purchase, based on the legal completion date of the disposal.

IRAS ties its ABSD remission for some HDB upgraders to this rule.

Where an SC married to an SPR jointly own an HDB flat and upgrade to another HDB flat, IRAS states that because HDB's rules require disposal of the existing flat within 6 months of possession of the new flat, ABSD remission is given upfront and no ABSD is paid on the new flat.

HDB's 6-month rule, case by case

HDB's rule depends on what the household owns and what flat it is buying. The cases below come from HDB's page for couples and families. HDB's pages for other household types, such as singles and seniors, are not covered here.

Case 1: you own an HDB flat. The rule in the section above applies.

Case 2: you own private residential property and are buying a flat on which HDB allows the property to be disposed of after purchase.

HDB, for applicants and occupiers listed in the HFE letter application who own or have an interest in any local or overseas private residential property at the time of HFE letter application and who are buying a non-subsidised resale unclassified or Standard flat (with or without the Proximity Housing Grant), or a short-lease 2-room Flexi flat or Community Care Apartment from HDB: you must dispose of the interest in the private residential property, based on the legal completion of the disposal, within 6 months of completing your flat purchase. HDB's example: if the flat purchase was completed on 1 July 2024, the legal completion of the private residential property sale must be on or before 31 December 2024.

Case 3: you own private residential property and are buying a flat on which HDB requires you to own none.

HDB, for applications to buy a flat from HDB, a resale Plus or Prime flat, or a resale unclassified or Standard flat with CPF housing grant(s), or to take an HDB housing loan: applicants and occupiers must not own or have an interest in any local or overseas private residential property, and a disposal must be at least 30 months before the HFE letter application, counted from the legal completion date. HDB's example: a private residential property disposed of on 1 July 2024 allows an HFE letter application on or after 1 January 2027.

HDB counts the legal completion of the disposal. IRAS counts the sale date it defines, which is the buyer's acceptance of the Option to Purchase where there is one. These are different events, so each rule is read on its own terms.

Worked example: a Singapore Citizen couple who sell within the window

The numbers below are round figures chosen to show the arithmetic. They are not prices, and nothing here says what a household should do.

A married couple, both Singapore Citizens, each hold an interest in one residential property, a private home they own jointly. They accept an Option to Purchase on a second, completed private home at $1,800,000 in March. They are buying in both names only, and they will own two properties at once.

ABSD at the second-home rate for Singapore Citizens, on $1,800,000, is $360,000. They pay it when they stamp the purchase, because stamp duty cannot be deferred. In the e-Stamping form they declare that they intend to sell the first home and claim the refund.

A buyer accepts the Option to Purchase on their first home in August, five months after March. That is the sale date IRAS counts, and it is inside the window. The couple remain married, buy no other residential property, and do not change the ownership of the second home.

Once the sale of the first home is stamped, IRAS refunds the $360,000 automatically. Net ABSD on the second home, after the refund, is $0.

Worked example: a Singapore Citizen couple who miss the window

The couple in the first example buy the same $1,800,000 home in March and pay the same $360,000 ABSD. This time the first home draws no acceptable offer until October, seven months after March.

The sale date, a buyer's acceptance of the Option to Purchase, falls after the window. The refund conditions are not met, and the $360,000 stays paid. The reason for the delay does not change this: poor market conditions, price cuts and several agents are all cases IRAS answers with no extension.

The cost of missing the window is the whole ABSD, not a part of it. The other conditions in the couples section also need to hold on the day, such as no change of ownership in the second home.

Worked example: a single Singapore Citizen aged 55 and above

A single Singapore Citizen aged 58 owns one private home in sole name and no other residential property. In March the owner buys a second, completed private home in sole name at $1,500,000. In May, inside the window, a buyer accepts the Option to Purchase on the first home at $2,000,000.

ABSD at the second-home rate, on $1,500,000, is $300,000. It is paid in full at stamping. The refund is applied for in myTax Portal after the first home is sold.

The value condition is met, because the second home at $1,500,000 is worth less than the first at $2,000,000. If the sale of the first home is inside the window and the refund application goes in within its own window, IRAS refunds the $300,000 to the party liable for stamp duty.

Change one figure. The second home is $2,200,000 instead, and the first still sells at $2,000,000. ABSD is then $440,000, and the value condition fails, because the second home is worth more than the first. The $440,000 stays paid, even if every other condition is met.

Two other rules that depend on timing

Two other rules depend on timing. Seller's Stamp Duty depends on how long you held the first home, and the guide on Seller's Stamp Duty covers it. The HDB Minimum Occupation Period is a separate HDB rule, and the guide on MOP covers it.

What this page does not cover

This page states the rules only. It does not say which order suits any household.

Common questions

Try the tool: the stamp duty calculator and the seller's stamp duty calculator.

Where to go next

• Work through the decision with Freedom Age
• Open IRAS's page on ABSD remission for a married couple

Related guides

• How much stamp duty will I pay on a home?
• What is Seller's Stamp Duty (SSD), and how long must I hold a home to avoid it?
• When can I sell my HDB flat? (the Minimum Occupation Period)
• What are Singapore's property cooling measures, and which round applies now?

About the data

Every figure on this page has its source and the date we checked it. We are not affiliated with any government body. General information, not financial advice.