Stamp duty on a lease of 4 years or less is a share of the total rent, and on a longer lease it is worked out on 4 years of average annual rent.
Reviewed by the Swee Homes data desk on 6 Oct 2026. Sources: IRAS. Next check due 4 Jan 2027.
The rate and the threshold
Stamp duty on leases is payable based on the contractual rental or the market rental, whichever is higher, at the lease duty rates. Stamp duty is payable on documents relating to leases of immovable properties in Singapore.
Where the Average Annual Rent (AAR) exceeds $1,000: for a lease period of 4 years or less, duty is 0.4% of the total rent for the period of the lease; for a lease period of more than 4 years or for any indefinite term, duty is 0.4% of 4 times the AAR. IRAS does not give a start date for these rates.
If the AAR does not exceed $1,000, the lease is exempted from stamp duty.
AAR refers to the higher of the average annual contractual or annualised market rent and includes other considerations such as payments for advertising and promotion charge, furniture or fittings charge, maintenance charge, service charge and any other charges, excluding GST charges.
Lease duty is rounded down to the nearest dollar, subject to a minimum duty of $1.
Fixed rent, premium and staggered rent
The way the rent is built decides how the duty is worked out.
A lease with fixed rental is one for which a fixed rental is agreed upfront for the entire lease period. Stamp duty on the fixed rental is based on lease duty rates.
A lease with premium is one for which there is a lump sum payment. Stamp duty is payable on the premium based on the BSD rates. If there is a rental in addition to the premium, stamp duty is payable on the rental based on lease duty rates.
A lease with variable rental is one where the rental varies during the lease period, for example staggered rent for different periods of the lease, or a fixed rent plus an additional rent based on a percentage of the tenant's gross sales turnover. For a turnover-based rent, you estimate the turnover, work out the additional rent, and add it to the fixed rent for the stamp duty calculation. Where the additional rent has a maximum secured sum, that sum is used; where it has a minimum secured sum, the higher of the estimate and the minimum is used.
Who pays
Whether you are the landlord or the tenant, start with the tenancy agreement.
The party who is liable to pay stamp duty is usually stated in the agreements. For example, if you rent a property, the tenancy agreement should state who is liable to pay stamp duty.
When the terms of the document do not state who is liable, the Third Schedule of the Stamp Duties Act applies: for lease duty on a Lease or Tenancy Agreement, Agreement for Lease, Agreement for Variation of Lease or Acceptance to the Letter of Offer, the party to pay is the lessee or tenant.
The deadline
IRAS gives a general rule and a grace period after signing.
You are required to stamp a document before you sign it. If you have signed a document and stamped it within the stated time frame, no penalty will be charged.
The time frame is within 14 days after signing the document if it is signed in Singapore, or within 30 days after receiving the document in Singapore if it is signed overseas. 'Signed' generally refers to the date the document is first signed.
Penalties will be imposed on late payments of stamp duty.
How to stamp: e-Stamping
Adhesive stamps are no longer used. All documents chargeable with stamp duty have to be stamped through myTax Portal (Stamp Duty Login), which lets you stamp your document, pay additional stamp duty, retrieve your Stamp Certificate, amend it, request a refund, and seek adjudication or appeal.
You log in with your Singpass (under Individual or Business user). A foreign individual without a Singpass account may apply for a Singpass Foreign user Account (SFA), or ask a local representative such as the landlord or agent to stamp on their behalf.
There are no subscription and transaction fees for the e-Stamping service. (The stamp duty itself is still payable.)
Documents can also be stamped at the e-kiosks at the Taxpayer and Business Service Centre, Revenue House, 55 Newton Road, Singapore 307987. IRAS advises booking an appointment for faster service; walk-ins remain available.
The Stamp Certificate proves that your tenancy agreement has been duly stamped.
Worked example
We worked these examples out from IRAS's lease duty rate. They are examples, not IRAS figures.
Lease of 2 years (4 years or less) at $3,000 a month, with no other charges: total rent = $3,000 x 24 months = $72,000. The Average Annual Rent is $36,000, which exceeds $1,000, so duty applies. Duty = 0.4% x $72,000 = $288.
For a lease longer than 4 years, the duty is worked out on 4 times the average annual rent, not on the full term. Here is a longer lease.
Lease of 5 years (more than 4 years) at a flat $3,000 a month, with no other charges: AAR = $3,000 x 12 = $36,000. Duty = 0.4% x (4 x $36,000) = 0.4% x $144,000 = $576.
Worked example: a one-year lease, a room and extra charges
We worked these out from IRAS's lease duty rate. They are examples, not IRAS figures. IRAS's page does not single out room rentals, so the room example assumes the agreement is a lease.
Lease of 1 year at a flat $2,500 a month, with no other charges: total rent = $2,500 x 12 months = $30,000. The Average Annual Rent is $30,000, which exceeds $1,000, so duty applies. Duty = 0.4% x $30,000 = $120.
Lease of a room for 12 months at $900 a month, with no other charges: total rent = $900 x 12 = $10,800. The Average Annual Rent is $10,800, which exceeds $1,000. Duty = 0.4% x $10,800 = $43.20, rounded down to $43.
Extra charges raise the duty because they count as rent.
Lease of 2 years at $3,000 a month plus a maintenance charge of $100 a month, GST excluded: rent counted = $3,100 x 24 = $74,400. Duty = 0.4% x $74,400 = $297.60, rounded down to $297. On the $3,000 alone it would be 0.4% x $72,000 = $288.
Worked example: market rent above the contract rent
The duty follows the higher of the contract rent and the market rent. This is our own calculation.
Lease of 2 years with a contract rent of $2,800 a month, where the market rent is $3,200 a month and is the higher figure: rent counted = $3,200 x 24 = $76,800. Duty = 0.4% x $76,800 = $307.20, rounded down to $307. On the contract rent alone, 0.4% x $67,200 = $268.80, rounded down to $268.
Worked examples from IRAS: staggered rent and later changes
These are IRAS's own examples, so the figures are IRAS's.
IRAS example, 4-year lease with rent of $3,500 a month in year 1, $4,000 in year 2, $4,300 in year 3 and $5,300 in year 4: total rent = ($3,500 + $4,000 + $4,300 + $5,300) x 12 = $205,200. Duty = 0.4% x $205,200 = $820.80, rounded down to $820.
IRAS example, 5-year lease with rent of $1,800, $2,000, $2,500, $3,000 and $3,300 a month in years 1 to 5: total rent = $151,200. AAR = $151,200 / 5 = $30,240. 4 times AAR = $120,960. Duty = 0.4% x $120,960 = $483.84, rounded down to $483.
The next two show duty on a change to the lease.
IRAS example, the same 5-year lease is varied so that rent becomes $2,000, $2,500, $3,500, $3,800 and $4,300 a month: total rent = $193,200, AAR = $38,640, 4 times AAR = $154,560, against $120,960 before. The increase is $33,600. Duty on the variation = 0.4% x $33,600 = $134.40, rounded down to $134.
IRAS example, a 12-month lease at $10,000 a month is extended by 3 months, with a rent-free period equal to the extension, so total rent stays $120,000. Duty is still payable on the extended period: 0.4% x ($10,000 x 3) = $120.
If the lease changes after signing
A signed lease is often changed later. Stamping the original does not cover every change.
If there is an increase in rental or the lease period is extended, stamp duty is payable on the document based on the increase in rental or the rental for the extended lease period. If there is a decrease in rental or the lease period is shortened, stamp duty is not payable for the document.
Stamp duty is not payable on these variations: changing the use of the property with no additional payment; lifting the restrictions in the lease with no additional payment; amending terms that do not affect the rental and lease term, such as adding an option to renew; and bringing forward or deferring the lease before it starts without a change in the lease term or gross rent.
If the lease has already started and is brought forward or deferred without any change in gross rent or lease term, stamp duty is payable. If the lease is brought forward or deferred with a change in gross rent or lease term, stamp duty is payable on the variation or supplemental agreement, whether or not the lease has started.
For a novation of a lease between an incoming tenant and an outgoing tenant, or an assignment of a lease to a new landlord, stamp duty is chargeable on the consideration, if any, at the BSD rates. For a surrender of a lease, stamp duty is payable at the BSD rates on the consideration the landlord pays the tenant for the surrender.
Licence agreements and leases
Some agreements are called licences, not leases.
Licence agreements may not be liable to stamp duty if the agreement is intended only as a licence and does not act as a lease. Licence agreements may be commonly used for the letting out of a food stall in a food court, coffee shop or hawker centre. If a licence agreement is executed in connection with a lease, the licence agreement is liable to stamp duty.
If you are unsure whether an agreement is a licence or a lease, or whether a variation is liable to stamp duty, you may seek independent legal advice or submit the document to IRAS for adjudication. Adjudication fees are payable.
If the duty is paid late
IRAS sets two penalty tiers, and the penalty is not the only consequence.
For a delay in payment not exceeding 3 months, the penalty is $10 or an amount equal to the duty payable, whichever is greater.
For a delay in payment exceeding 3 months, the penalty is $25 or 4 times the duty payable, whichever is greater.
If stamp duty is not paid by the due date, IRAS may impose penalties, appoint agents such as your bank, employer, tenant or lawyer to recover the overdue duty, issue a Travel Restriction Order to stop you leaving Singapore, and take legal action. The list is not exhaustive. Duty must be paid by the due date even if an objection has been filed.
The penalty for late payment or underpayment may be reduced if the matter is voluntarily disclosed to IRAS and qualifies under IRAS's Voluntary Disclosure Programme. The reduced penalty is 5% of the late payment or underpayment for each year of non-compliance, calculated on a daily basis.
Common mistakes
Leaving the question of who pays to chance. The agreement's own wording decides, and only when it is silent does IRAS's default fall on the tenant. A landlord who assumes the tenant has stamped it can ask for the Stamp Certificate, which is the proof.
Counting the deadline from the wrong day. The clock runs from the day the document is first signed, which can be earlier than the day the other party signs, and not from the day the tenancy starts. A document signed overseas has its own count.
Counting only the headline rent. Service, furniture, maintenance and advertising charges are part of the rent the duty is worked out on. GST is not.
Forgetting the market rent test. If the contract rent is lower than the market rent, IRAS works from the higher figure.
Treating a later rent rise or extension as part of the original stamp. Each is a separate chargeable event, and an extension that comes with a rent-free period still counts.
Assuming a lease that has already started can be moved for free. Moving the dates after the start is chargeable even when nothing else changes.
Calling a lease a licence. The label does not settle it. IRAS looks at whether the document acts as a lease.
Common questions
What is the stamp duty rate on a rental agreement in Singapore?
It is a small share of the total rent. The exact rate and the rule for leases over 4 years are in the rate section.
Is there a rent level below which no lease duty is payable?
Yes. If the AAR does not exceed $1,000, the lease is exempted from stamp duty.
Who pays the stamp duty on a tenancy agreement?
The tenancy agreement usually says. If it does not, the tenant pays.
By when must a tenancy agreement be stamped?
Stamp it before you sign if you can. The latest time without a penalty is 14 days after signing in Singapore.
How do I stamp a tenancy agreement?
Through myTax Portal with Singpass. There are no fees for e-Stamping, but the duty itself is still payable.
What happens if I stamp a tenancy agreement late?
A penalty applies, and it grows if the delay passes 3 months. The section on late payment gives the tiers.
Can I work out the duty on my own tenancy?
Yes. The rental stamp duty tool on this site works it out from the monthly rent and the lease term.
Try the tool: the rental stamp duty calculator.
Where to go next
Related guides
- How is the property tax on a home worked out?
- 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?
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.