HDB Resale Fees for Buyers: Legal Fees, Stamp Duty and Cash

An HDB resale buyer pays more than the downpayment. The option deposit, Request for Value, resale application, Buyer’s Stamp Duty (BSD) and legal work all arrive at different points. Some can use CPF, while others need cash.

For a $700,000 resale flat, BSD alone comes to $15,600 under the current residential rates. Build the full fee list before negotiating the price, then ask HDB or your solicitor to confirm the payment dates.

HDB resale fees at a glance

The table covers the main buyer-side charges. Your final amount depends on the flat, financing and solicitor.

Fee	Current basis	Cash or CPF
Option fee	$1–$1,000	Cash
Option exercise fee	Deposit, including option fee, capped at $5,000	Cash
Request for Value	$120 including GST, where required	Cash
Resale application	$40 for 1- and 2-room flats; $80 for 3-room and larger flats	Cash
Buyer’s Stamp Duty	Higher of price or market value	Eligible CPF or cash
Additional Buyer’s Stamp Duty	Depends on buyer profile and property count	Eligible CPF or cash
Conveyancing	HDB scale or private solicitor’s quote	Eligible CPF or cash
Caveat, title search and registration	Depends on solicitor and loan	Eligible CPF or cash
Cash Over Valuation	Resale price less HDB value, if positive	Cash

The option payments form part of the purchase price, so they are not an extra cost in the final account. They still affect liquidity because CPF cannot fund them when the seller grants and the buyer exercises the Option to Purchase (OTP).

HDB requires a Request for Value when you use CPF or a housing loan, unless a bank advises otherwise. Submit it by the next working day after the Option date. A cash-only buyer who uses no CPF and no housing loan does not need one.

Our HDB resale process guide sets these payments in the full buying sequence.

Calculate Buyer’s Stamp Duty before offering

IRAS charges BSD on the higher of the purchase price or market value. The residential rates are:

Portion of residential property value	Rate
First $180,000	1%
Next $180,000	2%
Next $640,000	3%
Next $500,000	4%
Next $1,500,000	5%
Remaining amount	6%

For a $700,000 resale flat with the same HDB value:

Portion	Calculation	Duty
First $180,000	$180,000 × 1%	$1,800
Next $180,000	$180,000 × 2%	$3,600
Remaining $340,000	$340,000 × 3%	$10,200
Total BSD		$15,600

Use the IRAS Stamp Duty Calculator for the amount that applies to your contract. IRAS rounds BSD down to the nearest dollar, subject to a minimum duty of $1.

BSD applies even when a Singapore Citizen buys a first home. Additional Buyer’s Stamp Duty (ABSD) is a separate charge. A Singapore Permanent Resident buying a first residential property, for example, falls within the ABSD rules even if the purchase is an HDB flat.

Check every buyer’s citizenship and property count in our ABSD guide. IRAS applies the highest applicable profile to the full value of a joint purchase.

HDB legal fees use a published scale

Buyers who qualify can appoint HDB to handle the purchase conveyancing. HDB calculates its transfer fee from the resale price:

Resale price portion	Transfer fee before GST
First $30,000	13.5 cents per $100 or part
Next $30,000	10.8 cents per $100 or part
Remaining amount	9 cents per $100 or part

HDB rounds the legal fee up to the next dollar before GST and applies a minimum fee. A mortgage to HDB can create another fee on a similar scale.

Other charges can include:

• $32 title search fee
• $38.30 registration fee for the transfer
• $38.30 mortgage registration fee for an HDB loan
• $64.45 buyer’s caveat
• $64.45 mortgagee’s caveat for an HDB loan
• $16.35 miscellaneous fee when HDB acts in the purchase

These are current published amounts, not a quote for your transaction. Use HDB’s legal-fee estimator after you know the price, loan and appointed solicitor.

A caveat records your interest in the flat. The mortgage caveat records the lender’s interest. Buyers often miss these smaller items because the quoted “legal fee” may refer only to conveyancing.

A bank loan changes the legal bill

A buyer taking a bank loan needs a private solicitor to handle the mortgage and conveyancing. Ask for an itemised quotation rather than relying on a headline package price.

The quote should state whether it includes:

• conveyancing and mortgage work
• CPF work and CPF Board lawyer charges
• title searches, caveats and registration
• GST and other disbursements
• extra charges for a Power of Attorney, trust or unusual ownership structure

Some banks subsidise legal fees under a mortgage package. Read the clawback clause before treating the subsidy as a saving. Refinancing or selling within the stated period can require you to repay it.

Buyers using a bank loan must have a valid Letter of Offer when they exercise the HDB OTP. The legal quotation and loan offer should arrive before the option deadline, not after you enter the binding contract.

Our HDB loan versus bank loan guide compares the financing and cash-flow differences.

CPF can cover eligible fees, but timing still matters

CPF Ordinary Account (OA) savings can pay eligible BSD, ABSD and legal fees. CPF use adds three practical limits.

First, the option fee and option exercise fee need cash. Together they can reach $5,000.

Second, any Cash Over Valuation (COV) needs cash. If you agree to pay $700,000 and HDB values the flat at $680,000, the $20,000 difference cannot use CPF or a housing loan.

Third, stamp duty for a completed property may require a cash payment before CPF reimburses you on completion. Ask the solicitor to map the payment route. Enough OA savings on paper does not remove a short cash gap.

CPF used for stamp duty and legal fees becomes part of the principal that returns to your OA, with accrued interest, when you sell. Our CPF property guide explains that sale refund.

Work through a $700,000 buyer budget

Assume a couple buys a $700,000 4-room resale flat. HDB values it at $700,000, the buyers pay a $5,000 deposit, and no ABSD applies.

Item	Illustration
Agreed resale price	$700,000
Option deposit, part of price	$5,000 cash
Request for Value	$120 cash
Resale application	$80 cash
BSD	$15,600
Conveyancing, caveats and registration	Obtain HDB estimate or solicitor’s quote
COV	$0
Renovation and moving	Set separate budget

The table does not include the downpayment because that depends on the loan and usable CPF. It also excludes fire insurance, Home Protection Scheme premiums and recurring service and conservancy charges.

If HDB values the flat at $680,000 instead, add $20,000 cash COV. The purchase price has not changed, but the buyer’s cash requirement has.

Check the dates, not only the total

Write each amount beside its deadline:

1. Keep cash ready for the option fee.
2. Submit and pay for the Request for Value by the next working day, where required.
3. Confirm the valuation, loan and cash COV before exercising.
4. Keep the balance of the deposit ready in cash.
5. Pay the resale application charge when both parties submit.
6. Follow HDB’s or the solicitor’s deadline for stamp duty and legal fees.
7. Reserve renovation money outside the completion account.

The HDB resale timeline shows where each deadline falls. Before exercising the OTP, get a loan offer, CPF plan and legal-fee estimate that use the same resale price and valuation.

Sources: HDB, approval of resale application and legal fees, HDB, Request for Value, CPF Board, HDB option fee and housing expenses, IRAS, Buyer’s Stamp Duty.