How Much Stamp Duty Will I Pay on a Home at The Serra Residences?

Published 27 September 2026 · The Serra Residences Insights

As at September 2026, every buyer of a home at The Serra Residences pays Buyer’s Stamp Duty on a tiered scale from 1 to 6 per cent of the price. Depending on the buyer’s profile, Additional Buyer’s Stamp Duty is added on top — nothing for a Singapore Citizen buying a first home, and up to 60 per cent for a foreign buyer.

This article explains both duties, when they are paid, and how to work out the figure for a particular home.

Buyer’s Stamp Duty at The Serra Residences

BSD is charged on the higher of the purchase price or market value, in bands. For residential property, the first $180,000 is charged at 1 per cent, the next $180,000 at 2 per cent, the next $640,000 at 3 per cent, the next $500,000 at 4 per cent, the next $1,500,000 at 5 per cent, and anything above $3,000,000 at 6 per cent. These rates have applied since 15 February 2023.

Taking a round $2,000,000 purely as an illustration, BSD works out at $1,800 + $3,600 + $19,200 + $20,000 + $25,000, or $69,600. This figure is only an example and bears no relation to the actual price of any home at The Serra Residences, which the developer will release in due course.

Additional Buyer’s Stamp Duty

Nationals and permanent residents of the United States, and nationals of Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland, are treated as Singapore Citizens for ABSD under free trade agreements. Where two or more people buy together, ABSD is charged on the whole price at the highest rate that applies to any of them, so the mix of buyers matters.

Remission and Refunds for Couples

A married couple with at least one Singapore Citizen spouse, buying jointly and owning no other residential property, qualifies for ABSD remission. Where such a couple already owns one home, they pay ABSD at the second-property rate but may claim a refund if the first home is sold within six months of buying the new one, or, for an uncompleted home such as The Serra Residences, within six months of its TOP. The conditions are strict and set by IRAS, so the timing of any sale should be planned early.

When the Duty Is Due

Both BSD and ABSD are payable within 14 days of exercising the Option to Purchase. On a new launch, that falls at the same time as the balance of the first 20 per cent of the price, so the duty is part of the upfront cash plan. It is not covered by the bank loan, so it belongs in the upfront budget.

Seller’s Stamp Duty on a Future Sale

For homes acquired on or after 4 July 2025, Seller’s Stamp Duty applies if the home is sold within four years: 16 per cent in the first year, then 12, 8 and 4 per cent, and nil afterwards. With the estimated TOP of The Serra Residences in Q4 2030, a buyer at launch will usually be past the SSD window by the time the home is complete.

Illustrations by Buyer Profile

Using the same round $2,000,000 purely as an illustration, the total duty changes sharply with the buyer. A Singapore Citizen buying a first home pays the $69,600 of BSD alone. A Singapore Citizen buying a second home adds ABSD of 20 per cent, or $400,000, for a total of $469,600. A Singapore Permanent Resident buying a first home adds 5 per cent, or $100,000, for $169,600. A foreign buyer adds 60 per cent, or $1,200,000. These figures bear no relation to the actual price of any home at The Serra Residences; they show why the profile matters more than the price band.

Joint Purchases

When two or more people buy together, ABSD is assessed on the whole price at the highest rate among them. A parent and child buying together, for example, may attract the second-property rate if either already owns a home. Decoupling arrangements and trusts carry their own rules and costs, and are matters for a lawyer rather than a website, so any such plan should be settled with professional advice before the Option to Purchase is exercised.

One further point for couples: the ABSD remission for married couples depends on both spouses being named and on the ownership position at the date of purchase, so the names on the Option to Purchase deserve care.

Working Out the Exact Figure

The Serra Residences stamp duty calculator computes BSD and ABSD for any price and profile, and the stamp duty page sets out the tables. For the whole picture of cash needed at the start, the progressive payment calculator adds the duty to the downpayment. Once the developer releases pricing, the Sales Concierge can work through the figures for a particular home.