IRAS does not split an annual property-tax bill between buyer and seller. The seller usually pays the tax billed for the year, and the parties’ conveyancing lawyers privately adjust the prepaid amount at completion. The controlling references checked for this guide are IRAS property-tax payments and IRAS developer information.
Choose the branch that matches your case
| Situation | Action |
|---|---|
| Seller has fully paid the annual bill | Calculate the buyer reimbursement from the agreed handover date |
| Tax remains unpaid | Clear the statutory liability and show it separately from the private adjustment |
| New condo is completing after TOP | Check developer documents and the purchaser liability start date |
| Contract specifies a different convention | Follow the signed terms and lawyer’s completion statement |
Separate IRAS liability from party adjustment
IRAS says apportionment is a private arrangement. It does not alter the tax account merely because the parties reimburse each other. IRAS property-tax payments.
Put the IRAS amount and the buyer-seller adjustment on separate rows. This matters because the decision is not complete until the evidence, timing and responsible person agree.
Confirm the date convention
The completion date, handover wording and contract determine which side bears each day. Guessing whether completion day belongs to buyer or seller creates a one-day error. IRAS developer information.
Ask the conveyancing lawyer to state the inclusive and exclusive dates in writing. This matters because the decision is not complete until the evidence, timing and responsible person agree.
Use the tax actually billed
Annual Value, owner-occupier status or a later revision can change the annual charge. A percentage of the sale price is not a property-tax calculation. IRAS property-tax payments.
Use the current bill and any revised notice available before completion. This matters because the decision is not complete until the evidence, timing and responsible person agree.
Apply a transparent day count
A common worksheet divides the annual bill by 365 or 366, then multiplies by the buyer’s portion of the year. The contract remains controlling. IRAS developer information.
Show start date, end date, number of days, annual bill and rounding rule. This matters because the decision is not complete until the evidence, timing and responsible person agree.
Do not ask IRAS to settle a private dispute
IRAS directs parties to their conveyancing lawyers or developer for apportionment issues. IRAS property-tax payments.
Raise a disputed completion adjustment before signing off the statement. This matters because the decision is not complete until the evidence, timing and responsible person agree.
Check the owner update after transfer
The conveyancing lawyer usually files the Notice of Transfer within one month, after which correspondence goes to the new owner. IRAS developer information.
The buyer should confirm the property appears in myTax Portal and update payment arrangements. This matters because the decision is not complete until the evidence, timing and responsible person agree.
Use a leap-year-safe daily apportionment formula
Turn the rule into a working aid with columns for the controlling fact, the evidence you hold, the result and the date checked. For this task, the decisive question is to calculate and verify the private property-tax adjustment without mistaking it for an IRAS reassessment. A blank evidence cell is a stop sign, not permission to use a remembered number or a marketing summary.
Test at least two plausible branches from the table above. That comparison shows which fact changes the answer and prevents the most convenient scenario from being treated as the only possible one. Label every arithmetic step as an LBRD calculation and keep the official figure beside it.
Add a statutory-liability versus private-adjustment reconciliation
The second aid should expose what the first one can hide: a deadline, cost, handover, alternative route or follow-up duty. Write the downside of being wrong beside each branch. Where the consequence is legal, financial, medical or safety-related, the competent authority and case-specific professional decision remain controlling.
Recheck the live source immediately before the irreversible step. Save only the minimum evidence needed, protect personal details, and note any limitation. Record who will act, the last safe date and the evidence that closes the task.
Stop when the evidence no longer matches
Pause the decision if you encounter asking iras to apportion between parties, using the sale price, counting completion day twice. Those are not small drafting errors; each can change the eligibility, cost, route or safety outcome described above. Return to IRAS property-tax payments for the controlling rule and use IRAS developer information to check the second part of the decision.
If the authority page, account record, booking screen or case document disagrees with this guide, use the live record. Escalate to the named organisation or an appropriately qualified professional when a deadline is running, a child or adult is unwell, a licence or tax position is uncertain, or an irreversible payment is due. Keep the question narrow and provide the facts needed for a case-specific answer.
Work through a realistic example
If an annual bill is S$3,650 and the agreed buyer period is 100 days in a 365-day year, the simple reimbursement is S$1,000. This is an LBRD day-count example; the sale contract and lawyer decide the actual period and rounding.
Before you act
- Download the current property-tax bill
- Confirm it is paid
- Read the completion-date convention
- Count the buyer days
- Show the daily rate
- Reconcile the completion statement
- Check the myTax Portal owner update
Mistakes that change the answer
- Asking IRAS to apportion between parties
- Using the sale price
- Counting completion day twice
- Ignoring a revised assessment
- Combining unpaid tax with reimbursement
Related LBRD guides
Next, review the wider completion statement. You can also handle tax when a transaction aborts.
Questions readers ask
Does IRAS refund the seller for the buyer period?
No. IRAS says the apportionment is a private arrangement.
Who normally calculates it?
The parties’ conveyancing lawyers normally make the adjustment.
What if the annual bill changes later?
Follow the contract and ask the conveyancing lawyer how a post-completion revision is handled.
