A standard Singapore mortgage is charged at 0.4% of the loan amount, capped at S$500. Equitable mortgages, variations and transfers use 0.2%, also capped at S$500, with duty rounded down to the nearest dollar and a S$1 minimum. This guide is for a home buyer or borrower checking a conveyancing bill before signing loan security documents and resolves one task: identify the correct mortgage document rate and verify the duty shown on the completion statement. The material claims were checked against IRAS mortgage duty guide and IRAS mortgage duty FAQs.
Choose the route that matches your case
| Situation | What to do |
|---|---|
| Legal mortgage securing a new loan | Use 0.4% of the loan, capped at S$500 |
| Equitable mortgage or variation | Use 0.2%, capped at S$500 |
| Further mortgage for an additional loan | Treat the additional security as a fresh charge |
| Security is property outside Singapore and signed under hand | Check the stated exemption before assuming duty |
Start with the document, not the property price
Mortgage duty is a tax on the security document. It is not Buyer’s Stamp Duty and it is not calculated from the home’s purchase price. Ask the conveyancing lawyer to name the document and the secured amount on the bill. According to IRAS mortgage duty guide, the controlling detail for this branch is the specific rule or service condition cited here.
A bank loan of S$90,500 produces S$362 at 0.4%. A S$250,000 loan produces S$1,000 before the cap, so S$500 is payable.
Find the cap break point
At 0.4%, the S$500 cap is reached at a S$125,000 secured loan. At 0.2%, the cap is reached at S$250,000. Above those points, a larger loan does not increase the mortgage-duty line. According to IRAS mortgage duty FAQs, the controlling detail for this branch is the specific rule or service condition cited here.
This calculation helps you spot an invoice that applies the uncapped arithmetic or uses the wrong rate.
Do not merge separate securities
A later additional loan secured by a further mortgage is treated as fresh security. The original duty does not automatically cover every later increase in borrowing. According to IRAS mortgage duty guide, the controlling detail for this branch is the specific rule or service condition cited here.
Put each instrument, execution date, secured amount and duty on a separate line before reconciling the legal bill.
Apply rounding last
IRAS says the computed duty is rounded down to the nearest dollar, subject to a S$1 minimum. Do the percentage calculation first, apply the cap, then round. According to IRAS mortgage duty FAQs, the controlling detail for this branch is the specific rule or service condition cited here.
For S$90,749 at 0.4%, the raw result is S$362.996 and the payable duty is S$362, not S$363.
Separate duty from registration and legal fees
The mortgage-duty amount can be only one part of the loan-document bill. Registration fees, legal work, searches and bank charges follow different rules. According to IRAS mortgage duty guide, the controlling detail for this branch is the specific rule or service condition cited here.
Request an itemised statement so a correct S$500 duty is not used to mask another unexplained charge.
Check the signed facts before completion
Loan offers can be amended and a security package may contain more than one instrument. The final executed documents, not an early estimate, control the duty. According to IRAS mortgage duty FAQs, the controlling detail for this branch is the specific rule or service condition cited here.
Reconcile the bank offer, mortgage instrument and lawyer’s completion statement before transferring funds.
Run the numbers or sequence
For a S$750,000 legal mortgage, 0.4% gives S$3,000, but the cap reduces the mortgage duty to S$500. For an S$80,000 equitable mortgage, 0.2% gives S$160. These are LBRD calculations based on the published rates.
The calculation or sequence above is an LBRD working example. Replace every example input with the amount, date, access condition or document from your own case. Keep the official rate or threshold beside the working so another person can reproduce the answer.
Build a verification note another person can check
Before acting, create a one-page case note headed with the task, the date checked and the person responsible. Copy only the facts that affect your decision, then attach the statement, booking, application, receipt, map record or screenshot that supplies your own input. This separates a published rule from a personal assumption. If the official page changes, keep the earlier dated record but rework the decision with the live version.
| Controlling source | What to verify | What to retain |
|---|---|---|
| IRAS mortgage duty guide | The 0.4% and 0.2% rates, S$500 cap, minimum, rounding and treatment of further mortgages. | Record the page date, the exact rule used and the case input it governs. |
| IRAS mortgage duty FAQs | Worked examples and document distinctions for mortgage duty. | Record the page date, the exact rule used and the case input it governs. |
Read the source in context, including definitions, exceptions and effective dates. A relevant page is not proof by itself: the cited passage must contain the particular rate, deadline, eligibility condition, access rule or warning used here. Where two official channels appear inconsistent, pause and ask the authority about the exact case rather than choosing the more convenient answer.
Use the guide with its limits
Property decisions have several parallel tracks: contract, finance, title, tax and physical condition. A correct answer on one track does not clear the others. Keep each responsibility and deadline on its own row, then ask the conveyancing lawyer or authority only the narrow question their record can answer.
No interview, personal use, fresh field visit, survey result or price check is claimed unless explicitly stated. Availability, fees and procedures can change. Reopen the linked authority page immediately before payment, travel, filing or emergency use.
Before you act
- Name every security document
- Confirm the secured amount
- Apply 0.4% or 0.2%
- Apply the S$500 cap
- Round down only at the end
- Separate registration and legal fees
- Match the final signed documents
Mistakes that change the outcome
- Using the property price
- Applying 0.4% to every document
- Forgetting a further mortgage
- Rounding before the cap
- Treating the whole legal bill as stamp duty
Continue with the relevant LBRD guide
Next, stress-test the wider home-loan budget. You can also understand a different stamp-duty route.
Questions readers ask
Is mortgage duty the same as Buyer’s Stamp Duty?
No. Mortgage duty applies to the security document; Buyer’s Stamp Duty applies to an acquisition.
Can mortgage duty exceed S$500?
The published maximum for each listed mortgage-duty category is S$500.
Who usually arranges stamping?
The conveyancing lawyer or lender normally handles the document, but the borrower should still verify the bill.
