Tools & FAQ

Property Transfer Cost Calculator

Estimate transfer duty, attorney fees, and Deeds Office costs in 30 seconds. Current SARS transfer-duty rates applied automatically.

Published Last reviewed 3 min read

Written by

Martin Kotze

Attorney, Conveyancer & Notary Public

Quick answer

A South African property transfer has four main cost components: transfer duty paid to SARS, the conveyancer’s attorney fees (guided by the LSSA tariff), the Deeds Office registration fee, and sundry disbursements (FICA, postage, courier). For most buyers the total lands between 3% and 10% of the purchase price, with bonded transfers at the top of that range because bond registration adds a second set of attorney and Deeds Office fees. Transfer duty only kicks in above R1,210,000 and scales up to 13% on the portion above R13.3m — although SARS revises these brackets in most annual budgets, so always check the current rate. The buyer carries most costs; the seller pays mainly bond cancellation and capital gains. Sales directly from a VAT-registered developer carry no transfer duty but include 15% VAT in the price.

This calculator estimates the costs a buyer pays when transferring a South African residential property — transfer duty, conveyancing attorney fees, Deeds Office registration fees, and bond registration fees if the purchase is financed. It uses the current SARS transfer-duty table, the LSSA attorney tariff from 1 August 2025, and Deeds Office fees from 1 April 2026.

Run the calculation

Enter the purchase price and, if applicable, the bond amount. The result updates instantly as you type.

Property Details

Enter the purchase price of the property

Enter the bond amount (if applicable)

Include VAT (15%)

Add VAT to attorney fees

Quick Select

Cost Breakdown

Transfer Duty

Government tax on property transfer

R 0,00

Transfer Attorney Fee

Based on LSSA tariff guidelines

R 0,00

Deeds Office Fees

Registration at Deeds Office

R 50,00

Petty Disbursements

Admin costs and sundries

R 1 500,00

Total Estimated Costs

All fees included

R 1 550,00

Disclaimer: This is an estimate only. Actual costs may vary based on specific circumstances. Additional costs such as rates clearance certificates, levy clearance certificates, and FICA documents are not included. Please contact us for a detailed quote.

Understanding Conveyancing Costs

Transfer Duty

Transfer duty is a tax paid to SARS when purchasing property. The rates are progressive, with no duty payable on properties up to R1,210,000.

Current Brackets (1 April 2025):

  • R0 – R1,210,000: 0%
  • R1,210,001 – R1,663,800: 3%
  • R1,663,801 – R2,329,300: 6%
  • R2,329,301 – R2,994,800: 8%
  • R2,994,801 – R13,310,000: 11%
  • Above R13,310,000: 13%

Attorney Fees

Attorney fees are calculated using LSSA tariff guidelines effective from 1 August 2025. Bond registration fees are calculated separately.

What’s Included:

  • Property transfer registration
  • Bond registration (if applicable)
  • Deeds office lodgement
  • FICA compliance
  • Rates and levy clearances
  • Professional consultation

Additional Costs Not Included

Municipal Clearances

Rates clearance certificate, electrical compliance, etc.

HOA/Complex Costs

Levy clearance certificates for sectional title properties

Bank Costs

Bond origination and valuation fees (if financing)

Want a formal quote?

Enter a purchase price above to see your estimate — then come back here to instruct us.

How this calculator works

Transfer duty sliding scale

Transfer duty is a tax paid to SARS by the buyer. It is a sliding scale: nothing on the first R1,210,000, then rising in steps to 13% on the portion above R13,310,000. The conveyancer pays transfer duty to SARS on the buyer’s behalf and obtains a Transfer Duty Receipt, which the Deeds Office requires before registration. See the current table at SARS — Transfer Duty.

Conveyancing tariff guideline

The attorney fee component uses the Law Society of South Africa (LSSA) tariff guideline, effective from 1 August 2025. The guideline scales with the purchase price and is generally what the market charges. Bond registration fees are calculated separately against the bond amount. Conveyancers may negotiate off this tariff — treat the figures as a benchmark, not a binding quote.

Deeds Office registration fees

The Deeds Office charges a statutory registration fee tied to the purchase price band, plus a separate fee for registering the bond if there is one. The figures used here reflect the current fees gazetted on 1 April 2026. These fees are reviewed from time to time by the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development.

What’s excluded

The estimate does not include: municipal rates clearance fees, levy clearance fees from a body corporate or HOA, electrical / gas / beetle compliance certificates, bond origination and valuation fees charged by the bank, FICA verification disbursements, VAT where the seller is a VAT vendor, capital gains tax on the seller, and cancellation costs on an existing bond. These depend on the specific property and appear once we review your signed Offer to Purchase.

Accuracy and limitations

The rates, brackets, and fees built into this calculator change from year to year — SARS revises transfer duty thresholds in most annual budgets, and LSSA and Deeds Office tariffs are updated periodically. Complicated transfers — properties held in a trust or company, deceased estates, sectional title units with levy arrears, non-resident sellers requiring SARB approval, and subdivisions or consolidations — carry additional costs not modelled here. The final quote we issue is always subject to the conveyancer’s review of your signed Offer to Purchase and the underlying title and municipal records.

Why you can trust this: Martin Kotze has been an admitted Attorney of the High Court of South Africa, registered Conveyancer, and Notary Public since 2014, practising from Pretoria. The firm is regulated by the Legal Practice Council under firm registration F17333.

This guide is general information, not legal advice for your specific matter.

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