The most common misunderstanding I hear from Permanent Residents is that PR status removes Additional Buyer's Stamp Duty. It does not. A Singapore PR buying a first residential property pays 5% ABSD — on top of the ordinary Buyer's Stamp Duty, in cash, within 14 days. On a S$2 million condominium that is S$100,000 nobody budgeted for. This guide sets out exactly what a PR pays, the three situations that change the answer, and the one step from first to second property that costs more than any other decision in the table.
The rate that applies to you
ABSD is charged as a flat percentage of the purchase price or the market valuation, whichever is higher. Your rate depends on two things only: your residency status, and how many residential properties you already own in Singapore.
| Buyer profile | 1st property | 2nd property | 3rd & beyond |
|---|---|---|---|
| Singapore Citizen | 0% | 20% | 30% |
| Singapore PR | 5% | 30% | 35% |
| Foreigner (non-FTA) | 60% | 60% | 60% |
| FTA nationals (US, EFTA*) | 0% | 20% | 30% |
| Entity / company | 65% | 65% | 65% |
Rates in force since 27 April 2023 and unchanged as at September 2026. *FTA: nationals of the United States, and nationals and permanent residents of Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland — see the section below, because this one catches PRs out in a good way.
Read the PR row across, not down. The 5% on a first property is mild. The 30% on a second is not, and it arrives with no intermediate step. A Singapore Citizen moving from a first to a second property goes 0% → 20%. A PR goes 5% → 30% — a steeper jump, on a larger base.
What 5% actually costs
ABSD sits on top of Buyer's Stamp Duty, which every buyer pays regardless of profile. Here is the full duty bill for a PR buying a first home, worked band by band.
| Purchase price | BSD | ABSD at 5% | Total duty |
|---|---|---|---|
| S$1,000,000 | S$24,600 | S$50,000 | S$74,600 |
| S$1,500,000 | S$44,600 | S$75,000 | S$119,600 |
| S$2,000,000 | S$69,600 | S$100,000 | S$169,600 |
| S$3,000,000 | S$119,600 | S$150,000 | S$269,600 |
BSD is progressive: 1% on the first S$180,000, 2% on the next S$180,000, 3% on the next S$640,000, 4% on the next S$500,000, 5% on the next S$1,500,000 and 6% above S$3 million. Total duty runs from 7.5% of price at S$1 million to 9.0% at S$3 million.
Worked example — S$2,000,000 condominium, Singapore PR, first property
Two practical points that decide whether a purchase is affordable. ABSD cannot be paid from CPF — it is cash, in full, within 14 days of signing in Singapore or 30 days if signed overseas. And it cannot be financed: no bank will lend against it. That S$100,000 has to exist, in cash, separately from your deposit.
Work out your own number before you view anything. The stamp duty calculator takes your price and buyer profile and shows the duty band by band, so you can check it against IRAS yourself.
Three situations that change the answer
You are a PR married to a Singapore Citizen
There is a relief — but it is a refund, not a waiver
A married couple including at least one Singapore Citizen, buying their first matrimonial home jointly, may apply to IRAS for remission of the ABSD. The duty is assessed on the higher-rate buyer's profile at the point of purchase and reclaimed afterwards. This is the single most valuable relief available to a PR buyer, and it is also the one with the most conditions attached. Confirm eligibility with your conveyancing lawyer before you exercise the option, not after — the application window is time-limited and the money is real.
Two PRs buying together
5% — the profile does not average out
Where two or more people buy jointly, ABSD is charged at the rate of whichever buyer has the highest applicable rate, on the entire purchase price — not on each person's share. Two PRs buying a first home together therefore pay 5% on the whole price. The same rule is why a PR buying with a foreign spouse who has no FTA nationality is assessed at 60%, not at some blend of the two.
You are a PR who also holds US or EFTA nationality
0% on a first property — nationality beats residency here
Under Singapore's Free Trade Agreements, certain nationals are treated as Singapore Citizens for ABSD. If that is you, your first residential property attracts zero ABSD rather than 5% — a S$100,000 difference on a S$2 million purchase. The claim is made by your lawyer through the IRAS e-stamping portal at the point of stamping, so raise your nationality at the very start of the transaction. It is not applied automatically.
Who qualifies under the FTAs
Note the asymmetry: for the four EFTA countries, permanent residency of that country is enough. For the United States, it is nationality. Holding a US green card does not qualify you.
The step that costs the most: a second property
If you take one number away from this article, take this one. For a PR, moving from a first property to a second takes ABSD from 5% to 30%.
| Purchase price | ABSD — 1st (5%) | ABSD — 2nd (30%) | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| S$1,500,000 | S$75,000 | S$450,000 | S$375,000 |
| S$2,000,000 | S$100,000 | S$600,000 | S$500,000 |
Half a million dollars of duty on a S$2 million second home, payable in cash, before you have furnished anything. In practice this means a PR planning to upgrade should think carefully about sequencing: selling the first property before committing to the second avoids the 30% entirely, where buying first and selling later does not — unless a remission applies. That sequencing decision is worth more than any negotiation you will have on price.
For perspective on what PR status is already worth: on that same S$2 million first purchase, a non-FTA foreigner pays 60% — S$1,200,000. The PR pays S$100,000. Permanent residency is doing S$1.1 million of work on a single transaction.
What I would tell you over coffee
Budget the ABSD as cash, at the very start. Not as a closing cost. The number of PR buyers who find a home they love and then discover a S$100,000 cash gap two weeks before signing is higher than it should be, and it is entirely avoidable.
Tell your conveyancing lawyer your nationality and marital status on day one. Both the FTA treatment and the married-couple remission are claimed at stamping, and both are easier to secure than to recover.
If you are close to citizenship, the arithmetic is worth pausing over. A Singapore Citizen pays nothing on a first home; a PR pays 5%. On a S$2 million purchase that is S$100,000 for the timing alone. That is not advice to wait — property prices move too, and the Core Central Region has been rising through 2026 — but it is a number worth putting on the table deliberately rather than discovering afterwards.
Treat a second property as a different decision entirely, not as an extension of the first. At 30%, it only works on a long horizon and with the sequencing planned in advance.
Frequently asked questions
How much ABSD does a Singapore PR pay on a first property?
A Singapore Permanent Resident pays 5% ABSD on a first residential property. This is charged on top of Buyer's Stamp Duty, and it is calculated on the purchase price or the market valuation, whichever is higher. The rate has been in force since 27 April 2023. It is 5%, not zero — the most common misunderstanding among PR buyers is that permanent residency removes ABSD entirely, and it does not.
How much ABSD does a Singapore PR pay on a second property?
30%, up from 5% on the first. On a S$2 million purchase that is the difference between S$100,000 and S$600,000 — an extra S$500,000 in cash. For a PR, the step from a first to a second property is the single largest jump in the whole ABSD table, proportionally steeper than the equivalent step for a Singapore Citizen, who moves from 0% to 20%.
Can a Singapore PR avoid ABSD by buying with a Singapore Citizen spouse?
There is a relief, not an exemption. A married couple that includes at least one Singapore Citizen, buying their first matrimonial home jointly, may apply to IRAS for remission of the ABSD. The duty is assessed on the higher-rate buyer's profile at the point of purchase and reclaimed afterwards. Eligibility is conditional and the application window is time-limited, so confirm it with your conveyancing lawyer before you sign anything rather than after.
Can ABSD be paid using CPF savings?
No. ABSD must be paid in cash and cannot be financed through a mortgage. It is due within 14 days of signing the purchase document if it is signed in Singapore, or within 30 days if signed overseas. For a PR buying a first home, this means finding 5% of the price in cash on top of the deposit, the Buyer's Stamp Duty and legal fees.
Are any Singapore PRs exempt from ABSD?
Yes, through nationality rather than residency. Under Singapore's Free Trade Agreements, nationals of the United States, and both nationals and permanent residents of Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland, are treated as Singapore Citizens for ABSD purposes. A Singapore PR who also holds one of those nationalities pays 0% on a first residential property instead of 5%. The claim is made through the IRAS e-stamping portal, so tell your conveyancing lawyer your nationality at the outset.
Buying your first home as a Singapore PR?
The ABSD is usually the easy part. Sequencing, timing and whether a remission applies to you are where the real money sits — and they are worth a conversation before you start viewing.
Chat with Andee on WhatsAppSource: stamp duty rates on this page are taken from IRAS and were checked against it on 5 September 2026 — Buyer's Stamp Duty and Additional Buyer's Stamp Duty. Rates are set by IRAS and can change; confirm the current position there before you commit to a purchase. ABSD and BSD rates in this article are those in force since 27 April 2023 and 15 February 2023 respectively, and are stated as at September 2026. Stamp duty rates, remission rules and eligibility conditions are set by IRAS and are subject to change; always confirm the current position at iras.gov.sg. The worked examples are arithmetic on the published rate bands and are illustrative, not a valuation or a quotation. This article is general information only and does not constitute financial, legal or tax advice. Remission eligibility in particular depends on facts specific to you and must be confirmed by a qualified conveyancing lawyer before you commit to a purchase. Andee Ching, CEA No. R071050B, Huttons Asia Pte Ltd, Licence No. L3008899K.