Decoupling, one owner buying the other's share, can save six figures of ABSD on the second property, but it has real costs of its own. This calculator puts both sides of that trade on the table.
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Enter the value of the home you own together, the share being transferred and the price of the next property. The calculator works out what the transfer costs (Buyer's Stamp Duty on the share's value, legal fees and any loan and CPF refund on the share) and sets it against the ABSD the departing owner avoids by buying the next property as a first home. It also checks the remaining owner's loan against TDSR at the 4% stress rate.
Two owners of a S$1.6 million condo; one buys the other's 50%
IRAS looks at whether a split is genuine; get legal advice before decoupling.
| Rule | Rate used | Source | In effect from |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buyer's Stamp Duty (residential) | 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, 6% above S$3,000,000 | IRAS | 15 Feb 2023 |
| Additional Buyer's Stamp Duty | Citizens 0% / 20% / 30% (1st / 2nd / 3rd and later home); PRs 5% / 30% / 35%; foreigners 60% | IRAS | 27 Apr 2023 |
| Total Debt Servicing Ratio | 55% of gross monthly income | MAS | 16 Dec 2021 |
| Stress-test interest rate (bank loans, private property) | 4% a year | MAS | 30 Sep 2022 |
| Loan-to-value, bank housing loan | 75% (1st loan), 45% (2nd), 35% (3rd and later) | MAS | Jan 2013 |
| CPF Ordinary Account interest (accrued on CPF used for property) | 2.5% a year | CPF Board | Ongoing |
Rates checked October 2026. Confirm the figures for your own case with the source before you commit.
One co-owner sells their share of the home to the other, so that the departing owner no longer owns property and can buy the next one as a first home, without ABSD. The remaining owner pays stamp duty on the share and usually refinances the loan alone.
The main costs are Buyer's Stamp Duty on the value of the share bought, legal fees, and any refund of CPF and loan on the departing owner's share. For a 50% share of a S$1.6 million home, the stamp duty alone is S$18,600. The calculator adds the rest.
As much as the ABSD the departing owner would otherwise pay on the next purchase: 20% for a Singapore citizen's second home, so S$360,000 on a S$1.8 million condo. Whether it is worth doing depends on the transfer costs and on the remaining owner's loan.
HDB does not allow a share of a flat to be transferred simply to buy private property, so decoupling is generally done with private homes. Check your own case with HDB or a lawyer before planning on it.
Yes. IRAS can treat an arrangement whose main purpose is to avoid ABSD as tax avoidance and recover the duty with a surcharge. Splits made genuinely and properly documented are a different matter; get legal advice before you proceed.