ABSD for PR buyers of a new launch: rates and remission

ABSD for PR buyers of a new launch is 5% of the purchase price (or market value, if higher) on a first residential property, 30% on a second and 35% on a third or later, for purchases on or after 27 April 2023. A PR married to a Singapore citizen can apply to have the 5% remitted in full on a first home bought jointly in both names when neither spouse owns any residential property, but a PR married to a foreigner cannot: IRAS says there has been no remission for such couples since 12 January 2013.

ABSD is Additional Buyer’s Stamp Duty, charged by IRAS (the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore) on top of Buyer’s Stamp Duty (BSD). For a Singapore permanent resident (PR), the names on the contract and the homes each buyer owns decide most outcomes: IRAS applies the highest buyer’s rate to the whole price, so on an illustrative S$2,000,000 new launch one name can move the ABSD from S$100,000 (a PR buying a first home alone) to S$1,200,000 (the same PR buying with a foreign spouse). This guide is organised by buyer profile; it is general information, not tax or legal advice.

What does a PR pay on a S$2,000,000 new launch?

BSD uses the same tiers for every profile. On S$2,000,000 it is S$1,800 + S$3,600 + S$19,200 + S$20,000 + S$25,000, or S$69,600, on IRAS’s residential BSD tiers (page last updated 9 October 2026; the residential tiers are unchanged). ABSD comes on top. The price is illustrative, and each line names the IRAS page behind it.

• PR, first home: 5%, so S$100,000 (rate table).
• PR married to a citizen, first home for both, in both names only: if the conditions are met, the couple can apply at stamping for full remission of the 5%, so ABSD is S$0 (Table 2 of IRAS’s married-couple PDF; remission page).
• PR, second home: 30%, so S$600,000 (rate table). The refund concession is limited to married couples that include a citizen and to single citizens aged 55 and above, and IRAS’s FAQ tells PR buyers who want to avoid the higher rate to sell their first home before buying (remission FAQ).
• PR married to a citizen, second home in both names: the highest profile sets the rate. If only the citizen owns a home, 20%, or S$400,000; if the PR spouse owns one, 30%, or S$600,000 (Table 2). A refund is possible if the first home is sold in time and IRAS’s other conditions are met.
• PR, third or later home: 35%, so S$700,000 (rate table).
• PR married to a foreigner, any home, in both names: 60% on the whole price, so S$1,200,000, with no remission (Table 4).
• Citizen married to a foreigner, first home for both, in both names: if the conditions are met, the 60% is remitted in full on application, so ABSD is S$0. On a second home the S$1,200,000 is paid upfront and refunded only if IRAS’s refund conditions are met (Table 3; IRAS FAQ).
• US national, or national or PR of Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland: given the same stamp duty treatment as a citizen under the free trade agreement (FTA) remission: S$0 on a first home, 20% or S$400,000 on a second, 30% or S$600,000 on a third or later (FTA page; IRAS FAQ).

Add the S$69,600 BSD for the total at stamping: S$169,600 for a PR’s first home without remission, S$669,600 for a second and S$769,600 for a third. Remitted cases pay BSD alone. Stamp duty cannot be deferred, and IRAS says a penalty of four times the unpaid duty can be imposed. Our CPF guide records IRAS’s caveat on paying stamp duty from CPF and marks whether ABSD itself can be paid from OA as unconfirmed, and our stamp duty guide puts BSD, ABSD and seller’s stamp duty in one plan. To try another price or buyer profile, our free BSD and ABSD calculator applies IRAS’s tables before any remission or refund.

Which married couples get remission or a refund?

IRAS’s married-couple remission page (last updated 13 August 2026) needs a Singapore citizen in the couple and the home bought in both spouses’ names only. For a first home, neither spouse may own any residential property. A couple who meet those conditions can apply through the myTax Portal at stamping for remission instead of paying ABSD. That covers a PR with a citizen and a foreigner with a citizen. Two PRs have no citizen in the couple, and for a PR with a foreigner Table 4 of IRAS’s married-couple PDF says there is no remission, so the rate table applies.

The page speaks only of a married couple buying in both names. It does not mention a PR who buys alone, or co-buyers who are not married to each other, such as a citizen parent and a PR child. Our inference is that neither meets the remission, so the rate table applies, with the highest buyer’s rate on the whole price for co-buyers; a lawyer or IRAS can confirm. Our guide to joint purchases shows how that count works.

If a spouse already owns a home, ABSD is paid upfront and can be refunded if IRAS’s conditions are met, including a sale of the first home within six months after the issue date of the Temporary Occupation Permit or Certificate of Statutory Completion, whichever is earlier, for a home uncompleted at purchase. IRAS says it will not extend that period. Our guide to the ABSD refund covers the claim. The senior concession is for single citizens aged 55 and above, so it does not help a PR.

Does a free trade agreement change a PR’s ABSD?

For some buyers it does. IRAS’s FTA remission page (last updated 30 January 2026) says nationals and permanent residents of Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland, and nationals of the United States, are accorded the same stamp duty treatment as Singapore citizens. For the United States the page names nationals, not permanent residents.

IRAS’s ABSD FAQ gives the example of a Singapore PR who is also a US citizen: no ABSD on a first home, then 20% and 30% on later ones. The remission is claimed at stamping through the myTax Portal. The IRAS pages we read do not say how it works when only one of several joint buyers qualifies, so a lawyer or IRAS can confirm the treatment before you rely on it.

What if my PR or citizenship status changes around the purchase date?

The rate follows your status on the date of purchase. IRAS’s ABSD page defines that date as the earliest of the day the option to purchase is accepted and the day of the sale and purchase agreement, though its FAQ excludes an option that is subject to signing that agreement. Our option to purchase guide looks at what each date starts. IRAS’s FAQs then say:

• A PR who becomes a citizen after the purchase date still pays the PR rate, because liability does not change with later changes to the buyer’s profile.
• If ICA gave in-principle approval before you bought, you can appeal through the myTax Portal (desktop only), but the ABSD is still due within 14 days. IRAS assesses each appeal case by case and refunds only if it succeeds and the remission conditions are met.
• If in-principle approval came only after you bought, the appeal will not succeed.

On the illustrative price, a buyer who is still a foreigner on the purchase date owes S$1,200,000 within 14 days, the same figure as IRAS’s own S$2 million foreigner example.

Does a PR need approval to buy a landed home?

URA’s buying-property page (last updated 29 June 2026) says that if you are not a Singapore citizen, you have to obtain approval from the Controller of Residential Property in the Singapore Land Authority before you can buy landed houses, including but not limited to strata landed houses. A PR is not a citizen, so on the page’s wording the rule reaches PR buyers, though the page does not name PRs. We have not checked other home types.

Three questions to settle before you book

1. What is each buyer’s status on the date of purchase? Citizen, PR, foreigner or FTA national, already granted by that date.
2. How many homes does each buyer own? Count any share, any HDB flat and any uncompleted unit with a signed sale and purchase agreement; leave out homes outside Singapore.
3. Are you married, with a citizen in the couple, and buying in both names only? If so, the remission or refund route above may apply. If not, the highest rate on the whole price stands.

A practical next step is to write the answers down for every buyer, take them to a lawyer before the booking fee is paid and recheck IRAS’s rate table on the day you book; this guide reflects it as last updated on 27 August 2026. The new launch glossary defines the terms and the research topic collects related guides.

Common questions