ABSD refund in Singapore: couples and seniors replacing a home

ABSD paid on a second home may be refunded to two groups in Singapore: married couples with at least one Singapore citizen, and, for second homes bought on or after 16 February 2024, single citizens aged 55 or above. The first home must be sold within six months. For a new launch still unfinished when you bought it, IRAS counts those six months from the earlier of its Temporary Occupation Permit (TOP) or Certificate of Statutory Completion (CSC), and says it will not extend the couples’ deadline.

A couple’s refund can arrive automatically within six weeks of the sale being stamped, if the intention to sell was declared on the e-Stamping form. A senior’s refund is claimed by application. This is general information, not tax or legal advice; the rate table is in our stamp duty guide.

How does a married couple claim the ABSD refund?

IRAS’s page on remission of ABSD for a married couple requires the couple to include a citizen and to buy the second home in both names only. Then:

• Neither spouse owned an interest in more than one residential property at the date of purchase of the second, and ABSD was paid on it.
• The first home, co-owned or separately owned, is sold within six months (start date below).
• The couple is still married, and ownership of the second home is unchanged, when the first is sold, and they have bought or acquired no other residential property since. If you might change who holds the second home before then, read our guide to adding or removing a name first.
• Any application is made within six months after the date of sale.

IRAS’s rates sheet for married couples says an application is rejected if any condition is unmet. Couples with a permanent resident or foreign spouse face different rates: see ABSD for Singapore PRs.

Automatic route. For “Sale & Purchase – Purchase/Acquisition” forms submitted on or after 2 July 2023, IRAS says an eligible couple’s ABSD will be automatically refunded within six weeks from the stamping of the sale of the first property, with no application. This applies only if the purchasers declared their intention to sell and claimed the refund on the e-Stamping form.

Application route. IRAS describes applying through myTax Portal (Stamp Duty Login), then Request, then Apply for Refund; it says this is desktop only. It does not say what happens if the declaration was missed. Our inference, not IRAS’s, is that this route and its six-month window after the sale still apply, so confirm with IRAS.

What deadline applies when the new home is not finished?

IRAS counts the six months from the purchase date only for a completed property. For an uncompleted one it counts from the TOP or CSC issue date, whichever is earlier; IRAS’s ABSD FAQ gives a couple buying a terrace house under construction as its example. Our TOP guide explains the permit and how developers state dates.

• You do not control the start date. A TOP earlier than quoted moves your deadline earlier (our inference).
• “Sold” has a specific meaning. IRAS’s date of sale is when the buyer accepts the option to purchase or signs the sale and purchase agreement; the transfer date counts only if neither applies. Ask your lawyer which date will be recorded.
• Two six-month clocks run: the sale deadline from TOP or CSC, and, if you apply, the claim deadline from the date of sale. Missing either ends the refund.

What does a couple’s timeline look like in dates?

The couple, price and dates are fictional, and market value is assumed equal to price. Both spouses are citizens who own one home jointly and buy an uncompleted unit in both names.

1. 16 November 2026: they sign for a S$2,000,000 unit. At the 20% rate IRAS lists for a citizen’s second home, ABSD is S$400,000. The e-Stamping form declares the intention to sell and claims the refund.
2. 10 March 2031: the TOP is issued; no CSC yet. IRAS says only “within six months after”; on a plain reading, the last day to sell the first home is 10 September 2031. Your lawyer should confirm the exact day, and you should not plan to use it.
3. 23 June 2031: a buyer accepts the option for the first home, about eleven weeks inside the deadline. The sale document is stamped on 7 July 2031.
4. By 18 August 2031: six weeks after stamping, the S$400,000 should be refunded automatically.
5. 23 December 2031: the last day to apply on the same plain reading, six months after the date of sale. If nothing has arrived, ask IRAS and, on our inference, file before this date.

On that reading, a sale agreed on 11 September 2031 would be too late, and the S$400,000 would stay paid. Only ABSD comes back, not the buyer’s stamp duty.

How does a single senior claim the ABSD concession?

IRAS’s page on the ABSD concession for single SC seniors covers second homes bought on or after 16 February 2024. Its conditions, in short:

• ABSD was paid on the second home, and each buyer owned no more than one residential property when buying it and has acquired no other since.
• Each first home is owned only by a single citizen aged 55 or above, or by such citizens who are immediate family: a parent, child, sibling, stepsibling, step-parent or stepchild.
• The owners of each first home also own the second, and any extra owner must meet the same test.
• The first homes are sold within the same six-month limit, and ownership of the second home has not changed.
• The second home’s value is less than the value of each first home sold. IRAS counts the higher of price and market value, the second home’s at its purchase date and each first home’s at its sale date.
• The application is made within six months after the date of sale.

The page describes only an application, with no automatic refund. In myTax Portal the path is Request, then Apply for Assessment / Appeal for Waiver, then Assessment (including remission and penalty), which differs from the couple route. If the purchase document is not yet stamped, stamp it and pay the 20% ABSD first, keying “ABSD Concession for Single SC Seniors” under Additional Information. IRAS asks for copies of the option or sale and purchase agreement for the second home and for each first home sold.

A married co-buyer, or one under 55 such as a single child, ends eligibility, though IRAS says extenuating cases are considered individually. The ownership match is strict: in IRAS’s scenarios, siblings who each own a first home and buy a second jointly can qualify, but siblings who co-own the first home where only one buys the second cannot. IRAS’s ABSD FAQ has a widow downsizing with her son and says both must be single citizens aged 55 or above. The pages we read do not define “single”, so if you are widowed or divorced, ask IRAS.

Do two single siblings aged 58 and 60 pass the value test?

The siblings and figures are fictional. Sibling A (60) and Sibling B (58) are single citizens who each own a home in their own name. On 16 November 2026 they buy an uncompleted S$1,500,000 unit together and pay ABSD of S$300,000. Assume market values equal prices. With a TOP on 10 March 2031, the sale deadline is 10 September 2031 on a plain reading.

1. 6 May 2031: a buyer accepts the option for A’s home, at S$1,800,000.
2. 25 August 2031: a buyer accepts the option for B’s home, at S$1,650,000.
3. Value test: the second home is S$1,500,000, and both first homes are higher, so the test is met.
4. Application: IRAS does not say which sale starts the six months when there are two. Our cautious inference, not IRAS’s, is to count from the earlier sale and file by 6 November 2031, about ten weeks after the second sale.
5. Refund: S$300,000, if the application succeeds.

If B’s home had sold at S$1,450,000, below the second home’s S$1,500,000, the test would fail for both siblings, although both sales met the deadline. IRAS’s own example agrees: a S$1,400,000 second home with first homes sold at S$1,100,000 and S$2,500,000, is not eligible.

What will IRAS not accept?

IRAS’s FAQ on the couple page answers each of these with a plain no:

• A weak market, including cooling measures, the Seventh Month, public holidays, an old property, several agents and a price cut below valuation.
• Personal circumstances, such as children’s exams, festivals or needing time to move in.
• Wrong advice. IRAS says to seek recourse from the adviser.

Should you sell first or book first?

IRAS repeatedly advises marketing the first home early at a realistic price and considering a sale before buying the replacement. These questions organise that advice; they are not a recommendation to buy or sell.

1. Can you have a binding sale before accepting the developer’s option? IRAS says a citizen with one apartment who contracts to sell it before executing the acceptance of the option on the next home does not pay ABSD. If the buyer later aborts, IRAS says you must disclose it, and whether ABSD is clawed back depends on the circumstances.
2. If you book first, can you fund the full ABSD until the sale? In the couple example that is S$400,000, returned only after the sale. Our free BSD and ABSD calculator shows the ABSD for your price and buyer profile before any refund.
3. Can you live with a deadline you cannot move? Construction sets it, and IRAS does not extend it for couples.

For who counts as an owner, see our guide to joint purchase and ABSD.

Does the refund work if the first home is an HDB flat?

IRAS’s ABSD FAQ treats an HDB flat as a first home: in its example, a citizen–PR couple who own a 5-room flat and upgrade to a private flat pay ABSD and may be eligible for the refund if they dispose of the flat within the same six-month limit. URA’s buying-property guidance, last updated 29 June 2026, adds that owners of an HDB flat, DBSS flat or Executive Condominium must fulfil the minimum occupation period set by HDB before buying any private residential property. We did not open HDB’s own rules, so check them with HDB before you book.

What to check before you book, and again at the sale

• Count every buyer’s residential properties on the purchase date, including part-shares and HDB flats.
• Get the expected TOP and CSC dates in writing, work out the sale deadline and diarise it with a margin. Have the full ABSD ready within 14 days of signing; IRAS allows no deferment.
• Couples: have the e-Stamping declaration confirmed in writing. Seniors: have “ABSD Concession for Single SC Seniors” keyed when stamping.
• Market the first home early. Record the date of sale, the stamping date and the claim date.
• Keep the Document Reference Number and Stamp Certificate Reference Number, and the other co-owners’ consent.
• Check whether seller’s stamp duty applies to the first home: see our seller’s stamp duty guide.
• Reread IRAS before booking and again before selling.

IRAS pays the refund to the party liable for stamp duty by GIRO registered with IRAS, PayNow, telegraphic transfer (refunds above S$100 only) or, where CPF money was used, to CPF accounts; it stopped issuing cheques at the end of September 2025, per its refunds page, updated 20 January 2026. If CPF paid any of the duty, IRAS tells couples applying to give the CPF reference for the second home’s purchase, not the first home’s; see using CPF for a new launch.

For other terms see the new launch glossary and the research hub.

Common questions