Homebuying

Transfer tax estimator

Get a rough transfer-tax number before escrow gives you the official closing statement.

Calculator Last reviewed June 29, 2026

Why it matters

A sale can have the county document tax, a city tax, and sometimes a bigger city percent tax. The listing price alone does not tell you the closing cost.

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Home costs

Property tax, closing costs, Mello-Roos, and surprise bills.

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Calculator

Rough transfer tax

This does not decide who pays. The contract, escrow instructions, county, city, and local custom control the real closing statement.

First moves

1
Type in the sale price or value used for the tax.
2
Keep the county rate at $0.55 per $500 unless your county source says otherwise.
3
Add a city per-$500 rate if the city has one.
4
Add a city percent rate only if the local rule uses one.
5
Ask escrow who pays each charge in the actual deal.

Watch for

1
The state county tax is written as $0.55 per $500 or part of $500, so odd sale prices can round up.
2
Many cities add their own transfer taxes, percent taxes, tiers, exemptions, or rebates.
3
Local custom and the purchase contract decide who pays many closing costs.
4
Recording fees, title, escrow, lender costs, insurance, prorations, HOA fees, and prepaid taxes are separate.
5
High-value property rules can be city-specific, so use the local source before relying on a shortcut.

Go deeper

Prop 13 and California property tax basics

A simple starting point for base-year value, the 1 percent tax limit, reassessment, and why your county assessor matters.

Directory paths

Keep moving through the directory.

Use the nearby shelf when this is the right lane, or jump back to the full directory if the task changed names.

ShelfHome costsProperty tax, closing costs, Mello-Roos, and surprise bills.DirectoryPaperwork & MoneyReturn to the full tools shelf.Nearby toolProp 13 tax reset estimatorGet a rough heads-up on how a purchase can reset the tax bill and cause a later supplemental bill.Nearby toolMello-Roos tax checkA plain checklist for spotting Mello-Roos, CFDs, parcel taxes, and other add-on lines before you buy.A-ZFind another California pathUse the directory index when the task has a different name.