About this calculator
On 28 February 2024 the Financial Secretary abolished every demand-side stamp duty Hong Kong had built up over fourteen years: the 15% Buyer's Stamp Duty on non-permanent residents, the Special Stamp Duty punishing quick resales, and the doubled New Residential Stamp Duty. Overnight, the tax system went from three stacked duties with rates to 40% back to one: ad valorem stamp duty at Scale 2, the gentlest table in the Stamp Duty Ordinance, paid by every buyer at the same rates. That position still held through October 2026 — there is no BSD to dodge, no first-timer rate to claim, and no holding-period tax on the way out.
Scale 2 starts, since the February 2025 Budget, with a gesture: HK$100 flat on any home at or under HK$4 million, a band deliberately widened to cover most first homes. Above that the table climbs 1.5% → 2.25% → 3% → 3.75% → 4.25%, with "marginal relief" seams between the flat rates — short segments where duty is the lower band's total plus 10–20% of the excess, so the bill never jumps discontinuously when a price crosses a line. The seams matter at negotiation time: at HK$4,200,000 the duty is HK$40,100, and it rises by only 20 cents per extra dollar through the relief band to HK$4,323,780.
How to use it
- Enter the price (or the IRD's market valuation if it is higher — duty follows the greater).
- Read the total duty and its share of the price.
- Step through the band table to see exactly where your price sits and what the next dollar costs you — useful when an asking price straddles a band edge.
- Remember this is residential only: non-residential property (offices, shops, car parks) pays Scale 1, which tops out at 8.5%.
The formula
Ad valorem means "in proportion to value": above the relief bands the duty is simply the band rate times the whole consideration, not a marginal slice tax like income tax. The relief seams exist precisely because of that — without them, crossing from $4,500,000 to $4,500,001 would move the whole price from 1.5% to 2.25% and add about $33,750 of duty for one extra dollar. The seam charges $67,500 plus 10% of the excess instead, and rejoins the 2.25% line smoothly at $4,935,480.
Worked example
At HK$3,900,000 the duty is HK$100 — 0.003% of the price, less than the taxi fare to the solicitor. At HK$4,200,000, inside the first relief seam, it is HK$100 + 20% × HK$200,000 = HK$40,100. A HK$6 million family flat pays 2.25%, HK$135,000 — against the pre-2024 world, where a non-resident buyer of the same flat would have paid 15% AVD plus 15% BSD, HK$1,800,000. At HK$12 million the duty is HK$450,000 (3.75%), and even a HK$25 million luxury purchase pays HK$1,062,500 at the 4.25% top rate: Hong Kong is, on paper, now one of the cheapest places in the world to buy a home, tax-wise.
Sources: Stamp Duty Ordinance Scale 2 table from the IRD stamp duty rate tables, including the 2025 Budget extension of the HK$100 band to HK$4 million (26 February 2025) — verified October 2026. Last updated: October 2026.
Frequently asked questions
Has the Buyer's Stamp Duty really been abolished?
Completely, from 28 February 2024. The 15% BSD on non-Hong Kong permanent residents, the 15% NRSD doubling for second properties, and the SSD resale tax were all repealed in the same budget. A non-resident buying today pays Scale 2 AVD — as little as HK$100 under $4 million — exactly as a first-time local buyer does. Nothing in the 2025 or subsequent fiscal statements has reintroduced any of them.
Is there still a first-time-buyer discount on stamp duty?
There is nothing left to discount: the old first-timer advantage was paying Scale 2 instead of the 15% flat NRSD rate, and since February 2024 Scale 2 is all anyone pays. The February 2025 extension of the $100 band from $3 million to $4 million was the government's chosen way of helping first-timers — it cut the duty on a $3.5 million home from $52,500 to $100.
What if I buy through a company?
A company buying residential property today also pays Scale 2 AVD — the old 15% BSD on corporate buyers went with the rest. (Share-transfer routes into property-holding companies attract share stamp duty instead, and come with their own legal and financing complications; the saving also shrank once the property duty itself fell to Scale 2.) Limited companies should still take advice on the annual and disposal-side taxes, which were not part of the 2024 changes.
When is the duty payable, and on what value?
AVD is payable on the agreement for sale — provisional agreements included — generally within 30 days, and it is charged on the higher of the stated consideration or the IRD's assessed market value. Undervalue transfers to relatives are assessed at full market value. Late stamping attracts penalties of up to ten times the duty, which is why solicitors collect it with the deposit paperwork.
Does the $100 band apply to car parks and non-residential units?
No — the $100-to-$4-million Scale 2 structure is residential. Non-residential property (industrial, commercial, car parks sold separately) pays AVD at Scale 1: 2.25% from $2–3 million up to 8.5% above $21.7 million. A flat sold with a car park in one agreement is apportioned between the two scales by the IRD.
What formula does this hong kong stamp duty calculator — avd scale 2 (hk$100 up to $4m) calculator use?
AVD (Scale 2) = $100 up to $4M; $100 + 20% of the excess to $4,323,780; then banded 1.5% / 2.25% / 3% / 3.75% with 10% marginal-relief seams; 4.25% above $21,739,120 Ad valorem means "in proportion to value": above the relief bands the duty is simply the band rate times the whole consideration, not a marginal slice tax like income tax. The relief seams exist precisely because of that — without them, crossing from $4,500,000 to $4,500,001 would move the whole price from 1.5% to 2.25% and add about $33,750 of duty for one extra dollar. The seam charges $67,500 plus 10% of the excess instead, and rejoins the 2.25% line smoothly at $4,935,480. The worked example on this page applies the formula step by step with real numbers, so you can verify the result by hand.