Bond & Transfer Cost Calculator — South Africa 2026
Calculate transfer duty, conveyancing fees, bond attorney costs and initiation fees for any SA property purchase — transfer AND bond costs in one place.
Quick answer: South African transfer duty is exempt below R1,210,000, then charged on a sliding scale up to 13% on the portion of the property value above the top bracket (SARS Budget Tax Guide, effective 1 April 2025, confirmed unchanged for 2027). Conveyancing and bond registration fees are added on top as separate costs.
Bond & Transfer Cost Calculator
Transfer duty, conveyancing fees, bond attorney costs and bank initiation fee — 2026 SARS brackets
Full Cost Breakdown
| Cost Item | Amount | Notes |
|---|
⚠ Conveyancing fees are estimates based on Law Society tariff guidelines. Your attorney may charge differently. Always obtain a formal cost estimate before signing.
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How to Use This Calculator
Enter the purchase price of the property and select your buyer type (natural person or company/trust — companies pay a flat 8% transfer duty with no exemption). If you are taking a bond, enter the bond amount to include bond registration costs in the total.
The result shows transfer duty (SARS), conveyancing attorney fees, bond registration costs, and total cash you need upfront. Remember: transfer costs cannot be bonded — you need this cash on top of your deposit.
🧮 How does SA compare internationally? OurCalculators.com covers property transfer costs, mortgage repayments and inheritance tax for the UK, US and Canada — 30+ free calculators.
OurCalculators.com ↗SARS Transfer Duty Rates 2026 — Current Brackets
These rates apply from 1 April 2025 (2026/27 tax year) and are confirmed unchanged for 2027. Source: SARS Budget Tax Guide 2026.
| Property Value | Rate |
|---|---|
| R0 – R1,210,000 | 0% (exempt) |
| R1,210,001 – R1,663,800 | 3% on value above R1,210,000 |
| R1,663,801 – R2,329,300 | R13,614 + 6% on value above R1,663,800 |
| R2,329,301 – R2,994,800 | R53,544 + 8% on value above R2,329,300 |
| R2,994,801 – R13,310,000 | R106,784 + 11% on value above R2,994,800 |
| R13,310,001 and above | R1,241,456 + 13% on value above R13,310,000 |
Note: Companies, close corporations, and trusts pay a flat 8% on the full purchase price with no exemption. When buying from a VAT-registered developer, VAT is included — transfer duty does not also apply.
Worked Examples — What You Will Actually Pay
The following examples use the 2026 SARS brackets, standard Law Society conveyancing tariffs, and typical bond registration fees. All figures include VAT on attorney fees at 15%.
| Cost Item | R750,000 Cash purchase |
R1,500,000 R1.2m bond |
R2,500,000 R2.0m bond |
R4,000,000 R3.2m bond |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Transfer Duty (SARS) | R0 | R8,700 | R67,200 | R217,356 |
| Conveyancing Fee + VAT | R10,925 | R16,100 | R24,150 | R29,900 |
| Deeds Office Levy | R250 | R345 | R575 | R920 |
| Postage & Sundries | R850 | R850 | R850 | R850 |
| Transfer Costs (no bond) | R12,025 | R25,995 | R92,775 | R249,026 |
| Bond Registration Costs | — | R12,316 | R14,860 | R18,676 |
| Total Cash Required | R12,025 | R38,311 | R107,635 | R267,702 |
| Transfer Costs as % of Price | 1.6% | 1.7% | 3.7% | 6.2% |
Attorney fees are estimates based on Law Society tariff guidelines. Transfer costs are paid in cash — they cannot be included in the bond unless your bank specifically agrees.
Transfer Costs as a Percentage of Purchase Price
Use this table to budget quickly. Percentages cover transfer costs only (no bond registration). Add approximately 0.9–1.2% for bond registration if financing.
| Purchase Price | Transfer Duty | All Transfer Costs | % of Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| R750,000 | R0 | ~R12,000 | 1.6% |
| R1,000,000 | R0 | ~R14,000 | 1.4% |
| R1,210,000 | R0 | ~R16,500 | 1.4% |
| R1,500,000 | R8,700 | ~R26,000 | 1.7% |
| R2,000,000 | R33,786 | ~R55,000 | 2.7% |
| R2,500,000 | R67,200 | ~R93,000 | 3.7% |
| R3,000,000 | R107,356 | ~R133,000 | 4.4% |
| R4,000,000 | R217,356 | ~R249,000 | 6.2% |
What Are Transfer Costs?
Transfer costs are the fees a buyer pays, on top of the purchase price, to legally transfer a property into their name in South Africa. They are separate from your deposit and your bond, they are paid up front, and they catch many first-time buyers by surprise — on an average home they can run to tens of thousands of rands. This calculator breaks them down so you know the full cash you need before you make an offer.
Transfer Duty vs Conveyancing Fees vs Bond Registration
There are three distinct costs people lump together. Transfer duty is a government tax paid to SARS, calculated on the 2026 sliding scale starting at R1,210,000. Conveyancing (transfer attorney) fees are what the transferring attorney charges to handle the transfer in the Deeds Office, plus deeds office and sundry fees. Bond registration costs are a separate set of attorney fees to register your home loan, payable only if you are buying with a bond.
Understanding the Conveyancing Fee Scale
Conveyancing fees in South Africa are guided by a tariff published by the Law Society. The fee is linked to the purchase price on a sliding scale, and most attorneys charge within the guideline range. On a R1,500,000 purchase, the guideline fee is approximately R14,000 before VAT, rising to around R21,000 on a R3,000,000 purchase. VAT at 15% is charged on top of the attorney's fee.
If you are buying with a bond, the bank's attorneys charge a separate bond registration fee to register the mortgage bond in the Deeds Office. This is an entirely separate engagement from the transfer attorney. A R1,200,000 bond carries registration costs of approximately R12,000–R13,000 including deeds levy and VAT.
SARS Transfer Duty 2026 — What Changed
The 2026 Budget updated the transfer duty brackets with effect from 1 April 2025. The exemption threshold increased from R1,100,000 to R1,210,000, and all bracket boundaries were adjusted. The 2027 Budget confirmed no further changes. A buyer purchasing at R1,200,000 pays zero transfer duty — a saving of R2,700 compared to the previous schedule.
Who Pays, and When
In South Africa the buyer pays the transfer costs, not the seller — the seller pays the estate agent's commission and their own bond cancellation costs. Transfer costs are due before registration: the transferring attorney will ask you to pay them into trust once the transfer process begins, typically a few weeks before registration.
When You Pay No Transfer Duty
You pay no transfer duty if the purchase price is at or below R1,210,000 (the current SARS threshold), or when buying directly from a VAT-registered developer — the price includes VAT instead of transfer duty. You still pay conveyancing and, if applicable, bond registration costs in either case. By comparison, UK buyers pay Stamp Duty Land Tax on a similar sliding scale — reaching 12% on amounts above £1.5 million — while US buyers face closing costs of 2–5% of the purchase price. OurCalculators.com covers international property transfer and stamp duty calculators for UK, US and Canadian buyers.
Want the full breakdown of transfer duty, conveyancing and bond registration fees? Read the Transfer Costs & Bond Registration Guide →