Transfer Cost Checklist: Free PDF Download for SA Buyers
Quick Answer
This free checklist covers every cost you'll pay when buying property in South Africa: transfer duty (SARS, on a sliding scale, nil below R1,210,000), conveyancing fees paid to the transferring attorney, and bond registration fees paid to the bond attorney — plus a full worked example, so you know your total cash requirement before you make an offer.
Working through a property purchase means juggling three separate cost calculations from three different parties. This checklist puts all of it on one page you can print, save or hand to your bond originator, so nothing gets missed between offer and registration. For the full explanation of how each cost is calculated, read our complete Transfer Costs Explained article, or get your exact number on the Transfer Cost Calculator.
Free Download
Transfer Cost Checklist 2026 (PDF)
Every transfer duty, conveyancing and bond fee on one printable page — keep it on hand, save it, or share it with your family.
📥 Download PDF ChecklistIn this checklist
What's Inside the Checklist
The PDF breaks every cost down individually, so you can see exactly what you're paying and to whom:
- Transfer duty — the SARS sliding scale, nil below R1,210,000, calculated on your purchase price.
- Conveyancing (transfer) fees — the transferring attorney's sliding-scale fee, plus 15% VAT and disbursements.
- Bond registration fees — a separate attorney on a separate sliding scale, linked to your bond amount rather than the purchase price.
- New builds pay VAT, not transfer duty — buy from a VAT-registered developer and the two never apply together. See the full breakdown in Transfer Costs Explained.
- A complete worked example — every cost itemised, rand-for-rand, on a real R1,800,000 purchase.
Get your exact transfer duty and total cash requirement for your purchase price.
Calculate My Transfer Costs →Who Pays What, and When
As the buyer, you are responsible for transfer duty, the transferring attorney's conveyancing fee, and the bond attorney's registration fee — all three, even though the transferring attorney is typically the seller's choice of firm. The seller is usually responsible for their own estate agent's commission and any bond cancellation costs on their existing bond.
All of these costs are due in cash before the Deeds Office will register the transfer — they generally cannot be added to your bond, so budget for them entirely separately from your deposit. Your conveyancing attorney will issue a statement of account listing every cost with an amount and a due date; pay promptly, since lodgement is delayed until every cost is settled and every certificate is in hand.
Free Download
Transfer Cost Checklist 2026 (PDF)
Keep the checklist on hand — print it, save it, or share it with your family.
📥 Download PDF ChecklistFrequently Asked Questions
Transfer duty is calculated on a sliding scale set by SARS against the purchase price or market value of the property, whichever is higher. Properties at or below R1,210,000 attract no transfer duty at all. Above that threshold, the rate increases progressively through several brackets, so higher-value purchases pay a higher marginal rate on the portion of the price that falls within each higher bracket, similar to how income tax brackets work.
Transfer duty is a tax paid to SARS, calculated on the purchase price. Conveyancing (transfer) fees are a separate charge paid to the transferring attorney for legally preparing and lodging the transfer, also calculated on the purchase price but on the attorney's own sliding scale, plus 15% VAT. They are entirely different costs paid to entirely different parties, though both fall on the buyer in a standard sale.
No. If you buy directly from a VAT-registered developer, the purchase price already includes 15% VAT, and no transfer duty applies — VAT and transfer duty are mutually exclusive on the same transaction. Transfer duty applies instead when you buy an existing (resale) property from a private seller who is not VAT-registered. Always confirm which regime applies to your specific purchase before budgeting costs.
Bond registration fees are charged by the bond attorney (appointed by your bank) on a sliding scale linked to your bond amount, not the purchase price — plus 15% VAT. Because the fee is driven by the loan amount, a larger deposit reduces your bond registration fee specifically, even though it does not reduce transfer duty or conveyancing fees, both of which are driven by the purchase price.
Transfer duty, conveyancing fees and bond registration fees are all due in cash before the Deeds Office will register your transfer — typically requested by your attorneys in the weeks leading up to lodgement, once the sale is unconditional. These costs generally cannot be added to your bond, so they must be budgeted separately from, and in addition to, your deposit.