How much property tax does a home owner pay in Singapore?
IRAS works out your property tax by multiplying your home's annual value (the estimated gross yearly rent it could fetch if let, without furniture, furnishings and maintenance fees) by the rates that apply. If you own and live in the home, as an individual or a married couple, it qualifies for the owner-occupier rates, which run from 0% for the first S$12,000 to 32% for the part of the annual value above S$140,000 (rates effective from 1 January 2025). These rates cover one home per owner or married couple and do not apply to a home owned by a company or trust; IRAS applies them automatically for some buyers, and others must apply. A home that is wholly rented out or vacant, and any further home you live in, is taxed at the non-owner-occupier rates of 12% to 36%, unless it is on IRAS's exclusion list. Each year's tax is due by 31 January, or the due date on the bill, and you can pay by GIRO in up to 12 interest-free monthly instalments.
What the tax is charged on
IRAS sets the annual value from the estimated market rents of similar or comparable properties. It does not use the rent you actually receive. It looks at rents nearby and at the property's size, location and condition.
IRAS reviews annual values every year. When your home's annual value goes up or down, IRAS sends you a Valuation Notice. You can object to the annual value or its effective date within 30 days from the date of the notice, but you cannot object to the tax rates. The tax is still payable while an objection is pending. You can check your own property's annual value at no cost through IRAS's 'View Property Summary' service.
The owner-occupier rates
IRAS's owner-occupier rates, effective from 1 January 2025, rise in steps with the annual value. The first S$12,000 is taxed at 0%, the next S$28,000 at 4%, the next S$10,000 at 6%, the next S$25,000 at 10%, the next S$10,000 at 14%, the next S$15,000 at 20% and the next S$40,000 at 26%. The part above S$140,000 is taxed at 32%.
A media release from the Ministry of Finance and IRAS, dated 28 November 2025, gives owner-occupied homes a one-off rebate for 2026 only. The rebate is 15% for an HDB flat, and 10%, capped at S$500, for a private residential property. It is set off against the bill automatically.
Who gets the lower rates
IRAS says that to qualify, you must own the home and live in it, as an individual or a married couple. A married couple can have the rates on one home only, whether their homes are owned jointly or separately. The rates do not apply to a home that is wholly rented out, sold or vacant, or to one owned by a company or trust.
IRAS says that if you let out part of the home while living in it, you keep the rates. You also keep them if you live abroad for a time for official or business purposes, as long as the home is kept as your home and is not rented out.
IRAS applies the rates automatically to buyers of new or resale HDB flats and new executive condominiums. It also applies them automatically to a Singapore Citizen or Permanent Resident who buys a private home, if neither the buyer nor their spouse has the rates on another home. The IRAS pages consulted for this guide describe no automatic step for other buyers. If you live in a home taxed at the higher rates, you can apply through IRAS's 'Apply/Withdraw Owner-Occupier Tax Rates' digital service. Refunds on a late claim go back 5 years at most.
Homes taxed at the higher rates
IRAS's non-owner-occupier residential rates, effective from 1 January 2024, also rise in steps. The first S$30,000 of annual value is taxed at 12%, the next S$15,000 at 20% and the next S$15,000 at 28%. The part above S$60,000 is taxed at 36%.
These rates apply to a home that is rented out or vacant, and to every home after the first that you live in. They do not apply to properties on IRAS's exclusion list, such as hotels and serviced apartments with planning approval for that use. IRAS describes property tax as a tax on owning property, separate from the income tax charged on rent.
When the bill is due and how to pay
According to IRAS, the year's property tax must be paid by 31 January each year, or by the due date stated in the bill. The 2026 bills were sent from December 2025 and were due by 31 January 2026. You can pay in one sum, or by GIRO in up to 12 interest-free monthly instalments. If a property has more than one owner, all of them are responsible for the tax.
If you do not pay in full by the due date, IRAS adds a 5% late payment penalty, unless you are on an approved instalment plan. If the tax stays unpaid, IRAS may appoint your bank, employer, tenant or lawyer to recover it, or sell the property by public auction.
Buying, selling and getting help
IRAS says property tax is payable yearly in advance, so as a seller you pay the full year's tax before the sale. How much the buyer repays you is a private arrangement, and IRAS does not apportion it. Your lawyer usually works it out, or HDB officers for an HDB flat.
IRAS says that if you are eligible for the owner-occupier rates but have not applied, you must apply at least 6 weeks before the property is transferred. The other taxes on a sale are set out in what tax applies when you sell a home.
A property consultancy can explain your bill and when the lower rates apply. IRAS, however, sets the annual value, decides objections and applies the rates, and you, as the owner, pay the tax.