Free tool

Seller Closing Cost Calculator: MD, VA & DC

Transfer and recordation taxes are the biggest surprise line item on a DMV closing statement, and they vary a lot by county. Pick your jurisdiction, enter a price, and see the seller-side tax estimate plus typical title fees. Runs on your device — nothing is submitted.

Estimated seller closing costs —

Choose a jurisdiction and enter a sale price.

Jurisdiction Expected sale price ($) Your share of transfer/recordation tax (%) Title/settlement fees + misc. seller costs ($) Mortgage/lien payoff ($, optional)

Who customarily pays transfer/recordation tax is a local custom, not law, and is always negotiable in the contract.

How DMV transfer and recordation taxes work

Maryland charges a 0.5% state transfer tax plus county-level transfer and recordation taxes that vary widely — Baltimore City's combined rate runs around 3% of price, while Baltimore County is closer to 1%. By custom these are often split 50/50 between buyer and seller in Maryland, though Prince George's County sellers typically pay the full amount by local custom. Virginia's grantor tax is a flat $0.50 per $500 of price (0.1%), paid by the seller statewide, with an added 0.15% regional "congestion relief" grantor tax in Northern Virginia. Washington, DC charges a 1.1% deed transfer tax (1.45% on prices at or above $400,000), which sellers customarily pay, on top of a separate recordation tax the buyer pays.

None of this is legal or tax advice, and every county updates rates and exemptions from time to time. Always verify the exact figures with your title company before signing a contract.

Skip the spreadsheet — get a written cash offer

Sources (rates as published, verify current figures with your title company): Maryland Department of Assessments and Taxation and county Clerk of the Circuit Court recordation tax schedules for Baltimore City, Baltimore County, Montgomery, Prince George's, Anne Arundel, and Howard counties; Code of Virginia §58.1-802 (grantor tax) and §58.1-802.2 (Northern Virginia regional grantor tax); DC Office of Tax and Revenue, Deed Recordation and Transfer Tax.