Stamp duty
settled before the deadline bites.
Share Transfers · Share Mortgages · e-Stamping
Every share transfer in a Singapore private company needs its transfer document stamped — 0.2% of the price or net asset value, whichever is higher. Miss the 14 or 30-day window and penalties start compounding fast.
Share Transfer · Duty
- Transfer duty: 0.2% of price / NAV
- Mortgage duty: 0.4%, capped $500
- Stamp within (SG): 14 days
- Stamp within (overseas): 30 days
- Late payment: $10+ to 4x duty
- 0.2% Transfer duty rate
- 0.4% Mortgage duty rate
- 14d Stamp within (SG)
- 30d Stamp within (overseas)
- 6 e-Stamping steps
Overview
A duty on the paperwork, not just the shares
Stamp duty applies to documents evidencing the purchase of shares — public or private — under the Stamp Duties Act. Since private company share transfers are more involved than trades on the open market, having the transfer document, calculation and payment right the first time avoids delays to the transfer itself.
Dutiable documents
- Transfer of Share document (0.2% duty) — Signed when shares change hands. Duty is calculated on the purchase price or net asset value (NAV), whichever is higher.
- Share Mortgage document (0.4% duty, capped $500) — Signed when shares are pledged as security for a loan. Duty is calculated on the loan amount, with a $500 ceiling.
No document, no duty — scriptless share transfers, where no physical transfer document is executed, attract no stamp duty at all.
Who's responsible for paying
Penalties for late stamping
Who's responsible for paying
The transfer agreement between buyer and seller typically specifies who pays. Where the agreement is silent, the transferee (buyer) is automatically liable under the Third Schedule of the Stamp Duties Act. For share mortgages, the mortgagor bears the duty.
Penalties for late stamping
Delay | Penalty |
Up to 3 months late | $10 or the duty owed, whichever is higher |
More than 3 months late | $25 or 4× the duty owed, whichever is higher |
- Documents must be stamped before they’re signed — or within 14 days after signing in Singapore, or 30 days after being brought into Singapore if signed overseas
- IRAS can appoint your bank, employer, tenant or lawyer to recover overdue duty on its behalf
- IRAS can issue a Travel Restriction Order to prevent departure from Singapore over unpaid duty
- Duty remains payable by the due date even while an objection is pending — any excess is refunded if the assessment is later revised
e-Stamping process
- Log in with SingPass — Access IRAS’s e-Stamping portal using your SingPass credentials, or the QR login via the SingPass app. First-time users provide basic contact details.
- Select “Stamping” and the duty type — Choose the correct category — share transfer or share mortgage — from the main menu.
- Enter transaction details — Personal information, document details and the relevant transaction figures, then click “Calculate” to see the duty owed.
- Preview and declare — Review the calculated duty, confirm the details are accurate, and proceed.
- Double-check and confirm payment — Review everything once more before clicking “Make Payment” and confirming.
- Choose a payment method and pay — GIRO, eNETS, FAST (DBS/POSB), internet banking transfer, telegraphic transfer, AXS stations, or a payment slip for other modes. Save your document reference number once paid.
Why HeySara
Tax filing that doesn't rely on you remembering a date
ACRA-registered agents
Filed under FA20200042 / FA20031119 — every submission goes through IRAS’s official channels via CorpPass.
Deadline reminders, not surprises
We track your financial year-end, GST quarters and every trigger-based deadline, and reach out before, not after.
One team, full picture
The same team handling your bookkeeping prepares your tax computation, so numbers reconcile the first time.
Straightforward pricing
Fee guidelines published upfront, with add-ons flagged clearly before we start work — no surprise invoices.
Transferring shares soon?
We’ll prepare the transfer document, calculate the duty, and e-stamp it before your deadline.
FAQs
It’s based on whichever is higher: the transacted price, or the net asset value (NAV) of the shares — so an under-priced transfer doesn’t reduce the duty owed.
No — where no physical transfer document is executed, there’s nothing to stamp and no duty is payable.
Yes — e-stamp transactions can also be settled at Service Bureaus in approved SingPost locations or a Taxpayer and Business Service Centre, though the online e-Stamping portal is the most convenient route.
Yes — the Stamp Duties Act applies to share transfers in both public and private companies, though private company transfers tend to require more documentation since there’s no open market price to reference.
The transferee (buyer) becomes automatically liable under the Third Schedule of the Stamp Duties Act if the transfer agreement is silent on the point.
NAV is generally based on the company’s latest financial statements at the time of transfer — this is used whenever it’s higher than the actual transacted price, to prevent under-declaring the transfer value.
Ideally documents are stamped before signing, but IRAS allows a grace window afterward — 14 days if signed in Singapore, 30 days if signed overseas and later brought into Singapore.
You can request a reassessment through the e-Stamping portal; any shortfall would need to be topped up, potentially with penalties if the original stamping was also late.
It’s a one-time duty payable when the mortgage document is signed, capped at $500 regardless of the loan size, not a recurring charge over the life of the loan.
Not necessarily — the e-Stamping process can be completed directly via SingPass, though many companies engage a corporate services provider to prepare the transfer documents correctly and manage the calculation.
