Your Ultimate Guide to Singapore Property Tax: Rates, Calculation, and Exemptions

In Singapore, a non-owner-occupied / investment condominium with a median Annual Value (about S$33,600) is taxed about S$4,320 a year at current rates; the same home, if owner-occupied, is about S$864 a year — a gap of roughly 5×. Property tax is not a “foreigner tax”: it is charged on whether the home is owner-occupied, and treats citizens, permanent residents and foreigners identically.

About the one-off 2026 rebate: every owner-occupied figure in this article is the full-year amount computed from the tax schedule. The Government is granting a one-off property tax rebate in 2026 — 10% (capped at S$500) for owner-occupied private homes, and 15% for owner-occupied HDB flats — offset automatically on the bill; non-owner-occupied / investment properties receive no rebate. So the owner-occupied home above actually pays about S$778 in 2026, widening the real gap versus the investment home to about 5.56× — larger than the 5× on the schedule. The rebate is one-off; the tax schedule is the long-term structure.

Singapore Property Tax: What You Need to Know

When you buy a residential property in Singapore you pay buyer’s stamp duty, and thereafter you pay property tax every year on every property you own.

In Singapore, property tax is charged on the owner of a property — whether the unit is owner-occupied, rented out or vacant. Note that the Property Tax Act 1960 defines “owner” broadly: anyone currently receiving the rent of a property, whether on their own account or as an agent, trustee or receiver for another person, is an “owner”, as is the person entered in the Valuation List.

If a property has more than one owner, all owners are jointly liable for the property tax; who pays, and how much each contributes, is a private matter between the owners — IRAS does not apportion it and cannot issue separate bills. If tax falls into arrears, IRAS can recover it from any one of the owners.

For all correspondence (including payment reminders and refunds), IRAS deals with a single owner: for private property, the owner named first on the Notice of Transfer submitted by the seller’s lawyer; for HDB flats, the main applicant at the time of purchase. If the owners would prefer someone else to be the point of contact, they can request this from IRAS with the written consent of all owners.

Singapore Property Tax Rates

Singapore residential property tax is progressive on Annual Value, and the rate depends on whether the owner occupies the home: owner-occupied homes 0%–32%, non-owner-occupied (rented out, vacant, second home) homes 12%–36%, and non-residential property (commercial, industrial, etc.) a flat 10% of Annual Value. The full bands are in the two tables below.

Singapore’s property tax rates are progressive, with two different sets of rates for owner-occupied and non-owner-occupied residential properties.

All other property — that is, commercial, industrial and other non-residential buildings and land — is taxed at a flat 10% of Annual Value; the owner-occupier rates do not apply even where the owner uses the property itself.

Leo Kwek, a veteran Singapore real estate agent, says: “Singapore property tax is charged at progressive rates. After two increases, in 2023 and 2024, the top rate for owner-occupied property has risen to 32% and for non-owner-occupied property to 36%; from 2025, the 0% threshold for owner-occupiers was raised from S$8,000 to S$12,000, easing the owner-occupier burden, while non-owner-occupier rates were left unchanged.”

What is Annual Value?

Annual Value (AV) is the estimated gross annual rent of a property if it were let out, excluding furniture, furnishings and maintenance.

It is based on the estimated market rents of similar or comparable properties, not on the actual rent received.

Here is a key point many buyers get wrong: property tax is based on “Annual Value” — not on your purchase price, and not on the actual rent you receive. A rise or fall in property prices does not directly determine your property tax; Annual Value does.

On top of that, three things are often overlooked:

Owner-occupied and vacant homes have an Annual Value too. Annual Value is assessed on “how much rent it could fetch if let”, regardless of whether you actually rent it out — an owner-occupied or vacant home still has an Annual Value and is still taxed on it (owner-occupiers simply get the lower rates).

Annual Value is re-assessed with the market — your rent can be fixed and the tax can still rise. Annual Value is assessed on the market rents of comparable nearby properties and is revised as the market moves, independent of the lease you signed. Even on a two-year fixed-rent lease — even if your rent has never gone up — if market rents in the area climb, your Annual Value (and property tax) will be revised up.

Annual Value ≠ your actual rent, and it can be appealed. Annual Value is IRAS’s assessed figure and may be higher or lower than your actual rent; if you think it is too high, you can apply for a review through IRAS’s “Object to Annual Value” process, and you can check your property’s Annual Value any time in myTax Portal.

Thinking of Buying a Condo? Work Out Its Annual Property Tax First

Before you make an offer on a condo you like, you can estimate how much property tax that unit will cost each year and fold this holding cost into your budget. There are two ways — one official and precise, one free and rough.

Method 1: Official lookup (precise, S$2.50 per record)

1. Open IRAS’s Check Annual Value of Property page and search by address for the unit you want to buy;

2. Each record costs S$2.50 (inclusive of GST); once you have paid, you can see the unit’s official Annual Value;

3. With the Annual Value in hand, use IRAS’s Property Tax Calculator, or the rate tables below, to work out the full-year property tax.

IRAS — Check Annual Value of Property

Method 2: A free rough estimate from monthly rent (no need to find the Annual Value first)

If you don’t want to pay and just need a ballpark, use the monthly rent of the same project or comparable nearby units. The free route: open the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA)’s own Property Market Information — private residential rental contracts search (a web service, so it works in any desktop or mobile browser with nothing to install) and search the target project name to see its recent monthly rents. URA also publishes an iOS app of the same name (the two screenshots below are from the app): search the project name → open Project Details → tap Rental Contracts for the same data.

With the monthly rent, use a simple rule of thumb: if held as an investment / non-owner-occupied, the full-year property tax is roughly “monthly rent × 1.5”; if owner-occupied, roughly “a third of one month’s rent”. (Both multiples are our own calculation from the IRAS rate schedule above, not an IRAS-published figure.) This is only a quick estimate, and for an owner-occupied home the ratio moves a great deal with Annual Value: about a third of a month’s rent near the median, but only about a fifth at an Annual Value of S$22,000 — and nothing at all below S$12,000, which is taxed at 0% — while above the median it climbs steeply, passing half a month’s rent at around S$56,000 and reaching about three-quarters at S$80,000. The investment figure is far steadier: a flat 1.44× for any Annual Value up to S$30,000, about 1.5× at the median, and 2.5× or more for luxury units. The precise figure still comes from the official lookup in Method 1.

URA Property Market Information: Project Details

URA Property Market Information: Rental Contracts (the project’s recent monthly rents)

Calculating Your Singapore Property Tax

Property tax = Annual Value (AV) × tax rate

Owner-Occupier Tax Rates (Residential Property)

Owner-occupier rates apply to one home that you actually live in — a condo, HDB flat or landed home alike; what matters is not the property type but whether you truly reside there.

For example, at current (from 2025) owner-occupier rates, a home with an Annual Value of S$40,000: the first S$12,000 at 0%, the remaining S$28,000 at 4%, for a full-year property tax of S$1,120.

Non-Owner-Occupier Tax Rates (Residential Property)

Non-owner-occupied residential property is a condo, HDB flat or other home that the owner does not live in — precisely because the owner does not reside there, the owner-occupier rates do not apply.

Non-owner-occupied residential property is treated as an investment asset and so is taxed at a higher rate than owner-occupied property. “Non-owner-occupied” is judged on whether the owner actually lives there: renting it out is only one case — a vacant home, a second home, or one lent to family also count as non-owner-occupied.

The rates above apply to non-owner-occupied property, except for properties on the exclusion list specified by IRAS.

Residential properties on the exclusion list are taxed at 10%.

Excluded properties

1. Accommodation within any sports and recreational club

2. A chalet

3. A child care centre, student care centre or kindergarten

4. A welfare home

5. A hospital, hospice, or place for rehabilitation, convalescence, nursing care or a similar purpose

6. A hotel, backpackers’ hostel, boarding house or guest house

7. A serviced apartment

8. Staff quarters that are part of any property exempted under section 6(6) of the Property Tax Act

9. A student’s hostel or boarding house

10. A workers’ dormitory

The property must already have planning approval for the above use. No application to IRAS is required.

Examples of How to Calculate Singapore Property Tax

Property tax payable = Annual Value (AV) × property tax rate

Case 1: Mr. Wang and Mrs. Zhu own an owner-occupied property with an Annual Value of S$36,000.

At current (from 2025) owner-occupier rates: the first S$12,000 at 0%, the remaining S$24,000 at 4%, for a full-year property tax of S$960.

(S$12,000 × 0%) + (S$24,000 × 4%) = S$960

For comparison: the same home was S$1,120 in 2022, S$1,180 in 2023 and S$1,240 in 2024; from 2025 the 0% threshold rose from S$8,000 to S$12,000, cutting the full-year tax to S$960.

Case 2: Mr. Li and Mrs. Zhang own a non-owner-occupied property with an Annual Value of S$36,000.

At current (from 2024) non-owner-occupier rates: the first S$30,000 at 12% = S$3,600, the remaining S$6,000 at 20% = S$1,200, for a full-year property tax of S$4,800.

(S$30,000 × 12%) + (S$6,000 × 20%) = S$4,800

For comparison: the same home was S$3,720 in 2022 and S$4,260 in 2023; from 2024 it is S$4,800, unchanged since.

Investment vs. Owner-Occupied: How Much Does Property Tax Differ on the Same Condo?

On the same condo with an Annual Value of S$33,600 (the median across all non-landed private homes), owner-occupied costs about S$864 a year and investment / non-owner-occupied about S$4,320 — a gap of roughly 5×. The difference is not in the home but in whether you live in it: owner-occupiers get the lower “owner-occupier” progressive rates, while non-owner-occupiers face the higher “non-owner-occupier” rates.

Here is the full-year property tax on the same home, “owner-occupied vs. investment”, at several Annual Value levels (at current rates):

A note on the basis (same-year comparison): the “owner-occupied” column above uses the current rates in force from 2025. Compared with the investment home in the same year (2024), the owner-occupied bill was S$1,096 and the gap about 3.94×; after owner-occupiers received relief in 2025, the bill fell to S$864, so the current gap widened to about 5× (non-owner-occupier rates were not changed after 2024). Both figures are correct — the only difference is whether you compare rates from the “same year”.

What you actually pay in 2026: the “owner-occupied” column is the tax-schedule amount; after the one-off 2026 rebate (10% for owner-occupied private homes, capped at S$500), the actual 2026 bill is about S$360 at AV S$22,000, about S$778 at the median S$33,600, about S$1,548 at S$50,000, and about S$4,428 at S$80,000. Investment / non-owner-occupied homes get no rebate, so the real gap is even larger than the table shows.

Here is what a real bill looks like. Below is an IRAS 2026 property tax notice (a genuine example, tax reference redacted): a condo with an Annual Value of S$61,200, taxed at non-owner-occupier rates — the first S$60,000 comes to S$10,800, and the remaining S$1,200 at 36% is S$432, for a full-year bill of S$11,232. The notice also states clearly: if you live in the property, you can apply for “owner-occupier tax rates” via myTax Portal.

IRAS 2026 property tax notice (a genuine example, tax reference redacted)

“Non-owner-occupied” does not mean “rented out”. As long as a home is not the owner’s own residence — vacant, a second home, or lent to family — it is taxed at non-owner-occupier rates, regardless of whether rent is collected.

Here is a structural reality many investors overlook: the “owner-occupier” concessionary rate can only be used on one home you live in — and under the Property Tax Act 1960, a married couple is counted as one (whether the property is jointly or separately owned — see IRAS’s own owner-occupier tax rates page) — and most investors already own and live in one home, which has already used up that owner-occupier concession. So the second home they then buy to invest or rent out naturally falls under the higher non-owner-occupier rates. It is not that they “forgot to apply” — structurally, they cannot get it. By the same logic, a buyer who lives overseas and does not occupy the home also holds a “non-owner-occupied” Singapore property — because the owner-occupier concession requires that you actually reside in the property, regardless of how many properties you own. There is one documented exception: IRAS states that if you are residing outside Singapore temporarily for official or business purposes, owner-occupier rates can still apply — provided the property is maintained as your home and is not rented out. An owner who has genuinely relocated abroad, or who rents the home out, does not qualify.

Why Has Property Tax on Investment Homes Risen So Fast in Recent Years?

The property tax on an investment / non-owner-occupied condo = Annual Value × non-owner-occupier progressive rate, and from 2020 to 2024 both variables rose at the same time:

Annual Value (the tax base): the median Annual Value of non-landed private homes rose from S$22,200 in FY2020 to S$33,600 in FY2024, up +51%. (The fuller picture: about S$22,800 in 2010, peaking near S$28,800 in 2013, then easing back to a floor of S$22,200 over 2017–2020, before climbing quickly — it was not a straight-line rise.)

Tax rates: non-owner-occupier residential rates were raised twice, in 2023 and 2024, with the top band rising from 20% to 36%.

Together, the annual property tax on a median investment home rose from about S$2,220 in 2020 to S$4,320 in 2024 — about ×1.95, of which Annual Value contributed about ×1.51 and the rate about ×1.29.

By contrast, owner-occupiers received relief in 2025 (the 0% threshold rose from S$8,000 to S$12,000 and the bands were widened), so the owner-occupied property tax on the same median home actually fell, from S$1,096 to S$864. One side (investment) was pushed up on two fronts at once, while the other (owner-occupied) was given relief — which is exactly why the gap between owner-occupied and investment has widened further.

What if I Own More Than One Property?

Owner-occupier rates apply only to one property that you own and live in. Any other property is taxed at non-owner-occupier rates, even if you treat it as a second home. Note too that, under the Property Tax Act, a married couple may enjoy the owner-occupier rates on only one home between them, whether the property is jointly or separately owned.

If you rent out only part of the property (for example, a few rooms) while still living in it yourself, you can still enjoy the owner-occupier rates.

When and How Will You Receive Your Property Tax Bill?

You can use IRAS’s myTax Portal to view your tax payable, past statements and details of your entire property portfolio (including the Annual Value of each property).

IRAS usually sends out the following year’s property tax bill by 31 December each year, and owners must pay it in full (or set up an instalment plan) by 31 January of the following year; late payment attracts a 5% penalty.

Penalties for Late Property Tax Payment

Singapore property tax has two payment deadlines: the annual property tax bill must be paid by 31 January each year (or by the due date stated on the bill); other property tax notices issued during the year (for a new assessment, an Annual Value revision, and so on) must be paid within one month of the notice date.

Unless you are on an approved instalment plan, tax paid late attracts a 5% late-payment penalty. You can apply for a waiver through the “Appeal for Penalty Waiver” digital service on myTax Portal, but IRAS will only consider it when both conditions are met: first, the outstanding tax has been paid in full by the due date stated in the late-payment notice; and second, no penalty waiver has been granted in the past two calendar years. If the tax remains unpaid, IRAS can also appoint a third party — such as your bank, employer, tenant or lawyer — to recover it on IRAS’s behalf, and can even sell the property by public auction to settle the tax.

Payment Methods for Property Tax to IRAS

According to IRAS, the preferred (and most common) way to pay property tax is GIRO (General Interbank Recurring Order). With GIRO you can choose up to twelve interest-free monthly instalments or a single annual deduction. All GIRO deductions are made on the 5th of the month, with a second attempt on the 21st of the same month if the first is unsuccessful.

If you do not want to, or cannot, use GIRO, the other payment channels IRAS currently accepts include: scanning the PayNow QR code in myTax Portal, AXS (self-service stations, e-Station and m-Station), internet banking bill payment and fund transfer, and SingPost channels (SAM Web / the SingPost mobile app, or paying by NETS at a post office counter). IRAS itself does not accept credit cards for tax payment — credit cards can only be used on the AXS e-Station / m-Station. If you have no local Singapore bank account, pay by Telegraphic Transfer.

Tax-Exempt Properties

Under section 6(6) of the Property Tax Act 1960, if the Comptroller is satisfied that a building (or a part of it) is used exclusively for one of the following purposes, it may be exempted from property tax: a public place of religious worship; a public school in receipt of grants-in-aid from the Government; a charitable purpose; or a purpose conducive to social development in Singapore. Note that the provision is limited to “a public school in receipt of grants-in-aid” — ordinary private schools, tuition centres and international schools are not exempt simply because they “provide education”.

Can Property Tax Be Deducted Against Rental Income?

Property tax paid during a tenancy can be deducted against rental income; property tax on an owner-occupied or purely vacant home cannot. These are two different taxes: property tax is charged on ownership, income tax on rental income — and IRAS states explicitly that this is not double taxation.

Deductible: property tax incurred during the rental period, mortgage interest (not principal), fire insurance premiums, repairs to restore the property to its original state, management and agent fees, and utilities and internet paid for the rental (where not recovered from the tenant). From the Year of Assessment 2022, the costs of a vacancy period between tenancies — and the property tax for that period — are also deductible, provided you can show that reasonable efforts were made to find a new tenant during the vacancy (this does not apply to the vacancy before the property is first let).

Not deductible: the late-payment penalty on property tax, property tax arrears carried forward from a previous year, mortgage principal, renovations and additions, depreciation of furniture, and expenses on an owner-occupied or vacant home (which cannot be set against another property’s rental income).

The simpler route: the 15% deemed deduction. An individual owner letting out a residential property can, instead of itemising, claim a deemed deduction of 15% of the gross rent, and still claim mortgage interest on top. IRAS’s worked example: gross rent S$60,000, mortgage interest S$12,000, deemed deduction S$60,000 × 15% = S$9,000, net rental income S$39,000. A few limits: it applies only to a let residential property (non-residential must itemise actual expenses); within the same Year of Assessment, all of your let residential properties must use either the deemed deduction or actual expenses, not a mix; co-owners may each choose independently; and any change of election must be notified to IRAS within 30 days of the Notice of Assessment.

The same applies if you live overseas. A non-resident individual owner is subject to the same expense-deduction rules and can also elect the 15% deemed deduction. The difference is the rate and the filing: from the Year of Assessment 2024, a non-resident’s rental income is taxed at 24% (previously 22%), with no personal reliefs, and must be filed regardless of the amount. Keep supporting records for five years. (Property held in a company’s name is subject to different rules, not covered here.)

Living Overseas With No Singapore Bank Account — How Do You Pay Property Tax?

Use Telegraphic Transfer. This is precisely the method IRAS designates for owners with no Singapore bank account — most other channels require a local account: GIRO must use an SGD savings or current account with a GIRO participating bank in Singapore; PayNow also requires a Singapore bank account with PayNow registration first (IRAS’s own FAQ answers “Can I pay by PayNow QR with an overseas bank account?” with a clear “No”); and AXS requires a Singapore-issued card.

A few things to watch when remitting by Telegraphic Transfer, or it is easy to underpay or have the payment misposted:

1. You bear the charges, and must add them to the remittance amount in advance. Include both your overseas bank’s and the Singapore intermediary bank’s charges, or the amount received will fall short of the tax due.

2. Remit in Singapore Dollars (SGD), so exchange-rate movements do not change the amount received.

3. Quote only one reference: your Tax Reference Number (do not mask it), the 14-digit Payment Slip Number, or the 13-digit Document Reference Number — one of the three; and one payment corresponds to one taxpayer. If a single remittance pays for several people and is misposted, any tax not credited to your account remains your liability.

4. Allow time. IRAS notes that, depending on the currency, country and intermediary bank, a Telegraphic Transfer can take up to a month to be received and credited. The annual bill is due 31 January, and late payment (unless on an approved instalment plan) attracts a 5% penalty — so remit well in advance. (Remitting early is our operational advice, not an IRAS rule; the deadline and penalty above are IRAS’s rules.)

One more thing: once you let out your home, you must inform IRAS within 15 days (failure to notify can attract a penalty of up to S$5,000). Also, from 1 January 2026, eligible elderly owner-occupiers (all owners aged 65 or above, owner-occupying, with assessable income not exceeding S$39,000 and outstanding property tax) can apply for an extended GIRO plan of up to 24 months (the standard GIRO is up to 12) — overseas investment-property owners typically fail on both the owner-occupation and local assessable-income conditions.

Singapore vs. Hong Kong vs. Mainland China vs. Malaysia: What Do You Pay Each Year to Hold a Home?

Many buyers compare Singapore’s property tax with the market they know best — but the tax base is completely different in each place, so comparing percentages directly leads to entirely wrong conclusions. The tables below therefore set out the tax base separately: only figures on the same base can be compared directly.

Scenario 1: Owner-occupying one ordinary home (not rented out)

Scenario 2: Renting the home out

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the tax rate if I own and occupy multiple residential properties?

Owner-occupier rates apply only to the one property you own and reside in. For any other property — even if you use it as a second home — you will be taxed at the non-owner-occupier rates. (There is one express exception: while an owner resides outside Singapore temporarily for official or business purposes, that one home can still be taxed at owner-occupier rates so long as it is maintained as their home and is not rented out. It is an exception to the residence condition, not a licence to claim the rates on two homes.)

How do I know whether my residential property is taxed at owner-occupier or non-owner-occupier rates?

On your property tax bill, the applicable rate is shown in brackets under the “AV and Tax Rates” column as either [Owner-Occupier Tax Rates] or [Non-Owner-Occupier Residential Tax Rates].

Alternatively, log in to mytax.iras.gov.sg with Singpass and go to Property → View Property Summary.

What is the tax rate if my residential property is used as a home office?

The property qualifies for residential property tax rates, as its primary use is residential. However, you must meet the terms and conditions set by the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) or the Housing & Development Board (HDB) for the Home Office Scheme.

What is the tax rate if my residential property is used as a childcare centre?

For a landed residential property used as a childcare centre, a change-of-use approval from the URA is required. The tax rate is 10%.

What tax rate applies to a shophouse with two different designated uses?

The residential portion is taxed at residential property tax rates, while the commercial portion continues to be taxed at 10%.

Do I have to notify IRAS when I change my residential property to a non-residential use?

Yes, you must notify IRAS in writing within fifteen days of the change.

Do I need to pay property tax on my vacant property?

Yes. Property tax is levied on the ownership of property and applies to rented-out, owner-occupied and vacant properties alike. It is different from income tax, which is levied on the rental income earned from a let-out property. So all owners must pay property tax on their properties, whether or not they are occupied.

What property tax rate applies to a vacant property?

A vacant residential property is taxed at non-owner-occupier residential rates, and a vacant non-residential property at 10% of its Annual Value. Vacant properties enjoy no property tax relief or concession — the one-off 2026 property tax rebate applies only to owner-occupied homes (15% for HDB, 10% for private with an S$500 cap), and non-owner-occupied properties such as vacant or rented-out homes are not covered. One distinction matters: vacant here means nobody keeps the property as their home. Where the owner is merely residing overseas temporarily for official or business purposes and the home is maintained as their residence and not rented out, IRAS’s express exception applies and owner-occupier rates continue.

Why are the tax rates higher for non-owner-occupied (including rented-out) residential properties?

Because IRAS treats a home the owner does not live in as an investment asset and applies the higher “non-owner-occupier” progressive rates; the progressive structure also means higher-value homes bear higher rates. Note that the test is whether the owner actually resides there, not whether rent is collected — rented out, vacant, a second home, or lent to family are all taxed at non-owner-occupier rates. The one express exception is an owner residing overseas temporarily for official or business purposes, where the home is kept as their residence and is not rented out.

I have relocated overseas for work — can my Singapore home still be taxed at owner-occupier rates?

Yes, but the conditions are specific. IRAS states that if the owner resides outside Singapore temporarily for official or business purposes, owner-occupier tax rates can still apply so long as the property is maintained as their home and is not rented out. An owner who has emigrated for good, or who has let the property out, does not qualify for this exception. Once the home is wholly rented out, owner-occupier rates are withdrawn from the date of letting (letting out only part of it while you continue to live there keeps the owner-occupier rates). Either way, IRAS must be informed within 15 days of the letting — non-compliance carries a fine of up to S$5,000.

Is property tax a wealth tax? I live in my home and don’t rent it out — why do I still pay so much?

Unlike income tax, which is levied on an individual’s income, property tax is a wealth tax. It is not a tax on rental income. It is charged on the value of your property, which represents a part of your overall wealth. However, to encourage homeownership, you enjoy the lower rates for owner-occupied residential property.

Is the property tax the same for an investment home and an owner-occupied home?

No. Property tax is split into two progressive schedules by whether the home is owner-occupied — “owner-occupier” and “non-owner-occupier” — with non-owner-occupier clearly higher. Take a condo at the median Annual Value (about S$33,600): at current rates (the owner-occupier schedule from 2025 and the non-owner-occupier schedule from 2024), owner-occupied is about S$864 a year and investment / non-owner-occupied about S$4,320 — a gap of roughly 5×. In 2026, owner-occupied homes get a one-off rebate (10% for private, capped at S$500; 15% for HDB), so the owner-occupied home actually pays about S$778, and non-owner-occupied gets no rebate — making the real gap about 5.56×. Here “non-owner-occupied” means the home is not the owner’s own residence (vacant, a second home or lent out all count), not only rented out.

What is the difference between property tax and Additional Buyer’s Stamp Duty (ABSD)?

Property tax is an annual holding tax charged on a property’s Annual Value, banded by whether it is owner-occupied, and unrelated to nationality; Additional Buyer’s Stamp Duty (ABSD) is a stamp duty paid once, at purchase, with a rate tied to the buyer’s nationality / residency status and the number of properties they already own. They differ in timing, tax base and whether they relate to nationality, and are often confused.

Do foreigners pay property tax when they buy in Singapore?

Yes, and on the same basis as locals. Property tax looks only at whether the home is owner-occupied, not the owner’s nationality — a citizen, PR or foreigner holding the same non-owner-occupied condo pays the same property tax. The nationality-linked tax that foreigners often encounter is the Additional Buyer’s Stamp Duty (ABSD) paid at purchase, which is a separate matter.

If I stop renting my home out and move back in, will the property tax automatically revert to owner-occupier rates?

No, it does not change automatically — you must re-apply. When the lease ends and you have moved back in, re-apply for owner-occupier rates through IRAS’s “Apply/Withdraw Owner-Occupier Tax Rates” digital service (log in to myTax Portal). If the lease was terminated early, you must contact IRAS in writing and attach documents proving the early termination (for example, a surrender/termination agreement, correspondence with the tenant or agent, or utility bills showing a change of account holder). Note too: you must apply within 5 years of becoming eligible for owner-occupation to obtain a full refund of any overpaid tax.

Official Sources

• Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS) — Residential Property Tax Rates
• Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS) — Annual Value
• IRAS — Check Annual Value of Property (S$2.50 per record)
• IRAS — Interactive Property Tax Calculator
• Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS) — Owner-Occupier Tax Rates: eligibility and scenarios
• IRAS — Apply/Withdraw Owner-Occupier Tax Rates (log in to myTax Portal)
• Ministry of Finance (MOF) — One-off 2026 property tax rebate for owner-occupied homes (announced 28 November 2025)
• Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) — Property Market Information: private residential rental contracts search (free, browser-based)
• Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS) — Income from property rented out and deductible expenses (incl. the 15% deemed deduction)
• Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS) — Payment methods (incl. Telegraphic Transfer)
• Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS) — Late payment or non-payment of property tax (penalty and waiver conditions)
• Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS) — Renting out your property: notify IRAS within 15 days of letting (fine of up to S$5,000; owner-occupier rates withdrawn from the date of letting)
• Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS) — Experiencing difficulties in paying your tax: Extended GIRO Scheme for Residential Property, up to 24 months from 1 Jan 2026
• Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS) — Singpass Foreign user Account (SFA) for foreign individuals
• Singapore Statutes Online (SSO) — Property Tax Act 1960 (definition of owner, exemptions)
• Hong Kong Rating and Valuation Department — Rates Concession (2026–27: first two quarters, capped at HK$500 per quarter)
• Hong Kong Rating and Valuation Department — Rates
• Hong Kong Rating and Valuation Department — Government Rent
• Rating and Valuation Department, Hong Kong — 2026-27 Rates Concession Measure and General Revaluation (PDF; private small domestic units average HK$613/month in rates, HK$83 concession, HK$530 net)
• Hong Kong Inland Revenue Department (IRD) — Property Tax (on rental income)
• State Taxation Administration of China — Provisional Regulations on Property Tax (individuals’ non-business property exempt)
• Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) — Assessment Tax (Cukai Taksiran) rates
• Iskandar Puteri City Council (MBIP) — Assessment Tax rates (on capital value)
• Johor Bahru City Council (MBJB), Malaysia — assessment rates (residential and others 0.08%)
• Johor Bahru City Council (MBJB), Malaysia — how the Nilai Tambah base is determined (land value plus building value, i.e. a capital value)
• Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS) — Simplification of Claim of Rental Expenses for Individuals e-Tax Guide (15% deemed deduction)
• State Taxation Administration of China — Caishui [2008] No. 24 (individual residential letting: property tax 4%, individual income tax reduced to 10%)
• Government of China — Chongqing individual housing property tax pilot measures (base = 70% of the transaction price; single 0.5% rate)
• Shanghai Municipal People’s Government — Provisional Measures for the Property Tax Pilot on Certain Individual Homes (Hu Fu Fa [2011] No. 3; scope, base = 70% of the transaction price, rates 0.6% / 0.4%)
• Shanghai Municipal People’s Government — notice extending the validity of those measures (Hu Fu [2024] No. 72, 18 December 2024)

The median Annual Values in this article are taken from two IRAS datasets published via data.gov.sg — Median Annual Value and Property Tax by Type of Private Residential Property and Median Annual Value and Property Tax by Type of HDB. The property tax figures are our own calculations from the rate tables above; the rates themselves are IRAS’s as published on its website (see sources above).

Contains information from IRAS accessed via data.gov.sg, licensed under the Singapore Open Data Licence 1.0.

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