Who pays the realty transfer fee in New Jersey?
New Jersey charges the realty transfer fee to the seller when the deed for a sale is recorded. By statute, the grantor pays the fee to the county recording officer when the deed is offered for recording, in addition to the county recording fees.
- Who paysThe seller (grantor)
- Paid toThe county recording officer
- WhenWhen the deed is offered for recording
The Division of Taxation says the seller is legally responsible for both the realty transfer fee and the Graduated Percent Fee.
How is the New Jersey realty transfer fee calculated?
The fee is figured on the consideration stated in the deed or, in certain cases, on the assessed value divided by the Director's Ratio. The fee is charged for each $500 of consideration or fractional part of $500, and the rates depend on whether the total price is over $350,000.
The deed's consideration includes any remaining mortgage the buyer takes the property subject to or assumes.
The statute builds each rate from separate fees, set out below; the Division of Taxation's tables in the next section show the totals.
| Piece | Part of the price | Rate per $500 |
|---|---|---|
| Basic fee, State | All of it | $1.25 |
| Basic fee, county | All of it | $0.50 |
| Additional fee | Over $150,000 | $0.75 |
| Supplemental fee | Up to $150,000 | $0.25 |
| Supplemental fee | $150,000 to $200,000 | $0.85 |
| Supplemental fee | Over $200,000 | $1.40 |
| General purpose fee, only on a total price over $350,000 | Up to $550,000 | $0.90 |
| General purpose fee | $550,000 to $850,000 | $1.40 |
| General purpose fee | $850,000 to $1,000,000 | $1.90 |
| General purpose fee | Over $1,000,000 | $2.15 |
What are the realty transfer fee rates in New Jersey?
The rate per $500 depends on which slice of the price it falls in and on whether the total price is over $350,000.
| Slice of the price | Rate per $500 |
|---|---|
| Up to $150,000 | $2.00 |
| Over $150,000 up to $200,000 | $3.35 |
| Over $200,000 | $3.90 |
| Slice of the price | Rate per $500 |
|---|---|
| Up to $150,000 | $2.90 |
| Over $150,000 up to $200,000 | $4.25 |
| Over $200,000 up to $550,000 | $4.80 |
| Over $550,000 up to $850,000 | $5.30 |
| Over $850,000 up to $1,000,000 | $5.80 |
| Over $1,000,000 | $6.05 |
Worked through those rates, slice by slice, a regular sale with no exemption comes to these standard fees. They are the same figures as the example closing statement on the home page.
| Total price | Standard fee |
|---|
What is the fee on New Jersey sales over $1 million?
Under P.L.2025, c.69, the old 1% fee on sales over $1 million became a Graduated Percent Fee, and it is now imposed on the seller instead of the buyer. The new rates apply to deeds submitted to the county recording officer on or after July 10, 2025.
| Total price | Percent of the whole price |
|---|---|
| Over $1,000,000 up to $2,000,000 | 1% |
| Over $2,000,000 up to $2,500,000 | 2% |
| Over $2,500,000 up to $3,000,000 | 2.5% |
| Over $3,000,000 up to $3,500,000 | 3% |
| Over $3,500,000 | 3.5% |
The percentage applies to the whole price, not only the part over $1 million.
- Taxation's example: a $2,750,000 deed at 2.5%$68,750.00
- Applies to deeds submitted fromJuly 10, 2025
The law itself imposes the fee on the grantor of the deed. Form RTF-1EE must be attached to every deed for more than $1,000,000 and to every commercial property transfer.
A separate tax, paid by the seller, applies when a controlling interest in an entity that owns Class 4A commercial property is sold for more than $1,000,000.
Which properties pay the New Jersey fee on sales over $1 million?
The over-$1 million fee applies to deeds for Class 2 residential, Class 3A farms with a residential building, Class 4A commercial (other than industrial or apartments), and Class 4C co-op units.
- Deeds over$1,000,000
- Classes that pay2, 3A farms with a home, 4A, 4C co-op units
Taxation describes Class 2 as residential property of one to four units. The county recording office does not collect the fee on property listed under any other class when the deed is submitted.
The fee does not apply when the buyer is a 501(c)(3) organization, whatever the property class.
Can the buyer and seller split the New Jersey transfer fees?
Taxation says buyer and seller can split or shift who bears the Graduated Percent Fee in their contract. The statutes still put legal responsibility for all transfer fees on the seller, and Taxation treats any contract term saying otherwise as a private arrangement.
Who gets a reduced realty transfer fee in New Jersey?
The Division of Taxation has a separate rate table for senior citizens, blind or disabled persons, and low and moderate income housing. A senior, blind or disabled seller must have owned and lived in the home, be a New Jersey resident, and be selling a one- or two-family home.
| Total price | Slice of the price | Rate per $500 |
|---|---|---|
| $350,000 or less | Up to $150,000 | $0.50 |
| $350,000 or less | Over $150,000 | $1.25 |
| Over $350,000 | Up to $150,000 | $1.40 |
| Over $350,000 | $150,000 to $550,000 | $2.15 |
| Over $350,000 | $550,000 to $850,000 | $2.65 |
| Over $350,000 | $850,000 to $1,000,000 | $3.15 |
| Over $350,000 | Over $1,000,000 | $3.40 |
Which deeds are exempt from the New Jersey realty transfer fee?
No realty transfer fee applies to a deed for less than $100 in consideration, a deed to or from a government body, a deed only securing or releasing a debt, a corrective deed, or a tax sale deed.
- Consideration under$100: no fee
Deeds between husband and wife or parent and child, deeds for a cemetery lot or plot, and deeds in specific performance of a final judgment are on the same exemption list.
An Affidavit of Consideration for Use by Seller (Form RTF-1) must be filed with any deed that claims a full or partial exemption.