Property tax, transfer tax and closing costs in Delaware

Delaware: Realty transfer tax of 4% of consideration in total: 2.5% state plus 1.5% county or municipal where levied, or 3% state where no local tax applies. A first-time home buyer’s share is reduced by 0.5% of the lesser of the value or $400,000, so by at most $2,000. Customarily split equally between buyer and seller unless the contract says otherwise. The first-time buyer reduction applies to the buyer’s share only. Countywide reassessments ordered by the Court of Chancery completed in 2024 and 2025, the first in decades. No fixed cycle in statute.

Reviewed October 15, 2026. Every line links its statute or official source.

What Delaware sets

Transfer tax: Realty transfer tax of 4% of consideration in total: 2.5% state plus 1.5% county or municipal where levied, or 3% state where no local tax applies. A first-time home buyer’s share is reduced by 0.5% of the lesser of the value or $400,000, so by at most $2,000. Source: delcode.delaware.gov
Who customarily pays: Customarily split equally between buyer and seller unless the contract says otherwise. The first-time buyer reduction applies to the buyer’s share only. Source: delcode.delaware.gov
Local transfer taxes: Counties and municipalities levy up to 1.5%. Source: delcode.delaware.gov
Reassessment cycle: Countywide reassessments ordered by the Court of Chancery completed in 2024 and 2025, the first in decades. No fixed cycle in statute. Source: finance.delaware.gov
Homestead and other exemptions: No general homestead exemption. Senior school property tax credit of up to $500 for owners 65 and over. Source: finance.delaware.gov
Owner’s title policy: Not stated. No official source confirmed this yet.
How closings run: Attorney closings are customary. Source: dsba.org
Survey: Not stated. No official source confirmed this yet.
Other closing customs: Not stated. No official source confirmed this yet.

Delaware transfer tax on a $352,000 sale

State realty transfer tax, buyer halfbuyer pays$4,400$352,000 × 2.5% = $8,800, half of it $4,400
State realty transfer tax, seller halfseller pays$4,400$352,000 × 2.5% = $8,800, half of it $4,400
County or municipal transfer tax, buyer halfbuyer pays$2,640$352,000 × 1.5% = $5,280, half of it $2,640
County or municipal transfer tax, seller halfseller pays$2,640$352,000 × 1.5% = $5,280, half of it $2,640

buyer pays: $7,040
seller pays: $7,040
Total transfer tax: $14,080

Statutory transfer taxes on a $352,000 sale, as of the reviewed date. Who pays is custom and contract outside the statute’s primary liability. Local taxes described above are not in this figure unless listed as a line. Recording fees, title and attorney charges are separate.

Open the Delaware transfer tax calculator, with a link to share and an embed for your site.

Typical property tax in Delaware

Median real-estate tax paid: $1,768 a year
Per month: $147
Median owner-occupied home value: $352,000
Effective rate they imply: 0.50%

Census American Community Survey five-year file, 2020-2024, tables B25103 and B25077, owner-occupied homes. The median bill rose 24% against the 2015-2019 file. An estimate for a typical home, not yours. Your bill depends on the parcel, its exemptions and the next reassessment.

For agents

Your buyers ask what closing costs in Delaware and who pays. This page answers from the statute, with the date it was checked. Send it, or embed the calculator on your own site.

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Sources

Ike Mortgage LLC. NMLS ID pending. For licensing information, go to: www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org. Nothing on this page is a loan payment, rate, term or down payment, and nothing here is a Loan Estimate.