Property tax, transfer tax and closing costs in Massachusetts

Massachusetts: Deeds excise of $2.28 per $500 of consideration ($4.56 per $1,000). Barnstable County charges $3.06 per $500. Seller pays. Annual assessment as of January 1, with a Division of Local Services certification of values every five years.

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

What Massachusetts sets

Transfer tax: Deeds excise of $2.28 per $500 of consideration ($4.56 per $1,000). Barnstable County charges $3.06 per $500. Source: mass.gov
Who customarily pays: Seller pays. Source: mass.gov
Local transfer taxes: Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard land bank fees of 2% paid by the buyer. Source: mass.gov
Reassessment cycle: Annual assessment as of January 1, with a Division of Local Services certification of values every five years. Source: mass.gov
Homestead and other exemptions: No statewide homestead exemption on the bill. Local option residential exemptions of up to 35% of the average residential value in adopting cities such as Boston, Cambridge and Somerville. Source: mass.gov
Owner’s title policy: Buyer customarily pays for the owner’s title policy. Source: mass.gov
How closings run: Attorney closings are customary. Source: massbar.org
Survey: Not stated. No official source confirmed this yet.
Other closing customs: Not stated. No official source confirmed this yet.

Massachusetts transfer tax on a $562,000 sale

State deeds exciseseller pays$2,562.72$562,000 ÷ $500 = 1,124 units (rounded up for any fraction) × $2.28 = $2,562.72

seller pays: $2,562.72
Total transfer tax: $2,562.72

Statutory transfer taxes on a $562,000 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 Massachusetts transfer tax calculator, with a link to share and an embed for your site.

Typical property tax in Massachusetts

Median real-estate tax paid: $5,992 a year
Per month: $499
Median owner-occupied home value: $562,100
Effective rate they imply: 1.07%

Census American Community Survey five-year file, 2020-2024, tables B25103 and B25077, owner-occupied homes. The median bill rose 28% 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 Massachusetts 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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One email when Massachusetts rates, exemptions or transfer taxes change, and when the next reassessment lands.

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.