Maryland's state transfer tax is a flat 0.5% everywhere. County transfer tax and recordation tax vary significantly by county — this calculator fully models Anne Arundel County's structure (including its own million-dollar cliff) and is explicit that other counties need their own verification.
Only Anne Arundel County's local structure is fully modeled — other counties (including Montgomery) have their own rates not shown here. Excludes title insurance, escrow, and lender fees.
| State transfer tax (0.5%) | $7,500.00 |
| County transfer tax (1.5% of entire price, cliff) | $22,500.00 |
| County recordation tax ($3.50/$500) | $10,500.00 |
| Total | $40,500.00 |
This is a tax-module example, not a complete settlement statement — title, escrow, and lender charges are not included.
Maryland's transfer tax landscape is genuinely fragmented — the 0.5% state tax is uniform, but each county sets its own transfer tax rate and recordation tax structure, and some (like Anne Arundel) add their own million-dollar cliff on top. Rather than presenting a fabricated calculation for Montgomery County or any other county whose numbers weren't independently verified in this research batch, this calculator fully models Anne Arundel County (where Manus's research included a verified worked example) and shows state-tax-only for every other county, with an explicit prompt to confirm local rates.
Closing costs are the fees and charges required to finalize a real estate purchase, separate from your down payment and the home's purchase price. Beyond the Maryland transfer tax and recording fee calculated above, a typical closing includes a handful of other charges: a loan origination fee charged by your lender, an appraisal fee to confirm the home's value, a home inspection fee, a title search and title insurance premium (a lender's policy is required by most lenders, and an owner's policy is optional but recommended), an escrow or settlement agent fee, and prepaid items such as homeowners insurance and the property tax and mortgage interest your lender collects upfront into escrow. Which of these apply, and how much each one costs, depends on your lender, your loan program, and the title or escrow company handling your closing — this calculator covers only the government-charged transfer tax and recording fee shown above, not the full closing cost picture.
Several factors shape how much you'll actually pay at closing on a Maryland property, beyond the transfer tax and recording fee shown above. Loan type matters: FHA loans add an upfront mortgage insurance premium, VA loans add a funding fee (waived for some veterans and service members), and USDA loans add a guarantee fee, while conventional loans typically don't carry a comparable upfront charge. Property type matters too — condos and homes in planned communities often require an extra fee for HOA document review or a resale certificate, and multi-unit or investment properties can carry higher title insurance premiums than a standard single-family purchase. County and municipality matter as well: recording fees, and in some states local transfer taxes, can vary from county to county, so the figures on this page reflect the Maryland statutory default — always confirm with the specific county recorder's or clerk's office where you're closing. Finally, purchase price and loan amount drive costs that scale with value, including title insurance premiums, percentage-based origination fees, and the transfer tax calculated above.