Michigan charges a state transfer tax and a separate county transfer tax on every sale — $3.75 per $500 state, plus $0.55 per $500 county, currently uniform across all 83 counties. This calculator shows both components separately and combined.
Transfer tax and deed-recording fee only — excludes title insurance, escrow, lender fees, and mortgage-recording fees.
| State transfer tax (800 × $3.75) | $3,000.00 |
| County transfer tax (800 × $0.55) | $440.00 |
| Document recording fee | $30.00 |
| Total included amount | $3,470.00 |
This is a tax-module example, not a complete settlement statement — title, escrow, lender, and mortgage-recording charges are not included.
Michigan has a simple two-component calculation: $3.75 per $500 state real-estate-transfer tax under MCL 207.525, and $0.55 per $500 county tax under MCL 207.504, for $4.30 per $500 ($8.60 per $1,000) combined. Both are statutory and enumerated, so this local-overlay finding is affirmatively confirmed — there is no guesswork about whether a county add-on exists, only about whether any county currently uses the higher optional rate.
State law allows a county with a population of 2,000,000 or more to levy a higher county rate of $0.75 per $500 instead of the standard $0.55. Wayne County (Detroit) is the only Michigan county that has ever approached this threshold, but recent census data puts it under 1.8 million residents — meaning all 83 counties, including Wayne, currently use the standard $0.55 rate. This calculator uses that uniform statewide figure; it would need to be revisited if any county's population ever crosses 2,000,000.
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 Michigan 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 Michigan 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 Michigan 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.