Closing cost and transfer tax calculator for Maryland, DC and Northern Virginia.
Pick your county, enter the price, and see every transfer and recordation tax, title cost, and lender fee a buyer usually pays, using the rates each county publishes. Then check whether the quote in front of you is high.
Taxes and government fees
Title, settlement and lender
Cash to close
Estimates for education, not financial, tax, or legal advice. Tax rates checked against county, DC and Virginia sources on October 20, 2026. Title insurance uses Stewart Title's filed rates for a standard owner's policy. Lender, appraisal and settlement amounts are typical figures you can edit, not quotes. Clerk recording fees are not included. Your lender's Loan Estimate and Closing Disclosure are the final word.
An $800,000 home in Montgomery County.
A primary home, 20% down, taxes split 50/50 with the seller, not a first time buyer.
Shopping in a different county? The same home can cost thousands more or less to close across a county line. Run your own numbers in ten seconds.
Calculate my closing costsWhy DMV closing costs vary so much.
Closing costs are the fees and taxes due at settlement on top of your down payment. In Maryland and DC, transfer and recordation taxes are often the biggest line. Maryland charges a state transfer tax, and every county adds a recordation tax and often its own transfer tax. DC charges recordation and transfer taxes that jump at $400,000. Northern Virginia taxes are lower, but buyers pay recordation on both the deed and the loan.
Maryland
The state transfer tax is 0.5% of the price. Counties add a recordation tax, charged per $500 of price, and most add a transfer tax. Montgomery County's recordation tax climbs in tiers above $500,000, with the first $100,000 exempt for a primary home. Prince George's charges a 1.4% county transfer tax, Baltimore County 1.5%, and Anne Arundel's rises from 1% to 1.5% at $1 million. Charles County raised its recordation rate to $7.00 per $500 in 2025. By law, these taxes are split 50/50 between buyer and seller unless the contract says otherwise. A first time Maryland buyer's state transfer tax drops to 0.25%, and the seller pays it.
Washington, DC
DC's recordation tax, which the buyer customarily pays, is 1.1% under $400,000 and 1.45% of the whole price at $400,000 or more. The seller customarily pays a transfer tax at the same rates. Qualifying first time DC buyers pay a reduced 0.725% recordation rate on homes up to $794,000 (fiscal year 2027, from October 1, 2026), with household income at or below 180% of the area median.
Northern Virginia
Buyers pay the state recordation tax of $0.25 per $100 plus a local tax of one third of that, on the deed and again on the loan amount. Sellers pay three charges of $0.10 per $100 each: the grantor tax, the regional WMATA fee, and the congestion relief fee. Rates are the same in Fairfax, Arlington, Loudoun, Prince William, Alexandria, Fairfax City and Falls Church.
Know the costs nobody lists. Housemates get the first year surprises explained, one a week: flood and insurance, tax resets, HOA reserves, and more.
Step insideClosing cost FAQ
Who pays transfer and recordation taxes in Maryland?
Maryland law presumes the buyer and seller split the recordation tax and the state and county transfer taxes equally, unless the contract says otherwise. In practice it is negotiable, so read the tax section of your contract. For a first time Maryland buyer who will live in the home, the law presumes the seller pays the recordation and county transfer taxes unless the contract expressly says otherwise, and the seller must pay the reduced 0.25% state transfer tax.
Do first time homebuyers pay less?
In Maryland, yes: the state transfer tax drops from 0.5% to 0.25% and the seller pays it. In DC, qualifying first time buyers pay 0.725% recordation instead of 1.1% or 1.45%, on homes up to $794,000 for fiscal year 2027 (from October 1, 2026), with income limits. Virginia has no first time buyer reduction on recordation taxes.
Why does Montgomery County cost more to close?
Since October 2023, Montgomery County's recordation tax adds a premium on each slice of the price above $500,000, rising to $6.90 per $500 above $1 million, on top of the base $4.45 per $500. A primary home gets the first $100,000 exempt. Add the 1% county transfer tax and the 0.5% state transfer tax, and the government's share is larger than in most of the region.
Is my Loan Estimate too high?
Enter line J, Total Closing Costs, from page 2 of your Loan Estimate in the quote box. Line J includes prepaid interest, insurance and the escrow deposit, so we compare it with our closing costs plus prepaids. If it is more than 20% above our estimate, ask the lender to explain each line, compare title companies (you can usually shop for title and settlement services), and ask whether points are included. Transfer and recordation taxes are set by law and cannot be negotiated with the lender, only with the seller.
Do I pay tax on my mortgage, too?
In Maryland and DC, a purchase money mortgage on the home you are buying is exempt from recordation tax. In Virginia it is not: buyers pay the state and local recordation tax on the loan amount as well as on the deed.
Want a second set of eyes on a quote? Tell us where you are buying and we will introduce you to a licensed agent who knows that county. Free.
Find an agent who knows your countyWhere these rates come from
Last verified October 20, 2026. Maryland: Tax Property Article 13-203 and 12-108 and Real Property Article 14-104 (mgaleg.maryland.gov); Department of Legislative Services, County Revenue Outlook Fiscal 2026 and Guide to Local Government Taxing Authority (August 2026); Montgomery County Bill 17-23; Anne Arundel County, Baltimore County, Baltimore City, Frederick County, Howard County and Prince George's County finance and land records pages; Charles County Code 281-1 (Bill 2025-04); Baltimore City Code Article 28, sections 16-2 and 17-2. DC: DC Code 42-1103, 42-1102 and 47-903; Office of Tax and Revenue Form ROD 11 (fiscal year 2027, revised October 2026). Virginia: Code of Virginia 58.1-801, 58.1-802, 58.1-802.3, 58.1-802.4, 58.1-803 and 58.1-3800; Fairfax and Prince William circuit court land records fee schedules (effective July 1, 2026). Title insurance: Stewart Title filed rate manuals for Maryland (November 2025), DC (February 2024) and Virginia (July 2025). Lender, appraisal and settlement figures are typical amounts, not filed rates. Spot an outdated rate? Write to hello@houseofjaxi.com.