Maryland charges a state transfer tax, a county transfer tax and a county recordation tax on every sale. The county rates vary widely, so the total can differ by thousands of dollars between two neighbouring counties. Pick your county below.
| Tax | Total | Seller | Buyer |
|---|
Transfer taxes equal -% of the sale price for the seller.
Who pays the transfer tax in Maryland?
Maryland custom is that the buyer and seller split the transfer and recordation taxes evenly. This is a convention, not a law — the contract of sale decides, and in a slow market sellers are often asked to absorb more than half.
There is one real exception. When the buyer is a first-time Maryland homebuyer, the state transfer tax is cut from 0.5% to 0.25%, and the statute puts the entire remaining amount on the seller. Tick that box in the calculator and you will see the seller’s total stay flat while the buyer’s falls — the discount goes entirely to the buyer.
Recordation tax is charged per $500 of price “or fraction thereof”, which means a $412,300 sale is taxed as though it were $412,500.
Maryland transfer and recordation tax rates
Current rates for all 24 Maryland jurisdictions. The 0.5% state transfer tax applies on top of every county rate below.
| County | County transfer tax | Recordation tax |
|---|---|---|
| Allegany County | 0.5% | $3.50 per $500 |
| Anne Arundel County | 1%* | $3.50 per $500 |
| Baltimore City | 1.5%* | $5.00 per $500* |
| Baltimore County | 1.5% | $2.50 per $500 |
| Calvert County | None | $5.00 per $500 |
| Caroline County | 0.5% | $5.25 per $500 |
| Carroll County | None | $6.50 per $500 |
| Cecil County | 0.5% | $4.10 per $500 |
| Charles County | 0.5% | $7.00 per $500 |
| Dorchester County | 0.75% | $5.00 per $500 |
| Frederick County | None | $7.00 per $500 |
| Garrett County | 1% | $3.50 per $500 |
| Harford County | 1% | $3.30 per $500 |
| Howard County | 1.25% | $2.50 per $500 |
| Kent County | 0.5% | $3.30 per $500 |
| Montgomery County | 1% | Tiered, $4.45–$11.35 per $500 |
| Prince George’s County | 1.4% | $2.75 per $500 |
| Queen Anne’s County | 0.5% | $4.95 per $500 |
| Somerset County | None | $3.30 per $500 |
| St. Mary’s County | 1% | $4.00 per $500 |
| Talbot County | 1% | $6.00 per $500 |
| Washington County | 0.5% | $3.80 per $500 |
| Wicomico County | None | $3.50 per $500 |
| Worcester County | 0.5% | $3.30 per $500 |
* Anne Arundel County, Baltimore City and Montgomery County charge more on higher-priced sales. Select the county in the calculator to see the rate that applies to your price.
Rates last verified August 18, 2026. Transfer and recordation taxes turn on details this page cannot see — exemptions, the wording of your contract, and local practice — so confirm final figures with your title company or settlement attorney before relying on them.
Transfer taxes are only part of what selling costs
Transfer taxes are the part of closing that is fixed by statute — you cannot negotiate them away. On a traditional sale they sit alongside agent commission, the repairs a buyer’s inspection turns up, and the carrying cost of every month the house sits unsold.
We buy houses in Maryland for cash, as-is, and close on the date you pick. There is no agent commission, no repair list, and no financing contingency to fall through. Get a cash offer and compare it against the number this calculator just produced.