Cost of buying a condo in Phuket: transfer fee, stamp duty, specific business tax and withholding tax at official rates
When the sale of a condominium is registered, the Land Office collects four payments at official rates: the transfer fee on the assessed value, the seller's specific business tax or — where it does not apply — stamp duty, and the seller's withholding income tax.
- Transfer fee: 2% of the official assessed value of the unit, not of the sale price (Department of Lands).
- Specific business tax: 3.3% — 3% plus a local tax of 10% of that amount — of the sale price or the assessed value, whichever is higher. It is the seller's tax on a sale that counts as commercial, for example a developer selling its units or a resale within five years of acquisition, unless an exemption applies (Revenue Department).
- Stamp duty: THB 1 per THB 200 (0.5%) of the sale price or the assessed value, whichever is higher; it is not charged when specific business tax applies (Revenue Department).
- Withholding income tax: the seller's tax, collected at registration — 1% of the sale price or the assessed value, whichever is higher, when the seller is a company; for an individual seller it is calculated from the assessed value and the years of ownership (Department of Lands).
Who pays which item between buyer and seller is a matter of the sale contract: the Department of Lands names the seller as the payer of specific business tax and withholding tax, and its fee table does not assign the transfer fee to either party.
A plain-English summary of official Thai sources, checked on 15 October 2026. It is not legal advice: confirm the current rates with the Land Office and a licensed lawyer before paying. For an exact cost estimate of a specific unit you need its assessed value — the worked example below shows how.
The official rates
| Payment | Official rate | Calculated on | Who pays and when | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Transfer fee | 2% | the official assessed value of the unit | Who pays is agreed in the sale contract. | DOL |
| Specific business tax | 3.3% (3% plus 10% local tax) | the sale price or the assessed value, whichever is higher | The seller's tax on a commercial sale, for example a developer selling its units or a resale within five years of acquisition, unless an exemption applies. | Revenue Department |
| Stamp duty | THB 1 per THB 200 (0.5%) | the sale price or the assessed value, whichever is higher | Not charged when specific business tax applies. | Revenue Department |
| Withholding income tax | 1% for a company seller | the sale price or the assessed value, whichever is higher | The seller's tax; for an individual seller it is calculated from the assessed value and the years of ownership. | DOL |
| Lease registration | 1% | the total rent for the whole lease term | For a registered lease of land or a building. | DOL |
| Mortgage registration | 1% | the mortgage amount | Only when a loan is secured on the property; the Land Code fee schedule caps it at THB 200,000, the Condominium Act schedule lists 1% of the mortgage amount. | DOL |
The same table, item by item, with the law behind each rate:
- Transfer fee: 2% of the official assessed value of the unit, not of the sale price (Department of Lands fee table; the Condominium Act fee schedule lists the same rate).
- Specific business tax: 3% plus a local tax of 10% of that amount — 3.3% together — of the sale price or the assessed value, whichever is higher. It is the seller's tax on a commercial sale, for example a developer selling its units or a resale within five years of acquisition, unless an exemption applies (Revenue Department).
- Stamp duty: THB 1 per THB 200 (0.5%) of the sale price or the assessed value, whichever is higher; it is not charged when specific business tax applies (Revenue Department, Stamp Duty Schedule, item 28(b)).
- Withholding income tax: the seller's tax, collected at registration — 1% of the sale price or the assessed value, whichever is higher, when the seller is a company (Revenue Department); for an individual seller the Land Office calculates it from the assessed value with a standard deduction by years of ownership, then the progressive income-tax rates (Revenue Department).
- Mortgage registration: 1% of the mortgage amount, only when a loan is secured on the property; the Land Code fee schedule caps it at THB 200,000.
- Lease registration: 1% of the total rent for the whole lease term, when a lease of more than three years is registered.
Worked example: the official rates on our median price
Take a unit at our overall median asking price of THB 3,750,000 (1,064 listings, 19 April – 15 October 2026). On the sale price or the assessed value, whichever is higher:
- Stamp duty, when specific business tax does not apply: 0.5% = THB 18,750.
- Specific business tax, when the sale is a developer sale or a resale within five years of acquisition, unless exempt: 3.3% = THB 123,750.
- Withholding income tax, when the seller is a company: 1% = THB 37,500. For an individual seller we publish no amount: the Land Office calculates it from the assessed value and the years of ownership.
The transfer fee is different: it is charged on the assessed value, which is usually lower than the asking price. An illustrative 50 m² unit in Kathu at the district's median official rates (data of 14 August 2024):
- “Residential unit” rate THB 42,000 per m² → assessed value THB 2,100,000, transfer fee 2% = THB 42,000.
- “Holiday-residential unit” rate THB 64,500 per m² → assessed value THB 3,225,000, transfer fee 2% = THB 64,500.
- If the assessed value equalled the median asking price, the fee would be 2% of THB 3,750,000 = THB 75,000.
The Land Office confirms the exact assessed value of a specific unit at the registration; ask the seller for the latest assessment notice before you budget the fees. The official rates by building are in our table of Phuket condominium assessment rates.
Who pays what
Who pays which item between buyer and seller is a matter of the sale contract: the Department of Lands names the seller as the payer of specific business tax and withholding tax, and its fee table does not assign the transfer fee to either party.
Agree in writing who pays each item before the deposit. A split that is common in practice is still an agreement between the parties, not a rule of the fee table — so agree it, do not assume it.
After the purchase: the annual land and building tax
Owning the property also carries an annual land and building tax under the Land and Buildings Tax Act B.E. 2562 (2019) — Fiscal Policy Office (PDF, English translation). Whoever owns or possesses the land or building on 1 January of the year pays it (Section 9), and the tax base is the official assessed value of the property (Section 35).
- Statutory ceilings (Section 37): the rate may not exceed 0.3% for residential use, 0.15% for agricultural use, and 1.2% for other use or vacant land.
- The actual rates are set by royal decree and by local ordinances within those ceilings — ask the local municipality what applies to your building; we publish no schedule.
- A principal residence of a natural person listed in the household register on 1 January is exempt from the first THB 50 million of the tax base (land and building together), or the first THB 10 million for a building owned without the land (Section 41).
Before you sign
- Assessment notice. Ask the seller for the latest official assessment notice of the unit — it previews the transfer fee and the tax bases.
- The split in the agreement. Write into the sale agreement who pays the transfer fee, the business tax or stamp duty and the withholding tax, before you pay a deposit.
- The seller's status. Check whether the seller is a company (a 1% withholding rate, possibly specific business tax) or an individual (withholding calculated by the years of ownership).
- The money trail. Bring the price into Thailand as foreign currency with the bank documenting the transfer — the Land Office checks that evidence when the buyer is a foreigner.
- The receipt. The Land Office issues a receipt for every payment; keep it, because a later resale needs the evidence of what was paid and when.
Tell us your budget and a district: our agent in Phuket sends three matching condos with their asking prices. We reply in English or Russian.
Get 3 condos matched to your budget
Tell us your budget and a district — our agent in Phuket sends three matching condos with prices and floor plans. We reply within a day, in English or Russian.
Questions and answers
Is the transfer fee 2% of the price?
No. The fee is 2% of the official assessed value of the unit — which the Treasury Department rates set for the specific building — and not of the asking or agreed price.
Do I pay both stamp duty and specific business tax?
No — one or the other. When the sale is subject to specific business tax, the receipt is exempt from stamp duty; stamp duty of 0.5% is charged where the tax does not apply (Revenue Department).
Who pays the transfer fee, buyer or seller?
The Department of Lands fee table does not assign the transfer fee to either party: the split is what the sale agreement says. The Department names the seller as the payer of specific business tax and of withholding income tax.
Are there annual taxes after I buy?
Yes. An annual land and building tax applies to whoever owns the property on 1 January, on the official assessed value, at local rates within statutory ceilings (no more than 0.3% for residential use) — see “After the purchase” above and ask the local municipality what applies to your building.
Do the asking prices on this site include these costs?
No. The asking prices in our data are the advertised prices of listings; the Land Office fees and taxes are calculated and paid at the registration of the sale, on top of the price.
Sources
Official sources, checked on 15 October 2026:
- Department of Lands: fees, taxes and duties at registration (in Thai): the registration fees, specific business tax, stamp duty and withholding tax collected when a sale or a lease is registered.
- Revenue Department: specific business tax on the sale of immovable property (in Thai): which sales are taxable, the five-year rule and its exemptions, the rate and the base.
- Revenue Department: stamp duty on the sale of immovable property (in Thai) and the Stamp Duty Schedule, item 28(b) (in English): the rate, the base and the exemption when specific business tax applies.
- Revenue Department: withholding income tax on the sale of immovable property (individual seller) (in Thai): the method — calculated from the assessed value with a standard deduction by years of ownership, then the progressive income-tax rates; and the company-seller page (in Thai): 1% of the sale price or the assessed value, whichever is higher.
- Condominium Act B.E. 2522 (1979), as published by the Department of Lands (PDF, in Thai): Sections 19, 19 bis, 19 ter and 19 quater — who may own a unit as a foreigner, the 49% floor-area quota and the evidence shown at the transfer.
- Fiscal Policy Office: Land and Buildings Tax Act B.E. 2562 (2019) (PDF, English translation): Sections 9, 35, 37 and 41 — the taxpayer, the tax base, the statutory ceilings and the principal-residence exemption; sections read on 16 October 2026. The translation is unofficial; the Thai text as published in the Gazette is authoritative.
- Our data: Phuket condo asking prices (methodology and downloads; the figures on this page come from this JSON file) and official Phuket condominium assessment rates (Thai Treasury Department data, not market prices).
Last checked: 15 October 2026. Rates and rules change: confirm the current rates with the Land Office and a licensed lawyer before paying.
Russian version of this topic: Transfer fee и stamp duty при покупке квартиры на Пхукете.
This page summarises official sources in plain English and is not legal or tax advice. Confirm the current rates with the Land Office and a licensed lawyer before paying.