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Arkansas Closing Cost Calculator
Arkansas transfer tax is $3.30 per $1,000 of consideration or fraction once the price exceeds $100. Calculate the documentary tax on an ordinary Arkansas conveyance, split the amount under your agreement, and add the quoted closing charges.
Arkansas transfer tax and closing worksheet
Ordinary taxable real-property conveyance: $3.30 for each $1,000 of full consideration or fraction when consideration exceeds $100. Enter the contract allocation. Exemptions, including the narrowly defined federally financed first-home provision, require separate confirmation and a quoted tax amount.
Count whole and fractional $1,000 units
The Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration lists $3.30 per $1,000 of actual consideration when the transaction exceeds $100. Section 11.13 of the legislative tax handbook specifies that fractional units count too.
At $300,000 the calculation is 300 × $3.30 = $990. At $300,000.01 it is 301 × $3.30 = $993.30. Multiplying the price by 0.33% without unit rounding misses that boundary. The $100 threshold is an exemption threshold, not an amount to subtract from every taxable sale.
Arkansas transfer-tax examples
| Scenario | Taxable value | State tax | Local amount | Tax subtotal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| At the exempt consideration threshold | $100.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Above the threshold: first stamp unit | $100.01 | $3.30 | $0.00 | $3.30 |
| Exact $1,000 unit boundary | $300,000.00 | $990.00 | $0.00 | $990.00 |
| Fractional next unit | $300,000.01 | $993.30 | $0.00 | $993.30 |
The first-home exemption has several conditions
The DFA compliance affidavit identifies FHA, VA or USDA Rural Development financing, a home price of $60,000 or less, and a buyer's sworn statement covering both the buyer's and spouse's lack of home ownership in the preceding three years. Being a first-time buyer alone does not establish this exemption.
Have the recorder or closing professional confirm the exemption and required paperwork. If your own transfer-tax amount is confirmed as zero, enter zero in the buyer or seller quote field. The result preserves that zero and does not add the ordinary-sale estimate again. Other listed exemptions, such as corrective instruments and certain divorce transfers, also require their own facts.
Turn the combined tax into your own closing share
The tax table shows the entire conveyance amount. Supply the seller percentage from your agreement before the worksheet assigns the charge to your side. For a $990 tax and a 50 percent seller share, each side budgets $495. A different agreement changes the allocation, while the combined tax stays $990.
A confirmed taxable-value override can replace the sale price used by this model. Use the figure supplied for the real-property transfer; do not substitute an appraisal or subtract a payoff simply because it lowers the tax. Keep the separate seller payoff field for proceeds calculations.
Match the stamp and the settlement statement
DFA provides a stamp purchase form and a process for correcting stamp transaction details. The transfer amount, parties and property details should match the closing documents. A computed estimate does not purchase stamps or file the deed.
Add title, lender, recording and reserve quotes to finish your budget. Buyer deposits and credits reduce cash still needed. Seller credits, commission and loan payoff reduce proceeds. Avoid adding any charge twice when a provider quote already combines title and settlement services.
| Parameter | Amount or rule | In effect | Primary source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Real property transfer tax | $3.30 per $1,000 of consideration or fraction, when consideration exceeds $100 | Current DFA guidance | Arkansas DFA |
| Recording fee: deeds, deeds of trust, mortgages, releases | $15 for the first page, $5 for each page after it; a two-sided sheet counts as two pages | Schedule revised January 1, 2023 | White County Circuit Clerk schedule (Ark. Code Ann. § 21-6-306) |
| Several instruments in one document | First instrument included; $15 for each additional instrument listed, $300 at most | Schedule revised January 1, 2023 | White County Circuit Clerk schedule |
Recording is priced by the page, not the price
Arkansas circuit clerks record deeds and deeds of trust under Ark. Code Ann. § 21-6-306. The White County Circuit Clerk's fee schedule applies it as $15 for the first page and $5 for every page after that. A three-page warranty deed therefore costs $15 + 2 × $5 = $25, and a twelve-page deed of trust costs $15 + 11 × $5 = $70. A financed buyer recording both budgets $95.
Printing matters here: the schedule counts a two-sided sheet as two pages, so that same deed of trust printed on twelve double-sided sheets is 24 pages and $130. Neither figure moves with the sale price, unlike the $990 transfer tax on a $300,000 sale. Confirm the schedule with the circuit clerk in the property's county and add the recording total for your side once.
Last reviewed 2026-10-09. How the worksheet calculates totals.
Questions about Arkansas
- How much Arkansas transfer tax applies to a $300,000 sale?
- For an ordinary taxable conveyance, 300 units of $1,000 at $3.30 produce $990 in total transfer tax. A $300,000.01 consideration amount uses 301 units and produces $993.30. Your closing share depends on the allocation entered.
- Are all first-time buyers exempt from Arkansas transfer tax?
- No. The DFA affidavit describes a specific provision for FHA, VA or USDA Rural Development financing, a price of $60,000 or less, and a sworn statement that neither buyer nor spouse owned a home during the previous three years. The calculator does not automatically decide exemption eligibility.