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California Closing Cost Calculator
California counties charge $0.55 per $500 of value ($1.10 per $1,000); Los Angeles adds $2.25 per $500 and San Francisco charges its own tiered rate. California closing costs depend on the address and the contract. Calculate the county tax, add any city tax, then enter your title, lender and settlement quotes.
California transfer tax and settlement worksheet
Ordinary taxable sale: county documentary transfer tax under RTC 11911. Enter taxable value after any lien remaining on the property. City of Los Angeles mode uses separate confirmed city-base and ULA full-value consideration. July 2026–June 2027 ULA thresholds are $5.4 million and $10.9 million; July 2027 onward requires actual published thresholds and confirmation. Other municipalities need a city quote. Replace all transfer estimates with your own complete quote when appropriate.
| Parameter | Amount | In effect | Primary source |
|---|---|---|---|
| County documentary transfer tax | $0.55 per $500 or fraction above $100 | Current statute | RTC 11911 |
| City of Los Angeles base tax | $2.25 per $500 or fraction (0.45%) | Current schedule | Los Angeles Office of Finance |
| Los Angeles Measure ULA | 4% above $5,400,000 and below $10,900,000; 5.5% from $10,900,000 | Thresholds for transactions closing after June 30, 2026; ULA itself from April 1, 2023 | Los Angeles Office of Finance |
| San Francisco transfer tax | $2.50 to $30.00 per $500 by price tier, on the whole value | Current schedule | San Francisco Assessor-Recorder |
County documentary tax is charged in $500 blocks
California Revenue and Taxation Code section 11911 authorizes a county documentary tax of $0.55 for each $500 or fraction when the taxable value exceeds $100. A $500,000 taxable value produces $550.00; $500,000.01 produces $550.55. A straight 0.11% multiplication misses that last fractional block. The examples below and the calculator both round the number of blocks upward.
The statute excludes the value of a lien or encumbrance remaining on the property at sale. The optional taxable-value field lets you enter the confirmed amount for the deed; blank uses the sale price. It does not automatically deduct the seller's mortgage payoff, because a loan paid off at closing is different from a lien that remains on the property.
Check the city before treating the subtotal as your tax bill
Section 11911 also describes the general-law city share and the corresponding county credit. Avoid adding the city share a second time when it is already included in the county amount. Charter-city taxes can require a different calculation. Use the property's actual municipality and a recorder or settlement-agent quote for that additional amount.
For Los Angeles, consult the Office of Finance transfer-tax guidance, including any applicable Measure ULA charge. For San Francisco, consult the Assessor-Recorder's transfer-tax schedule. A blank city quote means that component has not been resolved.
Primary rate source: California RTC 11911.
Los Angeles: two city components and a dated threshold
The Office of Finance's current schedule charges $2.25 per $500 or fraction as city base tax. For July 2026 through June 2027, ULA adds 4% on the whole confirmed ULA value above $5.4 million and below $10.9 million, or 5.5% from $10.9 million. Exactly $5.4 million has no ULA; the first cent above it changes the full-value charge. Below that line, a $1,200,000 Los Angeles home pays $1,320 county tax plus $5,400 city base tax, $6,720 in total.
Select the City of Los Angeles option only for a confirmed nonexempt transaction within city boundaries, then enter the separate base-tax and ULA values. ULA retains remaining liens in its value. A $6 million ordinary transaction with both bases at that amount has $27,000 city base tax and $240,000 ULA, in addition to the $6,600 county amount. Actual settlement charges remain separate.
The next July adjustment uses the actual published thresholds supplied by you and requires source confirmation. San Francisco and other cities retain quoted local treatment; eligibility and any special relief must be checked with their own authority.
San Francisco: one rate on the whole price
San Francisco is a consolidated city and county, and its Assessor-Recorder applies one rate to the entire consideration: $2.50 per $500 above $100 through $250,000; $3.40 above $250,000 and below $1 million; $3.75 from $1 million; $11.25 from $5 million; $27.50 from $10 million; and $30.00 from $25 million. Because the tier rate covers the whole price, crossing a threshold raises the tax on every dollar.
A $999,999 sale uses 2,000 blocks at $3.40, or $6,800; at exactly $1,000,000 the same 2,000 blocks cost $3.75 each, or $7,500. A $1,200,000 home pays $9,000. Enter your side's share of that amount as your transfer-tax quote, which replaces the county estimate rather than adding to it.
California transfer-tax worked examples
| Scenario | Taxable value | County tax | Local amount | Tax subtotal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whole $500 block | $500,000.00 | $550.00 | $0.00 | $550.00 |
| One cent into the next block | $500,000.01 | $550.55 | $0.00 | $550.55 |
| Example sale before city tax | $776,000.00 | $853.60 | Not entered | $853.60 |
| Los Angeles, $1.2 million: $2.25 city base entered | $1,200,000.00 | $1,320.00 | $5,400.00 | $6,720.00 |
Last reviewed 2026-10-06. How the settlement worksheet works.
Questions about California
- Does this include Los Angeles or San Francisco transfer tax?
- The automatic amount is the county documentary tax under RTC 11911. Enter a verified additional city charge after any county credit, or enter your total transfer-tax quote to replace the estimate. The tool does not infer a city from the purchase price.
- Who pays the California transfer tax in this worksheet?
- Enter the seller percentage agreed in the contract. The buyer percentage is the remainder. Until that allocation or your own transfer-tax quote is entered, the worksheet shows the county tax but leaves your closing-cost total unresolved.