File Updated October 5, 2026 First documented September 4, 2026

Maryland Closing Cost Calculator

Maryland state transfer tax is 0.5%, split equally by default, or 0.25% paid by the seller for a qualifying first-time buyer; county taxes add more. Separate the state transfer tax from deed recordation tax, local transfer charges and document fees. Confirm buyer eligibility before applying Maryland’s first-time-homebuyer treatment.

State transfer tax: ordinary and first-time treatment

Tax-Property 13-203 sets the ordinary state transfer tax at 0.5% of consideration. A qualifying first-time Maryland buyer purchasing improved residential property as a principal residence receives a 0.25% rate, with the entire state tax paid by the seller.

For $400,000 of consideration, ordinary state tax is $2,000. Qualifying first-time treatment reduces that to $1,000. The buyer is not charged half of the reduced amount. Consideration includes an assumed mortgage where applicable; the down payment alone is not the state tax base.

First-time status has a Maryland-specific definition

The state definition concerns an individual who has never owned Maryland residential real property that was their principal residence. It also requires the new property to become the qualifying buyer’s principal residence. Multiple grantees and nonoccupying mortgage co-makers or guarantors have specific conditions.

Select first-time treatment only after the required eligibility and sworn statement have been confirmed. A generic first-time-buyer label from a lender does not establish this tax treatment. The worksheet does not decide eligibility or generate the sworn certification.

State and local allocations follow different rules

Real Property 14-104 presumes equal sharing of ordinary deed recordation and state/local transfer taxes unless the agreement or law provides otherwise. That presumption does not apply to mortgages or deeds of trust.

For the qualifying first-time principal-residence transaction, local transfer and deed recordation taxes default to the seller unless the parties expressly agree otherwise. The reduced state tax remains entirely seller-paid. Custom mode therefore allows a different local split while preserving that state rule.

Cecil deed recordation uses upward $500 blocks

Cecil County Finance publishes $4.10 per $500 of deed consideration, rounded up to the next block. The county’s $200,501 example uses 402 blocks and produces $1,648.20 in recordation tax. Its separate county transfer fee in that example is $1,002.51.

This worksheet models the nonexempt deed recordation calculation, but still asks for a confirmed local transfer charge. Local deductions, exemptions or other county treatment must not be inferred from state first-time eligibility. For recordation relief, switch to the quoted deed-tax mode.

The local column combines deed recordation tax and the entered local transfer charge. Separate output lines show each component. The $2,000 local entry is an explicit assumption in these examples, not a statewide county rate.

A first-time allocation example

Assume a qualifying $400,000 Cecil transaction, $3,280 nonexempt deed recordation tax and a confirmed $2,000 local transfer charge. The seller pays $1,000 state tax plus $5,280 local/deed taxes under the statutory defaults, for $6,280. The buyer’s modeled transfer-and-deed amount is zero.

If an express agreement divides the local/deed taxes equally, the buyer pays $2,640 and the seller pays $3,640, including the seller’s $1,000 state tax. Changing the ordinary state-allocation field cannot shift that reduced first-time state tax to the buyer.

Other counties and recordation relief

Tax-Property 12-103 authorizes county recordation rates and certain local relief. The state framework uses $500 units or fractions, but a local exemption or rate structure can change the actual amount due.

For a county other than Cecil, enter the confirmed deed recordation total and local transfer total after applicable relief. Enter zero only when verified. A blank leaves the estimate unresolved. If recordation and local transfer charges have different contractual splits, use the full transfer quote assigned to your selected side.

Recording fees and mortgage taxes remain separate

The Cecil court recording schedule lists document fees and surcharges in addition to taxes. A quoted deed recordation tax should not also be entered as a recording fee. Confirm the instrument type, page count, residence treatment and applicable surcharge with the clerk.

Mortgage or deed-of-trust recordation, purchase-money exemptions and refinancing rules concern a different instrument. This deed model does not use the loan balance as a substitute for sale consideration. Add any confirmed financing taxes once in your financing or other-cost quote.

Last reviewed 2026-10-05. Calculation methodology.

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