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

Virginia Closing Cost Calculator

Virginia buyers pay $0.25 per $100 in state deed tax and sellers a $0.50 per $500 grantor tax, plus regional fees in Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads. Enter the sale consideration and current property-tax assessment, then confirm the jurisdiction’s regional fees. The worksheet separates buyer deed taxes from seller grantor and regional charges.

Start with the current assessment, not an old market-value assumption

Virginia Code 58.1-801 imposes state deed recordation tax of $0.25 per $100 or fraction on the greater of consideration and property value. The statute defines property value using the most recent property-tax assessment at conveyance.

In this ordinary scope, $300,000 consideration and a $350,000 assessment produce a $350,000 tax base. State deed tax is $875. A lower negotiated sale price does not automatically replace the higher assessment. Confirm the assessment that applies on the transfer date.

Grantor tax has its own $500 blocks

Section 58.1-802 applies $0.50 per $500 or fraction when the greater consideration or value exceeds $100. It is imposed on the grantor, although the parties can arrange a different payment allocation.

The law also addresses liens remaining on the property. This model requires a transaction without that deduction; a subject-to sale or qualifying assumed lien needs a confirmed quote. At a $350,000 ordinary base, grantor tax is $350. At $350,000.01 it becomes $350.50.

Confirm the regional charges that actually apply

The regional WMATA capital fee is $0.10 per $100 or fraction in the covered Northern Virginia Transportation Authority jurisdictions. The regional congestion relief fee is another $0.10 per $100 or fraction in its covered planning district.

The Fairfax Circuit Court fee schedule lists both. For a $350,000 no-lien base, those two fees are $350 each. Added to $350 grantor tax, the modeled seller amount is $1,050, excluding document fees.

The Hampton Roads transportation fee instead uses $0.06 per $100 or fraction in its covered transportation district. At the same $350,000 base it is $210, producing $560 with grantor tax. Do not select a region solely from a broad Northern Virginia or Hampton Roads mailing address; confirm the clerk’s treatment.

The regional statutes apply from a value of $100, while grantor tax requires a value above $100. The calculator preserves that distinction. Exempt or special low-value deeds should still use a confirmed quote rather than assuming the ordinary scope applies.

State amounts combine deed and grantor taxes; local amounts combine the entered local deed tax and regional fees. The calculator shows each party’s amount separately. Local values in these examples are explicit quote assumptions.

Local deed tax needs the clerk’s confirmed amount

Section 58.1-814 authorizes a city or county recordation tax equal to one-third of the state recordation tax. Confirm local adoption, calculation and rounding with the clerk, then enter the resulting deed-tax amount. The worksheet does not silently round a repeating local rate and apply it statewide.

That entry excludes the state deed tax already modeled, the grantor tax, regional fees, mortgage taxes and filing charges. A blank local entry keeps the result unresolved; enter zero only after confirming that no local deed tax is due.

Reconcile buyer and seller totals

For the illustrative $350,000 base with both Northern Virginia fees and a confirmed $291.67 local deed-tax quote, the buyer model is $875 plus $291.67, or $1,166.67. The seller model is $350 grantor tax plus $700 regional fees, or $1,050. The combined $2,216.67 is not charged to each party.

Section 58.1-812 allows allocation by agreement except where otherwise specifically provided. If your contract reallocates these amounts, enter the full transfer-and-deed-tax quote for your selected side. It replaces the modeled side total.

Document recording and financing taxes are additional

Deed tax does not pay the clerk’s document fee, processing charge, applicable preservation fee or other filing costs. The Fairfax schedule separates these items by document type, page count and filing method. Enter the actual recording quote once in the recording line.

A deed of trust or mortgage also has its own tax treatment. This worksheet does not infer a mortgage tax from the deed calculation or assume a refinance exemption. Obtain a separate financing quote, then complete lender, title, legal, payoff, credit and prepaid lines for cash to close or seller proceeds.

Last reviewed 2026-10-05. Calculation methodology.

Report a correction / Editorial policy