Purpose, completion and retention
This private-residential-property ABSD declaration was updated 27 March 2024. All buyers, beneficiaries and trustees, including individuals, entities and housing developers, complete it to help the Commissioner and conveyancing lawyers determine liability. The completed form need not be sent to IRAS, but law firms and the relevant parties should retain the original for at least five years after acquisition for possible audit. It is not itself an ABSD payment or remission approval.
Stamping and the source’s deadlines
The form states that a document is not duly stamped if ABSD is payable but unpaid, even where BSD has been paid. It states ABSD payment within 14 days after acquisition and penalties up to four times unpaid duty for incomplete/late payment. False information can attract penalties including fines and/or imprisonment where applicable. These are the instructions printed in this dated form; its reference table and checkbox do not replace checking the applicable acquisition-date rules and remission conditions.
Section A: acquisition and ownership
Enter the property address and acquisition date, and choose single buyer/beneficiary, multiple buyers/beneficiaries, married couple or trustee. Date means the earliest applicable acceptance of an option, sale/purchase agreement, instrument placing property on trust or transfer to a beneficiary from a non-identifiable-owner trust; otherwise use transfer date. For joint ownership state whether shares are equal; if not, list each owner and percentage. Trust acquisitions also record declaration-of-trust date and trustee name/ID.
Section B1: individuals and identifiable beneficiaries
Each individual buyer/beneficiary records name, Singapore citizen/PR/foreigner status, nationality for foreigners and NRIC/FIN/passport. Declare no prior residential properties or list all wholly/partly owned properties and addresses, marking ownership type. Include inherited, matrimonial-transfer and trust-beneficial ownership, plus shophouses with residential/living-quarter components. Inheritance/matrimonial ownership uses transfer date. Where a trustee buys for identifiable individual beneficiaries, complete B1 for each beneficiary. The form has three individual panels; use additional sheets if needed.
Sections B2 and B3: entities and unidentified beneficiaries
Entity buyers/beneficiaries, including developers, use B2 and provide name, identity type (UEN-Business, UEN-Local, UEN-Others or Others) and number. Trustees whose beneficiaries are not identifiable use B3, with trustee name and identity type/number, allowing NRIC, FIN, passport or entity identifiers. Both sections provide two entries and permit additional sheets. A trust arrangement does not justify substituting trustee details for identifiable beneficiary information where B1 applies.
Section C: dated rate table and highest buyer profile
Declare whether acquisition is subject to ABSD and select the appropriate rate. The table compares pre-27 April 2023 with acquisitions on/after that date; if there is more than one buyer, the profile carrying the highest rate applies as the table instructs. SC means Singapore citizen and SPR means Singapore permanent resident. The developer category concerns entities constructing and selling housing units for the acquired property and includes their trustees. Its 35% component may be remitted subject to conditions, while the additional 5% is non-remittable and payable upfront. The table below is the source’s dated reference, not a representation of every older historical period or later change.
| Source buyer profile | Before 27 Apr 2023 | On/after 27 Apr 2023 |
|---|---|---|
| SC: first residential property | 0% | 0% |
| SC: second | 17% | 20% |
| SC: third or later | 25% | 30% |
| SPR: first | 5% | 5% |
| SPR: second | 25% | 30% |
| SPR: third or later | 30% | 35% |
| Foreigner: any residential property | 30% | 60% |
| Entity: any residential property | 35% | 65% |
| Housing developer | 35% + 5% non-remittable | 35% + 5% non-remittable |
| Trustee: any residential property | 35% | 65% |
Remission checkboxes are conditional
The form asks whether remission applies at acquisition and lists Free Trade Agreements, Spouses Rule 3, Matrimonial Proceedings, Housing Developers, Non-Licensed Housing Developers and an Others explanation. Its footnote distinguishes married couples acquiring a second home: Spouses Rule 4 relief only applies after disposing of the first property within the stipulated period and satisfying all conditions. Developer/entity/trustee relief requires undertakings to meet qualifying conditions. Ticking a remission category is therefore not unconditional relief or a substitute for the applicable application process.
Section D: signatures and overseas witnessing
Each buyer, beneficiary or trustee declares the information true and complete, signs and dates it, and obtains the solicitor/notary’s name and signature as witness. Three declaration panels are provided. For an overseas buyer/beneficiary/trustee, the source requires witnessing by a Notary Public. Check that each signatory’s earlier identity, citizenship/entity classification, ownership and remission statements are consistent before retaining the original.
Official source
This article independently explains the substantive contents of the official PDF, including the relevant conditions, procedures and annexes. The linked document remains the authoritative source for its original wording, and later changes should be checked separately.
Read the official PDF ↗