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Illinois transfer tax calculator
Three separate taxes stack on an Illinois home sale, and they are not all paid by the same person. Put in a price and a town and this splits out exactly what the seller owes and what the buyer owes.
Selling in northwest Indiana? This calculator does not apply, and the reason is good news. Indiana levies no real estate transfer tax at state, county or town level. The only filing cost at transfer is the $20 sales disclosure form fee, and that one is the buyer's.
The three layers
The State of Illinois charges 50 cents per $500 of the price, and it is the seller's. Your county may add 25 cents per $500, also the seller's, and every county in Chicagoland does. Your municipality may add its own stamp, and this is the layer that varies: the rate, who pays it, and whether it exists at all. Only home rule municipalities may levy one, so most Illinois towns charge nothing.
All three are charged on each increment of price or any fraction of it, which is why a sale at $250,001 is taxed as though it were $250,500.
Chicagoland rates
Reviewed August 2026. The last column restates each rate as the cost on a $100,000 sale, because per-$500 and per-$1,000 rates are almost impossible to compare by eye.
| Municipality | County | Municipal rate | Per $100,000 | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago | Cook | $1.5 per $500 seller $3.75 per $500 buyer |
$300 seller $750 buyer |
Confirmed |
| Naperville | DuPage | $1.5 per $500 buyer | $300 buyer | Confirmed |
| Elmhurst | DuPage | $1.5 per $1,000 seller | $150 seller | Rate confirmed |
| Aurora | Kane | $3 per $1,000 seller | $300 seller | Payer confirmed |
| Joliet | Will | $3 per $1,000 seller | $300 seller | Unconfirmed |
| Oak Park | Cook | $8 per $1,000 seller | $800 seller | Unconfirmed |
| Berwyn | Cook | $10 per $1,000 seller | $1,000 seller | Unconfirmed |
| Cicero | Cook | $10 per $1,000 seller | $1,000 seller | Unconfirmed |
| Evanston | Cook | $5 per $1,000 seller | $500 seller | Unconfirmed |
| Oak Lawn | Cook | $5 per $1,000 seller | $500 seller | Unconfirmed |
| Skokie | Cook | $3 per $1,000 seller | $300 seller | Unconfirmed |
| Des Plaines | Cook | $2 per $1,000 seller | $200 seller | Unconfirmed |
| Mount Prospect | Cook | $1.5 per $1,000 buyer | $150 buyer | Unconfirmed |
| Wheaton | DuPage | $2.5 per $1,000 buyer | $250 buyer | Unconfirmed |
| Schaumburg | Cook | $1 per $1,000 seller | $100 seller | Unconfirmed |
Confirmed means the rate and the payer came from the municipality's own page. Unconfirmed means it is as commonly reported and we have not checked it against the current ordinance. Municipal rates change, so for anything unconfirmed, call the village before you rely on the number. The state and county layers above are from the Illinois Department of Revenue and the Illinois Property Tax Code.
The stamps are not what delays your closing
In eleven years of Chicago closings the transfer tax has almost never been the problem. What slips a closing is everything a municipality wants before it will sell you the stamp.
- A final water reading. Nearly every town wants one, and several want five business days' notice. Inside Chicago, the water account has to be certified before a stamp is issued at all.
- Every municipal account clear. Water, sewer, parking tickets, building fines, garbage. Aurora and Elmhurst both say plainly that an open balance stops the stamp.
- An inspection, in some towns. Elmhurst wants a sump inspection. Others want a general pre-sale inspection or a certificate of occupancy.
- The declaration filed properly. The state's MyDec has to match the deed and the contract. A mismatch sends you back to the start.
None of it is hard. All of it takes days you will not have if you start the week of closing.
Questions about transfer stamps.
The ones that come up on almost every closing.
Who pays the transfer tax in Illinois?
The state tax of 50 cents per $500 and the county tax of 25 cents per $500 are the seller's. The municipal stamp depends entirely on the municipality. In Chicago the $3.75 per $500 base is the buyer's and the $1.50 per $500 CTA portion is the seller's. In Naperville the whole stamp is the buyer's. In most suburbs it is the seller's.
How much is the transfer tax on a Chicago house?
Add the three layers. On a $300,000 Chicago sale the seller pays $300 to the state, $150 to Cook County and $900 for the city's CTA portion, so $1,350 in total, and the buyer pays $2,250 for the city base. Every layer is charged per $500 of price or any fraction of it, so the price is rounded up to the next $500 before the rate is applied.
Is the transfer tax the same everywhere in Chicagoland?
No, and the municipal layer is where it varies wildly. Berwyn and Cicero are reported at $10 per $1,000 on the seller. Schaumburg is reported at $1 per $1,000. Most Illinois municipalities charge nothing at all, because only home rule municipalities may levy one. The state and county layers are the same across the region.
Does the price get rounded?
Up, always. The tax is charged on each $500 of the transfer price "or fraction thereof", so a sale at $250,001 is taxed as though it were $250,500.
What else does a municipality want before it will issue a stamp?
This is what actually delays closings. Most towns want a final water reading and every municipal account paid in full first. Elmhurst also wants a sump inspection. Aurora will not issue a stamp until the statement of open accounts is clear, and asks for five business days. Order these early, not the week of closing.
Are there exemptions?
Yes, and they are specific. Transfers between spouses, some transfers into and out of trusts, deeds correcting an earlier deed, and transfers where no money changes hands can be exempt, but each one has to be documented on the declaration. Chicago also refunds the CTA portion to buyers aged 65 and over who occupy the home for a year, where the price is $250,000 or less. Ask your attorney rather than assuming.
Do I pay transfer tax if I sell to a cash buyer?
Someone does, but it does not have to be you. When SoldHouse.com buys a house we cover the seller side of the transfer stamps along with title, attorney and recording, so the number in the offer is the number you walk away with, less anything owed against the property.
Nothing on this page is legal or tax advice, and it is not a substitute for your attorney or the municipality. Rates change. Use it to know roughly what to expect, then confirm the numbers that matter.
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