Ohio Real Estate Transfer Taxes: An In-Depth Guide (2024 Update)

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By Jon Stubbs Updated March 20, 2024

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Who pays transfer taxes? | When are transfer taxes paid? | Methodology

Ohio's current transfer tax rate is $1.00 per $1,000. So, for a house worth $213,323 — the median home price in the state — the transfer tax due will be $213.

Ohio calls the tax a real property conveyance fee. Cities and counties within the state may collect their own fees on top of the state fee.

The specifics on who pays the transfer tax in Ohio are sometimes up for negotiation, but usually the seller is responsible.

Clever Real Estate can help you cut costs here — our concierge team will partner you with an experienced agent who can help you negotiate a good deal with your buyer on transfer taxes. You'll save big by paying only 1.5% in commission, which is much less than the Ohio average of 3.08%.

💰 Find an agent who can negotiate your transfer taxes

You can't change transfer tax rates. But, an experienced Clever Real Estate agent can help you win the negotiation battle so you aren't stuck paying all of the transfer taxes on your own.

When you choose Clever, you'll work with a full-service realtor with transfer tax expertise in your local market.

Clever's service is totally free, with zero obligation — you can walk away at any time.

Who pays transfer taxes in Ohio: The buyer or the seller?

The seller is usually responsible for the transfer tax in Ohio, but the buyer can assume responsibility for the tax payment during the negotiation process.

When do you pay transfer taxes in Ohio?

The seller should expect to have the tax payments deducted from their proceeds at closing.

How Much Are Transfer Taxes in Ohio?

The current rate for the Ohio real property conveyance fee is one mil ($1 per $1,000 of the value of the property sold or transferred.) In addition, counties in Ohio can also impose a permissive real property transfer tax of up to three additional mills. The most current information shows that 87 of 88 counties in Ohio collect this additional tax.

For a median-priced $213,323 home, the seller in Ohio will pay $213 for the state real property conveyance fee. The seller will also pay an additional $150, $300, or $450 on top of the state tax depending upon the county.

There are exemptions to paying this tax. The tax does not apply to property ownership transfers from one spouse to another or to children and their spouses. The tax also does not apply if the ownership is transferred to a non-profit agency.

Check the local tax code for the state of Ohio to learn about other exemptions to this tax.

Can You Deduct Transfer Taxes?

While property taxes may help relieve your tax bill at the end of the year, the state and county real property conveyance taxes are not tax deductible. The IRS does not consider transfer tax a "sales tax."

If you are the seller, you can include the transfer tax in the "cost basis" of the property.

This is how it works:

Hopefully, when you sell a property, you will make money on the sale. You may be charged a capital gains tax on the amount of money that you made. The amount you spent on the transfer tax can be subtracted from your profit so that your capital gains tax bill can be reduced.

This reduction isn't even necessary if you owned the home for more than two years. If you lived in the house for two of the last five years, a married couple could exclude $500,000 of capital gains anyway.

Other Considerations

Very few people like to read and think about taxes. Since most people go through a house closing only a few times in their lives, they don't find it necessary to memorize the details of the real property conveyance fees.

When learning about complicated issues like taxes and closing costs, sometimes it is easier to have a professional sit across the kitchen table from you to explain things. Whether you are buying or selling a home, your real estate agent will talk you through the process and make sure you understand all the different fees and taxes that you will be charged at closing.

Clever can partner you with a local real estate agent who knows how to deal with the state’s tax and helps negotiate a deal in your favor. What’s more, our agents charge only a 1.5% listing fee compared to the state average of 3.08%! The money you'll save can more than offset the cost of the transfer taxes.

» SAVE: Learn more about how a Clever agent can help you navigate Ohio transfer taxes

Methodology

  • Transfer tax amounts are based on government website information as of February 2024.
  • We gathered our listing commission rate data from a December 2023 survey of 630 of our partner agents.
  • Home values, list prices, and sale prices are based on Zillow data as of January 2024.

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