New Hampshire Transfer Tax Calculator: LCHIP Surcharge and Exemptions

The New Hampshire real estate transfer tax is $0.75 for every $100 of the sale price, and the buyer and the seller each owe that amount separately. On a $300,000 home, that is $2,250 per party and $4,500 in total. The rate is the same in every county and has been since July 1, 1999.1NH Department of Revenue Administration. Real Estate Transfer Tax Several common transactions qualify for full or partial exemptions, and a few add-ons at closing can change the final bill.

If the total sale price is $4,000 or less, a $20 minimum tax applies to each party instead of the per-$100 calculation.2New Hampshire General Court. New Hampshire Code 78-B:1 – Transfer Tax

How to Calculate the Tax

The statute taxes each $100 of the sale price “or any fractional part thereof,” and that phrase is where most people miscount. Three steps get it right:

On a clean $300,000 sale, the math is simple. 300,000 divided by 100 is 3,000 units; 3,000 times $0.75 is $2,250 owed by the buyer and $2,250 owed by the seller, for a combined $4,500.

A sale price with an odd amount works a little differently. On a $275,550 sale, 275,550 divided by 100 is 2,755.50, which rounds up to 2,756 taxable units. Multiplying 2,756 by $0.75 gives $2,067 per party, or $4,134 combined.

The sale price used for this calculation is the full consideration: cash, assumed debt, and the fair market value of any non-cash property exchanged. The settlement statement from the closing agent will show the figure the tax is calculated on.

The $25 LCHIP Surcharge

Separate from the transfer tax, New Hampshire charges a $25 surcharge on every deed recorded at the county registry. It funds the Land and Community Heritage Investment Program, and the grantee (usually the buyer) pays it.4New Hampshire General Court. New Hampshire Code 478:17-g – LCHIP Surcharge Government entities are exempt. The $25 is flat per deed, whether the property sells for $100,000 or $1 million.

Transactions That Are Exempt

RSA 78-B:2 lists more than two dozen categories of exempt transfers. The ones most likely to come up in an ordinary transaction are:5New Hampshire General Court. New Hampshire Code 78-B:2 – Exceptions

  • Gifts and other noncontractual transfers where no consideration changes hands.
  • Property passing by will, intestate succession, or the death of a joint tenant, regardless of any obligation the heir assumes.
  • Transfers of title between spouses under a final divorce or annulment decree.
  • Mortgages and discharges of mortgages.
  • Corrective deeds filed solely to fix an error in an earlier deed.
  • Conveyances to the state, a municipality, a school district, or a federal entity.
  • Cemetery plot transfers.
  • Leases (including all renewal terms) shorter than 99 years. Only a lease of 99 years or more is treated as a taxable transfer.
  • Transfer-on-death deeds recorded under RSA 563-D where no consideration is exchanged.

Entity reorganizations can also qualify, but the rules are narrow: ownership percentages must be identical before and after, and no consideration can change hands. Those situations are worth reviewing with a tax professional against the full text of RSA 78-B:2.

Transfers Into a Revocable Trust

Moving a property into a revocable trust is not automatically exempt. The Department of Revenue Administration treats it as a taxable event unless the transfer fits one of the statutory exceptions.6NH Department of Revenue Administration. Real Estate Transfer Tax When the trust is used as an estate planning substitute for a will and its beneficial interest is not represented by transferable shares, the tax drops to the $20 minimum for these specific transfers:

  • Between the trust and its grantor.
  • From the trust to beneficiaries after the grantor’s death.
  • From the trust to a beneficiary who is a natural object of the grantor’s bounty.
  • From one trustee to a successor trustee of the same trust.

If a trust transfer does not meet those criteria, the full $0.75 per $100 rate applies. On a $400,000 property, that is the difference between $20 and $3,000 for each party.

How and When the Tax Is Paid

At closing, the buyer and seller each buy tax stamps from the register of deeds in the county where the property sits. The register affixes the stamps to the deed when it is recorded, which publicly documents that the tax was paid and in what amount.6NH Department of Revenue Administration. Real Estate Transfer Tax The closing agent typically coordinates the funds and the filings so this happens the same day the deed is signed.

Each party also files a Declaration of Consideration with the Department of Revenue Administration within 30 days of recording. The buyer files Form CD-57-P and the seller files Form CD-57-S.7Cornell Law Institute. New Hampshire Administrative Code Rev 809.048NH Department of Revenue Administration. CD-57-S RETT Declaration of Consideration General Instructions The buyer additionally files Form PA-34 (the Inventory of Property Transfer) with both the Department of Revenue Administration and the town where the property is located, within the same 30-day window.9New Hampshire General Court. New Hampshire Code 74:18 – Inventory of Property Transfers

Without the correct payment and completed declaration, the registry can refuse to record the deed, which stalls the legal transfer of ownership. Failing to file the declaration on its own does not cloud title under RSA 78-B:10.10Justia. New Hampshire Code 78-B:10 – Declaration of Consideration Required

Interest on Late Payments

Underpaying or paying late triggers interest at the federal underpayment rate plus two percentage points. For 2026, that comes to 9% annually, and it starts running on the original due date.11NH Department of Revenue Administration. Interest Rates for Underpayment and Overpayment of Tax On a $500,000 sale where one party owes $3,750, a six-month delay adds roughly $169 in interest.

How It Affects Your Federal Taxes

The transfer tax is not deductible as a standalone item on your federal return. Sellers treat it as a reduction in net proceeds, which can reduce any capital gain on the sale. Buyers typically add it to the property’s cost basis, which lowers the taxable gain whenever they sell. Hold onto the settlement statement and the CD-57 form; both document the figure if the IRS later questions your basis.