One-time deed tax
Kentucky Transfer Tax Calculator
Kentucky charges the grantor 50 cents per $500, and counts any mortgage or lien on the property as part of the value rather than deducting it.
Updated 1 primary source Editorial policy
Kentucky transfer tax estimator
KRS 142.050 — rate, grantor liability, value. Statute checked October 1, 2026. This is a one-time deed charge, separate from annual property tax.
This is not your annual property tax
Transfer tax is charged once, when the deed changes hands, and it is worked out from the sale price. Property tax is charged every year and is worked out from the assessed value. Paying one does not reduce the other. If you were looking for the yearly bill, the Kentucky property tax calculator is the page you want.
What the statute says
| Item | Kentucky |
|---|---|
| Real estate transfer tax | $0.50 per $500 |
| Who pays | Grantor. KRS 142.050(2) imposes the tax “upon the grantor named in the deed”. |
The statute charges the rate on each $500 or fraction of $500, so the taxable base rounds up. The worksheet rounds the prepared value into the statute’s units, then applies any separately stated minimum and rounding rule.
Value means the full actual consideration paid or to be paid, “including the amount of any lien or liens thereon” (KRS 142.050(1)(b)1). This is the opposite of the Illinois rule, where an assumed mortgage comes out of the base — so do not carry an assumption from one state to the other.
The county clerk computes and collects the tax before accepting the deed for recording, so it is settled at recordation rather than billed later (KRS 142.050(3)(a)).
Sources
- apps.legislature.ky.govKRS 142.050 — rate, grantor liability, value
Statutes read 1 October 2026. Rates change; confirm with the recording office before you close.
Updated by the Property Tax Calculator Editorial Team. Report a correction