California closing cost calculatorThe California figure on this page is the county documentary transfer tax in Revenue and Taxation Code section 11911, checked 2026-10-09. A county may impose 0.55 dollars for each 500 dollars of consideration or value, or fractional part of 500 dollars. These are estimates from published rates. The binding figures come from the Loan Estimate and the Closing Disclosure.
The tax applies when consideration or value exceeds 100 dollars. At 100 dollars or below, the county line is 0.00 dollars. Above that threshold the calculator counts 500 dollar units, rounds the count up when there is a remainder, and multiplies by 0.55. A fractional part is a whole extra unit.
What to type as the price
Section 11911 describes consideration or value exclusive of any lien or encumbrance remaining on the interest at the time of sale. Type that exclusive amount. This page will not invent a payoff or subtract a mortgage you did not remove from the price. The buyer or seller control only labels the estimate. It does not decide which column of the Closing Disclosure carries the tax.
City tax, and other gaps
A city in such a county may impose a tax at one-half of that rate for each 500 dollars. City schedules are not sourced, so none is calculated. If you already know the city amount, type it in the city field. It is labeled as an amount you entered, and it is included in the total. Leaving the field blank omits the line. That omission is not a finding that the city tax is zero.
Lender fees, the appraisal, and recording fees are the same kind of entered amount, and they start at zero. Real estate commission and prepaid escrows are not estimated. Title insurance is not calculated for California, because no California title premium is verified here. A price of 500,100 dollars shows why the fractional part matters: the extra 100 dollars opens one more 500 dollar unit, and the county tax moves from 550.00 dollars to 550.55 dollars. The same rounding applies just above 100 dollars: 100.01 dollars is one unit and 0.55 dollars of county tax. Nothing on this page adds a city schedule, a mansion tax, or a local measure. Those stay out until each one has a source.
A 500,000 dollar example
500,000 dollars is 1,000 units of 500 dollars. The county tax is 550.00 dollars, which is 0.11 percent of the price when every fee field is zero. 500,100 dollars is 1,001 units and 550.55 dollars. The form opens on the 500,000 dollar example. Do not read 0.11 percent as a bill for every other California closing fee. The source is Revenue and Taxation Code section 11911, last checked 2026-10-09.
The other state pages are Florida stamps and the Texas title premium. The national calculator holds all three. A severance offer uses the severance calculator. A home solar price uses the solar cost calculator.
Counting units rounds up. Displayed cents then round half up, which is a separate step. 1,001 times 0.55 is 550.55 dollars with nothing left over. A recording fee you type is added as entered and does not change the county line. The county line repeats the statute link and the checked date 2026-10-09.
Questions
Does 100 dollars get taxed?
No. The county tax applies when consideration or value exceeds 100 dollars. At 100 dollars or less the line is 0.00 dollars.
How do I handle a remaining lien?
Enter consideration exclusive of any lien or encumbrance that remains at the time of sale. The statute describes the tax on that amount. This page does not subtract a lien on its own.
Will this add my city tax?
Not by formula. A city may impose one-half of the county rate per 500 dollars, and those schedules are not sourced. Type a city amount if you have one. Otherwise the city line is omitted, which is not the same as zero.
Is 550 dollars the full closing cost?
No. It is the county documentary transfer tax on 500,000 dollars of consideration, with the other fields at zero. Binding figures come from the Loan Estimate and the Closing Disclosure.