Closing costs by state
Closing costs in Idaho
Closing costs in Idaho run about 2% to 5% of the price for a buyer, made of lender fees, title and settlement, recording, prepaid interest and escrow reserves; on a $400,000 home the worked example below comes to $10,055. Idaho has no state-level real estate transfer tax.
Last verified ·Sources:tax.idaho.gov·legislature.idaho.gov·legislature.idaho.gov
The rules
What Idaho does differently
- State transfer tax
- None at the state level.
- Who pays it
- Not applicable.
- County and city add-ons
- None; no county or city transfer tax. The recorder's fee for a deed is a flat $15 (Idaho Code § 31-3205).
- Attorney at closing
- Idaho does not require an attorney at closing; a title or escrow company usually conducts it, and an attorney is optional.
- Owner’s title policy
- The seller customarily pays for the owner’s title insurance policy in Idaho; the buyer pays for the lender’s policy.
- Notes
- The Idaho State Tax Commission's list of taxes has no transfer or deed tax, and deed recording is a flat fee. A 2007 bill that would have written a no-transfer-tax section (63-307A) into the code died in committee, so no such section exists. Title companies conduct closings; the seller customarily pays the owner's policy.
- tax.idaho.gov — “Taxes: Income/Payroll; On Sales; Product (Excise); Property; Other Taxes: Estates and Taxes, City Sales Taxes”
- legislature.idaho.gov — “31-3205. Recorder's fees ... Deeds, grants and transfers of title to real property $15.00”
- legislature.idaho.gov — “NEW SECTION 63-307A ... intent of the legislature to not impose any form of a real estate transfer tax”
Worked example
A $400,000 home in Idaho, 20% down
Loan of $320,000 at 6.5%, closing on the 15th. Lender, title and recording figures are typical line items used for illustration, the same on every state page; the transfer tax and the owner’s policy side follow Idaho’s rules above. Not a quote: the calculator takes your own figures.
Buyer pays
| Loan origination, 1% of the loan | $3,200 |
| Appraisal | $550 |
| Title and settlement services | $1,800 |
| Lender’s title policy | $900 |
| Recording | $150 |
| Prepaid interest, 15 days at 6.5% | $855 |
| Escrow reserve, 3 months of tax at 1.1% | $1,100 |
| First year of homeowners insurance | $1,500 |
| Total (2.514% of price) | $10,055 |
Seller pays
| Commission, 5% | $20,000 |
| Title and escrow fees | $2,000 |
| Owner’s title policy (estimate) | $1,500 |
| Prorated property tax | $1,500 |
| Total | $25,000 |
Questions
What people ask about Idaho
- Who pays the transfer tax in Idaho?
- Idaho has no state-level real estate transfer tax.
- Do you need an attorney to close on a house in Idaho?
- Idaho does not require an attorney at closing; a title or escrow company usually conducts it, and an attorney is optional.
- Who pays for the owner’s title policy in Idaho?
- The seller customarily pays for the owner’s title insurance policy in Idaho; the buyer pays for the lender’s policy.
- How much are seller closing costs in Idaho?
- On a $400,000 sale with a 5% commission, the worked example on this page comes to $25,000 for the seller, before the mortgage payoff and any concessions or repairs. The seller net sheet calculator shows the walk-away figure.
Last reviewed September 8, 2026 by the EstatePass editorial team. Formulas and program limits are checked against the published rules; figures on this page are arithmetic, not market statistics.
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