Closing costs by state
Closing costs in Massachusetts
Closing costs in Massachusetts 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 $11,555. Massachusetts charges a state transfer tax of $2.28 per $500 of consideration (deeds excise; $4.56 per $1,000), about 0.456% of the price, and the seller customarily pays it.
Last verified ·Sources:mass.gov·malegislature.gov
The rules
What Massachusetts does differently
- State transfer tax
- $2.28 per $500 of consideration (deeds excise; $4.56 per $1,000) (about 0.456% of the price at $400,000).
- Who pays it
- Seller, by custom.
- County and city add-ons
- No city or town transfer taxes. Barnstable County (Cape Cod) uses a different statutory base plus a county excise, so its combined rate is higher.
- Attorney at closing
- Massachusetts requires an attorney to conduct or supervise the closing, so an attorney fee is a normal line on both sides.
- Owner’s title policy
- The buyer customarily pays for the owner’s title insurance policy in Massachusetts, along with the lender’s policy.
- Notes
- Massachusetts closings are conducted by attorneys. On a $400,000 sale the deeds excise is 800 Ă— $2.28 = $1,824. Statute base is $2.00 per $500 plus a surcharge the Department of Revenue applies to reach $2.28.
- mass.gov — “Deeds — Sales price (less mortgage assumed) of real estate — $2.28 per $500.”
- malegislature.gov — “for each additional five hundred dollars or fractional part thereof, two dollars”
Worked example
A $400,000 home in Massachusetts, 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 Massachusetts’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 |
| Owner’s title policy (estimate) | $1,500 |
| Total (2.889% of price) | $11,555 |
Seller pays
| Commission, 5% | $20,000 |
| Title and escrow fees | $2,000 |
| Prorated property tax | $1,500 |
| Transfer tax, seller’s share (0.456%) | $1,824 |
| Total | $25,324 |
Questions
What people ask about Massachusetts
- Who pays the transfer tax in Massachusetts?
- Massachusetts charges a state transfer tax of $2.28 per $500 of consideration (deeds excise; $4.56 per $1,000), about 0.456% of the price, and the seller customarily pays it.
- Do you need an attorney to close on a house in Massachusetts?
- Massachusetts requires an attorney to conduct or supervise the closing, so an attorney fee is a normal line on both sides.
- Who pays for the owner’s title policy in Massachusetts?
- The buyer customarily pays for the owner’s title insurance policy in Massachusetts, along with the lender’s policy.
- How much are seller closing costs in Massachusetts?
- On a $400,000 sale with a 5% commission, the worked example on this page comes to $25,324 for the seller, including $1,824 of transfer tax, 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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