Closing costs by state
Closing costs in Wisconsin
Closing costs in Wisconsin 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. Wisconsin charges a state transfer tax of $0.30 per $100 of value (real estate transfer fee, Wis. Stat. § 77.22), about 0.3% of the price, and the seller customarily pays it.
Last verified ·Sources:docs.legis.wisconsin.gov
The rules
What Wisconsin does differently
- State transfer tax
- $0.30 per $100 of value (real estate transfer fee, Wis. Stat. § 77.22) (about 0.3% of the price at $400,000).
- Who pays it
- Seller, by custom.
- County and city add-ons
- None; the county register of deeds collects the fee and keeps 20%, but no county or city levies a separate transfer tax.
- Attorney at closing
- Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin; the buyer pays for the lender’s policy.
- Notes
- The statute imposes the fee on the grantor: $1,200 on a $400,000 sale. An electronic Real Estate Transfer Return is filed with the Department of Revenue for every conveyance. Title companies conduct closings.
- docs.legis.wisconsin.gov — “There is imposed on the grantor of real estate a real estate transfer fee at the rate of 30 cents for each $100 of value”
Worked example
A $400,000 home in Wisconsin, 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 Wisconsin’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 |
| Transfer tax, seller’s share (0.3%) | $1,200 |
| Total | $26,200 |
Questions
What people ask about Wisconsin
- Who pays the transfer tax in Wisconsin?
- Wisconsin charges a state transfer tax of $0.30 per $100 of value (real estate transfer fee, Wis. Stat. § 77.22), about 0.3% of the price, and the seller customarily pays it.
- Do you need an attorney to close on a house in Wisconsin?
- Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin?
- The seller customarily pays for the owner’s title insurance policy in Wisconsin; the buyer pays for the lender’s policy.
- How much are seller closing costs in Wisconsin?
- On a $400,000 sale with a 5% commission, the worked example on this page comes to $26,200 for the seller, including $1,200 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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