Short answer
The fee is charged to the seller and set by price bracket, per $500 of the sale price. For a deed with a total price of $350,000 or less, the page lists $2.00 per $500 on the first $150,000, $3.35 on the next $50,000 and $3.90 up to $350,000. Higher-priced deeds use a different table.
Who pays and what it is based on
The Division of Taxation says the State imposes a Realty Transfer Fee on the seller of real property for recording a deed for the sale. Its home buying and selling guide adds that the fee is based on the sales price and that the seller must pay it at closing, and that the buyer is not responsible for it. The seller signs an Affidavit of Consideration for Use by Seller, form RTF-1, at the closing table, and the fee goes with it.
The standard rates
The Division lists the rates per $500 of consideration. When the total consideration is not over $350,000: $2.00 on the portion from $0 to $150,000, $3.35 on the portion from $150,000 to $200,000, and $3.90 on the portion from $200,000 to $350,000. When the total consideration is over $350,000: $2.90 from $0 to $150,000, $4.25 from $150,000 to $200,000, $4.80 from $200,000 to $550,000, $5.30 from $550,000 to $850,000, $5.80 from $850,000 to $1,000,000, and $6.05 above $1,000,000.
A worked example, with a caution
Take a $300,000 sale. If each rate applies to the slice of the price inside its bracket, which is how the Division's table is laid out, the first $150,000 is 300 units of $500 at $2.00, or $600. The next $50,000 is 100 units at $3.35, or $335. The last $100,000 is 200 units at $3.90, or $780. That adds up to about $1,715. This is an illustration, not a quote. The closing attorney or title company will calculate the exact figure on your settlement statement.
Not every transfer carries the fee
The guide notes that no Realty Transfer Fee is owed on non-deed transfers of title for a house. The Division also lists deeds that are exempt, for example between husband and wife or parent and child, and reduced rates for certain sellers. Separate pages cover those cases. Price over $1 million also triggers a graduated percent fee covered in another answer.
Selling without agent commission
The transfer fee is a government charge on the deed, so it applies however the house is sold. Kaizen Home Buyers makes cash offers on New Jersey houses as-is, with no repairs and no agent commission. We can give an offer within 24 hours and close in 14 to 30 days or on the date you choose. Call 267-329-0084. Whether you list with an agent or sell for cash, ask the closing attorney for a written estimate of your closing costs before you pick.