Alameda County Transfer Tax Calculator

Published on July 10th, 2025

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Alameda County Transfer Tax Calculator: What to Expect

This simple calculator can help home sellers in Alameda County estimate their transfer taxes. To get a ballpark idea of the transfer fees you might pay in the [location nickname], enter your home’s estimated selling price above.

Need a selling price? Try HomeLight’s free Home Value Estimator to see what your house might be worth. To receive a more accurate listing price, contact a top Alameda County real estate agent and request a Comparative Market Analysis (CMA), a report that will compare your home against nearby listed and recently sold properties.

A top real estate agent can provide you with a Seller’s Net Sheet that breaks down all the costs of selling your home, along with an estimate of the proceeds you can expect. Use HomeLight’s free Agent Match platform to find a trusted local agent with excellent reviews and a proven track record.

How the Alameda County Transfer Tax is Calculated

Alameda County’s transfer tax is calculated at a rate of $0.55 per $500 of the property’s sale price.

For example, if you sold your home for $1,057,400 (Alameda County’s median home price), you could expect to pay $1,163.14 in California transfer taxes.

Another Transfer Tax Alameda County Sellers Typically Pay

Depending on the city where the home is located, there will be a different transfer tax rate. Here’s a list of all Alameda County city transfer tax rates:

City	Rate per $1,000
Alameda	$12.00
Albany	$15.00
Berkeley	$15.00 (≤ $1.6 million)
Berkeley	$25.00 (≥ $1,600,001)
Emeryville	$12.00 (< $1,000,000)
Emeryville	$15.00 ($1,000,000 – $2,000,000)
Emeryville	$25.00 (≥ $2,000,001)
Hayward	$8.50
Oakland	$10.00 (≤ $300,000)
Oakland	$15.00 ($300,001 – $2,000,000)
Oakland	$17.50 ($2,000,001 – $5,000,000)
Oakland	$25.00 (≥ $5,000,001)
Piedmont	$13.00
San Leandro	$11.00

Source: Alameda County

»Learn more: Understanding Alameda County Transfer Tax

See the bigger home sale picture: To see what your entire home sale might cost, try HomeLight’s California Seller Closing Cost Calculator. You’ll also get a preliminary look at your estimated net proceeds.

Does the Seller Always Pay the Alameda County Transfer Tax?

While it’s customary for the seller to pay the Alameda County transfer tax, who pays can sometimes be a point of negotiation between the buyer and seller during the closing process.

Some Alameda County home sales may be exempt, such as:

Lien value: No tax if outstanding liens equal or exceed the property value.
Collateral security: Applies to debt-secured instruments; does not cover deeds.
Government agency: Covers transfers to government entities, including FHLMC and FNMA foreclosures.
Bankruptcy/court order: This includes bankruptcy transfers and court-ordered conveyances that do not involve a sale.
SEC order: Applies to transfers ordered by the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Same party interest: No tax if ownership remains proportional after transfer.
Trustee deeds: Covers trustee sales or deeds in lieu of foreclosure (only on lien value, not equity).
Marriage dissolution: Applies to transfers between spouses due to divorce.
Non-federal agency: Tax-free if a non-federal agency transfers the property and the buyer immediately reconveys it to an exempt agency.
Non-profit transfer: This exemption applies when a government agency transfers property to a non-profit (it is not valid for private-to-non-profit transfers).
Trust/beneficiary: Covers transfers to a grantor’s trust, gifts without payment, and property passed after death.

Make Buying and Selling Easier: Most Alameda County sellers are also buyers looking to purchase a new home. With HomeLight’s Buy Before You Sell program, you can make a non-contingent offer on your new home and only move once. Watch this short video to learn more.

More Resources to Plan Your Alameda County Home Sale

Here are some additional tools to help you plan your Alameda County home sale:

Sell fast without paying fees or commissions: Get a cash offer today.

With HomeLight’s Simple Sale platform, you can receive a no-obligation, all-cash offer for your Alameda County home in 24 hours. If you accept the offer, you can close in as few as 10 days. Answer a few questions about your Alameda County home to get started. Along with your cash offer, you’ll also receive an expert estimate of what a top Alameda County agent might be able to get for your home. Receive both selling options with one tool.

As you look ahead to your next home purchase, here are some helpful buyer tools:

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