Conveyancing Calculator South Africa | Estimate Your Costs Easily

Conveyancing costs in South Africa for the buyer side typically run between roughly 2.5% and 5% of the purchase price, depending on property value and bond size. They break down into four main components: (1) transfer duty payable to SARS on a banded schedule, (2) the conveyancing attorney’s transfer fee regulated under the Legal Practice Council’s tariff, plus VAT at 15%, (3) the bond registration attorney’s fee plus Deeds Office fees, and (4) disbursements.

What Conveyancing Costs in South Africa Actually Cover

Conveyancing is the legal work required to pass ownership of immovable property from seller to buyer and to register or cancel any mortgage bond over it. The cost is a stack of distinct charges, and confusing them is the most common source of sticker shock at quote time. Tariff fees are regulated under the Legal Practice Council’s rules in terms of the Legal Practice Act 28 of 2014 and are not freely negotiable.

The Components of a Conveyancing Cost Statement

Each charge on a complete cost statement:

Component	Who collects it	How it is calculated	Buyer or Seller
Transfer duty	SARS	Banded schedule on property value (above the exemption threshold)	Buyer
Conveyancing transfer fee	The appointed transfer attorney	Statutory tariff under the Legal Practice Council rules	Buyer
Bond registration fee	The bond registration attorney (often the same firm)	Statutory tariff under the Legal Practice Council rules	Buyer
Bond cancellation fee (if applicable)	The seller’s cancellation attorney	Statutory tariff under the Legal Practice Council rules	Seller
VAT on attorney fees	SARS	15% on attorney tariff fees	Per party
Deeds Office lodgement fees	Deeds Office (national)	Fixed schedule per deed type	Per party
Clearance certificates, rates, compliance certificates	Municipality, body corporate, SARS	Variable, property-specific	Seller (typically)
Bank initiation / bond valuation	The bond lender	Variable per bank	Buyer

Transfer Duty: The SARS Banded Schedule

Transfer duty is paid by the buyer to SARS on a banded schedule based on the property value — it is a tax, not part of the attorney’s fee. National Treasury updates the schedule from time to time; any figure must be checked against the current SARS schedule.

Property value (R)	Transfer duty
1 – 1,210,000	0% (exempt)
1,210,001 – 1,663,800	3% of the value above R1,210,000
1,663,801 – 2,329,300	R13,614 + 6% of the value above R1,663,800
2,329,301 – 2,994,800	R53,544 + 8% of the value above R2,329,300
2,994,801 – 13,310,000	R106,784 + 11% of the value above R2,994,800
13,310,001 and above	R1,241,456 + 13% of the value above R13,310,000

The conveyancing attorney calculates the duty, collects it from the buyer, and pays it to SARS as a separate line item. Duty is paid via SARS eFiling before lodgement.

Attorney Fees Under the Legal Practice Council Tariff

Conveyancing attorney fees are regulated. The Legal Practice Council publishes the tariff under the Legal Practice Act 28 of 2014, and that tariff governs how transfer fees and bond registration fees are calculated. Fees vary on a sliding scale with the property value (or bond amount) and are not freely negotiable. VAT at 15% is charged on tariff fees in addition to the tariff itself. Transfer and bond registration attorneys are quoted separately even when both sit at the same firm: the transfer fee covers passing ownership, the bond registration fee covers registering the new bond.

Deeds Office Fees and Disbursements

Deeds Office lodgement fees are a fixed national schedule per deed type — they do not vary by province. The Registrar of Deeds charges the same fee for lodging a transfer in Johannesburg as in Cape Town; the practical differences between Deeds Offices show up in turnaround time.

Disbursements are the variable part — postage and tracing, municipal rates clearance, body corporate or homeowners’ association clearance, electrical, plumbing, or beetle compliance certificates, and tax clearance work where the property is sold out of a deceased estate, trust, or company.

When a Calculator Estimate Will Differ from a Real Quote

An online calculator is a useful first pass, but a real cost statement is built only once the conveyancer has the property details. The estimate and the quote diverge most often where:

• Simultaneous bond registration and cancellation by the same firm may allow certain tariff efficiencies.
• Urgency surcharges apply when a transaction needs to be expedited. No online calculator can anticipate urgency.
• Sectional title units carry body corporate certificate costs that freehold properties do not.
• Property sold out of a deceased estate, trust, or company attracts additional drafting, Master’s Office, and tax clearance work a residential calculator ignores.

Treat the calculator as a budgeting tool that gives a sensible range.

Using an Estimator: A Practical Framework

A well-designed buyer-side estimator walks through the inputs that drive the figure:

1. Enter the agreed purchase price. Drives transfer duty, the transfer fee, and most disbursements.
2. Enter the bond amount being registered (if any). Drives the bond registration fee and the bond Deeds Office lodgement fee.
3. Select the property type: freehold residential, sectional title, agricultural land, or other.
4. Flag unusual features: simultaneous bond cancellation, urgency, Section 42 agricultural clearance, VAT transfer as a going concern.
5. Read the output as a stack: transfer duty, transfer attorney fee, bond registration fee, VAT, Deeds Office fees, and disbursements — plus a contingency.

Choosing a Conveyancing Attorney in South Africa

Conveyancing is admitted-attorney work. Before instructing a conveyancer, confirm:

• An admitted conveyancer is on staff or directly supervises the file.
• The quote is broken into transfer fee, bond registration fee, VAT, and disbursements — a single lump figure conceals which components are tariff-regulated.
• Turnaround time fits any bond-approval expiry or downstream chain.
• The firm carries Fidelity Fund cover under section 84 of the Legal Practice Act — mandatory for any practice holding a conveyancing file.
• Locality matters less than conveyancing experience for straightforward residential transactions; the Deeds Office is national.

Burger Huyser Attorneys’ Notarial & Conveyancing practice handles transfers, bond registrations, simultaneous bond cancellations, and sectional-title transfers, with Amanda le Roux (Notary and Conveyancer) overseeing the work out of the Bedfordview branch. The firm’s 4.8/5 Trustindex rating across 250+ Google reviews reflects repeated feedback on plain-spoken explanations of cost statements.

Frequently Asked Questions

What percentage of the purchase price is conveyancing in South Africa?

For the buyer side, all-in conveyancing costs typically run between roughly 2.5% and 5% of the purchase price depending on property value, bond size, and whether the property attracts transfer duty. The main cost drivers are transfer duty (SARS) and the attorney’s tariff-regulated fees plus VAT. Lower-value properties skew higher because fixed Deeds Office and disbursement components do not scale down.

Who pays conveyancing costs — the buyer or the seller?

In a typical residential transaction, the buyer pays transfer duty, the conveyancing transfer fee, bond registration fees, and the bond registration Deeds Office fees. The seller pays the bond cancellation attorney fee, a rates-clearance certificate from the municipality, and any rates up to the date of transfer. Costs can be split if the parties agree otherwise in the sale agreement.

Is transfer duty included in conveyancing fees?

No — transfer duty is a separate SARS tax, not part of the conveyancing attorney’s tariff. The attorney calculates the duty, collects it from the buyer, and pays it to SARS on the buyer’s behalf. It appears as a separate line item on the cost statement.

Are conveyancing fees regulated in South Africa?

Yes — the transfer fee and bond registration fee are regulated under a tariff published by the Legal Practice Council under the Legal Practice Act 28 of 2014. The fees vary on a sliding scale and are not freely negotiable. VAT at 15% is charged on top of the tariff fee.

How accurate is an online conveyancing calculator?

It gives a useful first estimate of transfer duty, attorney tariff fees, VAT, and Deeds Office fees. It cannot anticipate every disbursement (clearance certificates, body corporate certificates, urgency surcharges, tax clearance complications), so the final cost statement may differ by a small percentage. Treat it as a budgeting tool, not a fixed quote.

Can I appoint my own conveyancing attorney even if the bank suggests one?

Yes — the buyer is free to appoint their own conveyancing attorney for the transfer work, although the bond registration attorney is often instructed by or affiliated with the bond originator. Most buyers appoint one firm for both; the firm then coordinates the file end-to-end. Burger Huyser’s conveyancing practice handles both.

If you are buying or selling property in Gauteng and need a per-file conveyancing quote, contact Burger Huyser Attorneys’ Notarial & Conveyancing practice via the Bedfordview branch on 011 201 7190 (mobile 061 536 3223) or visit 45A Florence Avenue, Bedfordview. The firm handles transfers, bond registrations, and simultaneous bond cancellations, with Amanda le Roux (Notary and Conveyancer) overseeing the work. Bring the agreed purchase price, the bond approval (if any), the property address, and the seller’s details to the first consultation for a broken-down cost statement. Burger Huyser carries a 4.8/5 average across 250+ Google reviews.