If you sell a home in Westchester County, you pay the New York State transfer tax of 0.4% of the price. In Yonkers, Mount Vernon or Peekskill you also pay a city transfer tax. If you buy, you pay the mortgage tax on your loan, the title insurance, the County Clerk’s recording fees and, at $1 million or more, the 1% mansion tax.
The mortgage tax is 1.30% of the loan in most of the county and 1.80% in Yonkers. A bank or other institutional lender covers 0.25% of that on homes of up to six units. New York City’s higher “supplemental” mansion tax and its extra transfer tax do not apply anywhere in Westchester.
Below are the government and title charges for each side, with an $800,000 example. Attorney fees, lender fees and property tax and fuel adjustments are not covered. Figures are for Westchester County only.
Taxes on the deed
State transfer tax (seller)
The state transfer tax is $2 for every $500 of the price, or 0.4%, on any sale over $500 (state transfer tax law). The Westchester County Clerk rounds the price up to the next $500 first.
The seller pays it. If the seller doesn’t pay, or is exempt, the buyer must pay, and the buyer can then go after the seller for the money (who pays the tax). It is reported on Form TP-584, the state transfer tax return, and is due within 15 days after the deed is handed over (payment deadline). In practice the title closer collects it at closing and pays it at recording.
Your contract can shift this tax to the buyer. Between buyer and seller, the contract’s closing-cost clause controls.
Mansion tax (buyer, $1 million and up)
The mansion tax is 1% of the full price when a home sells for $1 million or more (mansion tax law). It covers one-, two- and three-family houses, condo units and co-op units. The buyer pays. If the buyer doesn’t pay, or is exempt, the seller must.
The tax is on the whole price, not just the part over $1 million. A $1,000,000 sale owes $10,000. A $999,999 sale owes nothing.
NYC taxes that don’t apply here
Two taxes often quoted in regional cost guides apply only in a city of one million people or more, which means NYC:
- The supplemental mansion tax, which runs from 0.25% at $2 million up to 2.9% at $25 million.
- An extra 0.25% state transfer tax (0.65% in total) on NYC homes selling for $3 million or more and other NYC property selling for $2 million or more.
A $3 million house in Scarsdale owes the 0.4% state transfer tax and the flat 1% mansion tax, and nothing more to the state.
City transfer taxes
Three Westchester cities add their own tax. It is paid to the city before the County Clerk will record the deed.
| City | Rate | Who pays by default |
|---|---|---|
| Yonkers | 1.5% of price | Seller |
| Mount Vernon | 1.5% over $50,000 | Seller |
| Peekskill | 1% of price | Seller |
The Mount Vernon rate shown applies to deeds dated on or after February 1, 2026.
Deadlines, filing, exemptions and the stamped city receipt are covered in Yonkers, Mount Vernon and Peekskill transfer taxes. A Yonkers or Mount Vernon mailing address does not prove the property is inside city limits. Check the city or town named on the tax bill.
Mortgage tax (buyer with a loan)
Your mortgage is taxed when it is recorded: 1.30% of the loan in Westchester outside Yonkers and 1.80% in Yonkers (Westchester County Clerk, record a mortgage).
- On a home with six or fewer units and a loan from an institutional lender, such as a bank, the lender pays 0.25% and can’t pass it on to you. Your rate is then 1.05% (1.55% in Yonkers).
- On a one- or two-family home, your share drops by another $30.
- A cash buyer pays no mortgage tax.
Rates, the lender’s share, exemptions and savings on a refinance are explained in Mortgage recording tax in NYC and Westchester and CEMA explained.
County Clerk recording fees
Westchester deeds and mortgages are recorded with the Westchester County Clerk’s Land Records Division, not in ACRIS, NYC’s online system. Documents go in through the Clerk’s online Property Records Electronic Portal (PREP). The Clerk’s published fee list (Land Records fees) shows:
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Deed: recording fee | $45 |
| Mortgage: recording fee | $45 |
| Each page, deed or mortgage | $5 |
| Mortgage tax affidavit | $5 |
| RP-5217, residential or farm | $125 |
| RP-5217, all other property | $250 |
| Satisfaction of mortgage | $45.50 + $5/page |
| Each additional town | $0.50 |
Because of the per-page fee, a long mortgage with riders costs more to record than a short one. The cover page counts as a page (county recording fee law).
The RP-5217 is the Real Property Transfer Report, a state form filed with every deed. Its fee is set by state law: $125 for a home or farm and $250 for everything else. A mixed-use building or a vacant commercial lot pays the higher fee.
A $5 TP-584 filing fee is commonly charged in Westchester and appears in county closing-cost estimates. The Clerk’s current fee list doesn’t show it, so confirm it on the title company’s recording estimate.
Title insurance and title charges
Westchester title insurance premiums follow the TIRSA rate manual (the Title Insurance Rate Service Association’s filed rates), the same as NYC.
- The buyer pays for the owner’s policy and the loan policy the lender requires.
- When both are issued together, the loan policy costs 30% of its normal rate, up to the owner’s policy amount.
- An owner’s policy under $1 million may cost less than the TIRSA rate if the insurer has an approved discount.
Rates and examples are in What title insurance costs in NYC and Westchester.
The title bill also lists endorsements (add-ons to the policy), municipal searches (building, certificate of occupancy, fire) and recording service charges. See The title bill explained.
On the seller’s side, the title company usually pays off the seller’s mortgage and records the satisfaction, the document showing the loan is paid. A New York State Bar Association survey of Westchester practice reports a payoff handling fee of $150 to $250. It also reports that the title company’s fee for preparing the PREP forms is billed to the seller.
Who pays: buyer
| Charge | Amount | Who pays by default |
|---|---|---|
| Mansion tax | 1% at $1M+ | Buyer (law) |
| Mortgage tax | 1.30% / Yonkers 1.80% | Borrower, less lender’s 0.25% |
| Owner’s title policy | TIRSA rate | Buyer (custom) |
| Loan title policy | 30% of loan rate | Buyer (custom) |
| Deed recording | $45 + $5/page | Buyer (custom) |
| Mortgage recording | $45 + $5/page + $5 | Buyer (custom) |
| RP-5217 fee | $125 / $250 | Buyer (custom) |
| TP-584 filing fee | $5 (confirm) | Buyer (custom) |
| Municipal searches | Per title bill | Buyer (custom) |
Who pays: seller
| Charge | Amount | Who pays by default |
|---|---|---|
| NYS transfer tax | 0.4% | Seller (law) |
| Yonkers transfer tax | 1.5% | Seller (city law) |
| Mount Vernon transfer tax | 1.5% over $50K | Seller (city law) |
| Peekskill transfer tax | 1% | Seller (city law) |
| Satisfaction recording | $45.50 + $5/page | Seller (custom) |
| Payoff handling fee | Per title bill | Seller (custom) |
| PREP preparation fee | Per title bill | Seller (custom) |
“Law” or “city law” means the law names who pays, though the contract can shift the cost. “Custom” means no law assigns the charge, so the contract and local practice decide.
When the law puts a tax on one side, it also makes the other side liable if the first doesn’t pay or is exempt. So if the seller is exempt (for example, a government agency), the buyer can end up owing the state transfer tax.
Example: $800,000 purchase with a $640,000 loan
A hypothetical one-family house bought with a bank loan, at the rates above. It leaves out attorney fees, lender fees, municipal searches, endorsements, tax and fuel adjustments, and per-page recording fees, which depend on document length.
What the buyer pays
| Item | Westchester (not Yonkers) | Yonkers |
|---|---|---|
| Mortgage tax, borrower share | $6,690 | $9,890 |
| Owner’s policy (TIRSA rate) | $3,525 | $3,525 |
| Loan policy (issued together) | $734 | $734 |
| RP-5217 fee | $125 | $125 |
| TP-584 filing fee | $5 | $5 |
| Buyer total | $11,079 | $14,279 |
The mortgage tax line is $640,000 × 1.05% = $6,720, less $30. In Yonkers it is $640,000 × 1.55% = $9,920, less $30. The lender separately pays $1,600 (0.25%). No mansion tax is due because the price is under $1 million. If the insurer offers a discount on the owner’s policy, that line would be lower.
What the seller pays
| Location | NYS transfer tax | City transfer tax | Seller total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Westchester, no city tax | $3,200 | $0 | $3,200 |
| Yonkers | $3,200 | $12,000 | $15,200 |
| Mount Vernon | $3,200 | $11,250 | $14,450 |
| Peekskill | $3,200 | $8,000 | $11,200 |
The seller also pays to record the satisfaction of any existing mortgage, plus any title company payoff fee.
At a price of $1,000,000 instead of $800,000, the buyer would also owe $10,000 in mansion tax.
Getting an accurate number for your closing
- Check which city or town is named on the tax bill. Being in Yonkers changes both the mortgage tax and the transfer tax.
- Read the contract for any clause shifting transfer taxes or recording costs.
- Ask the title company for a pro forma (draft) title bill and recording estimate, listing the premium, endorsements, searches, page-based recording fees and taxes.
- Compare those lines with your Loan Estimate and Closing Disclosure from the lender. The taxes and filed premiums should match the formulas above to the dollar.
For who prepares and collects each item at closing, see Who does what at a New York closing.
Details for attorneys and title professionals
- The NYC-only taxes. The supplemental mansion tax and the extra 0.25% transfer tax both apply only in a city of one million people or more. In New York, that means only New York City.
- Title rates. Westchester is in TIRSA Zone 2, the same rate zone as NYC. The 30% loan policy charge is the TIRSA simultaneous-issue rate. Discounts below $1 million are “deviations”: lower rates that a title insurer (the underwriter) has had approved by the state.
Official sources
- New York Tax Law § 1402 (state transfer tax), § 1402-a (mansion tax), § 1402-b (NYC supplemental tax), § 1404 (who pays) and § 1410 (payment deadline)
- New York Real Property Law § 333 (RP-5217 filing fee)
- New York CPLR § 8021 (county clerk recording fees)
- Westchester County Clerk, Land Records fees, Record a deed and Record a mortgage
- New York State Bar Association, Westchester County residential real estate practice survey